Abstract:Carbon dots are a novel kind of carbon nanomaterials，which have been attached considerable attention by scholars worldwide in recent years because of their excellent optical properties.The main raw materials derived from food including fruit，vegetables，animals，processed and waste food，have the merits of easy collection and low cost.These carbon dots were synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis，microwave radiation and pyrolysis，which have some advantages such as small particle size，high yield of quantum and low cytotoxicity.Recent studies have found that carbon dots synthesized from food have great potential for applications on biosensors，bioimaging，and drug delivery.This review summarized the characteristics of carbon dots synthesized from different food and their applications in biology in recent years，which could provide guidance for green synthesis of carbon dots derived from food more efficiently，and new ideas for its application in the biological field.