<p>The development of new nanomaterials has led to significant advancements for immunosensors and immunoassays in the past decades. Polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) exhibit unique characteristics, such as superior biocompatibility, simple preparation, high adhesion, good aqueous solubility, a high molar extinction coefficient, and outstanding fluorescence quenching ability, which make them promising candidates for applications in immunoassays. Moreover, PDA film can easily functionalize the surface of nanomaterials, endowing PDA-containing nanocomposites with high affinity to antibodies (Abs) and high stability. Based on the aforementioned advantages, various PDA-containing single or composite nanomaterials are suitable for labelling Abs in construction of biosensors and have been extensively employed in specific food safety inspection. In this review, we summarized recent advances in PDA-containing nanomaterials for immunoassays targeting biotoxins, foodborne pathogenic bacteria, pesticides, and veterinary drug residues in food stuff. The aim of this mini-review is to offer comprehensive insights into the potential of PDA-containing nanomaterials in biosensing platforms, thereby contributing to enhanced stability and resistance capability to matrix interference in food safety inspection.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>