## 1 Introduction  
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of tailor-made porous materials that have attracted attention across several scientific fields. Their unique physicochemical properties, resulting from the meticulous combination of inorganic and organic building blocks towards porous networks, have made them excellent candidates for a wide range of applications [1,2]. This versatility has brought them to the forefront of chemical and materials science. More specifically, their high surface area, tunable porosity, and the ability to introduce specific functionalities make them ideal candidates for various fields, including the storage and separation of molecules ranging from gases to vapors, volatiles, and even larger pharmaceutical compounds [3, 4, 5]. MOFs can particularly serve as smart carriers of active compounds as they can adsorb and carry sensitive active compounds until they are released under specific external stimuli. More specifically, with the term \"smart carriers\", we usually refer to nanostructured delivery systems, such as MOFs, that are engineered to enhance the stability of active ingredients and minimize their premature release. These systems enable controlled release, meaning the active compounds (e.g., pesticides, fertilizers, or drugs) are gradually and predictably released over time in response to environmental or biological stimuli. This not only improves delivery efficiency but also reduces the overall chemical input and the frequency of application. MOFs, in particular, offer tunable porosity and responsive degradation behavior, making them highly suitable as smart carriers for controlled release applications [6,7]. Over the past few decades, MOFs have played a leading role in environmental and energy-related applications, such as the storage of gases like H\({}_{2}\) and CO\({}_{2}\), establishing their prominence in these fields [7, 8, 9]. However, their versatile nature and the freedom offered by their customizable building blocks have paved the way for their use in alternative sectors [8,10]. Leveraging their tunability, MOF networks can be synthesized with specific characteristics, such as pore shape and size, and can include functional groups at their backbone. These tailored features allow MOFs to serve as hosts for targeted molecules, either to protect and store them or to release them slowly into a specific environment under controlled conditions or specific triggers [10, 11, 12]. This unique behavior sets MOFs apart from other porous materials, making them promising candidates for innovative solutions to pressing global challenges. As such, their applications have expanded beyond energy and environmental fields into areas such as agriculture and agrifood science [13, 14, 15]. The constantly growing global population has increased the demand for crop production and has highlighted the need for novel and effective food storage approaches [6,7], particularly for post-harvest crops [16,17]. While synthetic chemicals have provided an effective solution for many years, their widespread use has led to a range of side effects, with bioaccumulation being the main concern [18,19]. To achieve more sustainable solutions, alternative approaches have been explored, with essential oils (EOs) and fragrances emerging as promising candidates [17,19,20]. EOs have been used for centuries and are well-known for their pharmaceutical properties, including strong antimicrobial activity, as they can inhibit the growth of pathogens such as fungi and bacteria [21,22]. Moreover, due to their chemical nature, EOs pose less risk of bioaccumulation and have less impact on non-pathogenic organisms, which can be beneficial to crop growth and soil health [20]. However, their highly volatile nature, combined with chemical sensitivity (e.g., degradation under specific conditions or photodegradation), limits their broader use and creates a need for smart carriers that can facilitate their application [22,23].