ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Food Chemistry
This article is part of the Research TopicSpectroscopic Techniques in Innovative Applications for Food SafetyView all articles
A ratiometric fluorescent sensor for Al3+ and Cu2+ detection in food samples
Provisionally accepted
- 1Criminal Investigation Police University of China, Shenyang, China
- 2Department of Orthopedics, Center Hospital Affiliated to Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang, China
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Aluminum (Al) and copper (Cu), as two common elements, have specific applications in the modern food industry. However, excessive levels of Al3+ and Cu2+ pose a major risk to ecosystems and human health. Thus, fast, sensitive, and portable detection technologies are indispensable for achieving source control of such hazardous substances.We synthesized GSH-stabilized gold nanoclusters (G-AuNCs) and Nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) via a straightforward hydrothermal method, and constructed GQDs@AuNCs ratiometric fluorescent sensors through electrostatic interactions for the rapid detection of Al3+ and Cu2+ in food samples. When the concentration of Al3+ in the reaction medium increases, the fluorescence intensity (FI) of G-AuNCs incrementally enhances; in contrast, when the concentration of Cu2+ increases, the FI of G-AuNCs is gradually quenched. Notably, the FI of N-GQDs remains unchanged throughout this process. When the concentrations of Al3+ and Cu2+ ions are within the ranges of 0.5-500 μM and 1-200 μM, respectively, the FI ratio (I₅₂₈/I₄₁₂)/(I₅₂₈/I₄₁₂)₀ shows a strong linear correlation with the ion concentrations, with corresponding limits of detection (LOD) of 0.66 μM and 0.44 μM. The fluorescent sensor features simple synthesis, rapid detection, and high sensitivity, making it well-suited for the rapid detection of Al³⁺ and Cu²⁺ in foods such as fried dough twists and shellfish.
Keywords: Fluorescence sensor, Food samples, Gods, Coper (II), Aluminum ion
Received: 17 Sep 2025; Accepted: 29 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Chen, Xia, Zhang, Zhang, Xu and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xin Zhao, zhaoxin20170430@163.com
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