Highly sensitive and ratiometric detection of nitrite in food based on upconversion-carbon dots nanosensor

Yaqing Yang; Simin Wei; Jialin Wang; Junjie Li; Jinlu Tang; Albert Aryee Aaron; Qiyong Cai; Ningning Wang; Zhaohui Li

doi:10.1016/j.aca.2023.341245

Highly sensitive and ratiometric detection of nitrite in food based on upconversion-carbon dots nanosensor

Anal Chim Acta. 2023 Jul 4:1263:341245. doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341245. Epub 2023 Apr 22.

Authors

Yaqing Yang¹, Simin Wei¹, Jialin Wang¹, Junjie Li¹, Jinlu Tang², Albert Aryee Aaron¹, Qiyong Cai³, Ningning Wang⁴, Zhaohui Li¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Chemistry, Institute of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Green Construction of Functional Molecules and Their Bioanalytical Applications, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China.
² School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China.
³ College of Chemistry, Institute of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Green Construction of Functional Molecules and Their Bioanalytical Applications, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China. Electronic address: caiqi@hnu.edu.cn.
⁴ College of Chemistry, Institute of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Green Construction of Functional Molecules and Their Bioanalytical Applications, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China. Electronic address: ningningwang@zzu.edu.cn.

PMID: 37225331
DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341245

Abstract

Nitrite (NO₂^-) is extensively found in the daily dietary environment. However, consuming too much NO₂^- can pose serious health risks. Thus, we designed a NO₂^--activated ratiometric upconversion luminescence (UCL) nanosensor which could realize NO₂^- detection via the inner filter effect (IFE) between NO₂^--sensitive carbon dots (CDs) and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). Due to the exceptional optical properties of UCNPs and the remarkable selectivity of CDs, the UCL nanosensor exhibited a good response to NO₂^-. By taking advantage of NIR excitation and ratiometric detection signal, the UCL nanosensor could eliminate the autofluorescence thereby increasing the detection accuracy effectively. Additionally, the UCL nanosensor proved successful in detecting NO₂^- quantitatively in actual samples. The UCL nanosensor provides a simple as well as sensitive sensing strategy for NO₂^- detection and analysis, which is anticipated to extend the utilization of upconversion detection in food safety.

Keywords: Carbon dots; Food safety; Nitrite; Ratiometric response; Upconversion nanoparticles.

MeSH terms

Carbon
Food Safety
Luminescence
Nitrites*
Nitrogen Dioxide*

Substances

Nitrites
Nitrogen Dioxide
Carbon