Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 28, 2025
Highly Sensitive and Rapid Fluorescence Detection with a Portable FRET Analyzer
Published on: October 1, 2016
TP-FRET-Based Fluorescent Sensor for Ratiometric Detection of Formaldehyde in Real Food Samples, Living Cells,
Haiyuan Ding1, Gangqiang Yuan1, Longpeng Peng1
1Hunan Key Laboratory of Processed Food for Special Medical Purpose, National Engineering Laboratory for Deep Process of Rice and Byproducts, Hunan Key Laboratory of Grain-oil Deep Process and Quality Control, College of Food Science and Engineering, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China.
Abstract:
Formaldehyde (FA, HCHO) is a highly reactive carbonyl species, which is very harmful to humans and the environment as a tissue fixative and preservative. Therefore, developing some highly sensitive, selective, and rapid detection methods is significant for human health in food safety and environmental protection. Herein, a two-photon (TP) ratiometric sensor, CmNp-CHO, has been constructed by conjugating a TP donor (Π-push-pull-structure) with a FA off-on acceptor (functioned with hydrazide moiety) via a nonconjugated linker through the fluorescence resonance energy transfer mechanism. Such a scaffold affords CmNp-CHO a reliable and specific probe for detecting FA with two well-resolved emission peaks separated by 124 nm. Also, it responds to FA rapidly with high selectivity and sensitivity during 1.0 min and a large ratio enhancement at I550/I426 with addition of 0-20μM FA, exhibiting ∼4-fold ratio increase and a fairly low LOD of 8.3 ± 0.3 nM. Moreover, CmNp-CHO has been successfully employed for detecting FA in live cells, onion tissues, and zebrafish, exhibiting that CmNp-CHO can serve as a useful tool for investigating FA in real food application and offering strong theoretical support and technical means for investigation of physiological and pathological functions of FA.
