A three-in-one versatile sensor for concise detecting biogenic amines and beef freshness

Biogenic amines (BAs), as important indicators for evaluating food spoilage caused by fermentation processes or microbial activities, present significant risks of food safety. Consequently, the development of a simple, sensitive, and selective detection method for amines is of great importance. In this study, we proposed a three-in-one sensor 3,6-bis(dimethylamino)-9-(ethylthio)xanthylium (PSE) for high sensitivity and selectivity detecting BAs with multimodal responses, including olfactory, colorimetric, and fluorescent signals, thus facilitating convenient real-time detection of BAs. Mechanism study indicated that the nucleophilic substitution of PSE with BAs induced such rapid multi-responses with a low detection limit (LOD = 0.03 μM). We further fabricated PSE loaded paper for portable detection of BAs vapors. And the accurate determination of BAs levels is achieved through analyzing the RGB color mode. Finally, we successfully applied these test strips for non-destructive assessing meat beef freshness with the assistance of a smartphone in on-site scenarios.