A new red emission fluorogenic reaction for sensitive and selective estimation of the diabetic inducer alloxan in...

A novel fluorometric strategy was developed to determine alloxan, a diabetogenic by-product of flour bleaching. The method employs 1,2-diaminoanthraquinone as a fluorogenic reagent, which reacts with alloxan to form a pteridine derivative that emits fluorescence at 620 nm. The method demonstrated high selectivity for alloxan against potential interferents, and achieved a linear range of 0.1-10.0 μg/mL (regression coefficient = 0.9977) with a detection limit of 22 ng/mL. Validation in spiked flour, spaghetti, rice, and bread yielded excellent recoveries (92.28-107.65%), with matrix effect ranging from -11.4% to +13.1%. The method attained a Blue Applicability Grade Index score of 67.5, indicating good practicality. Alloxan was not detected in non-spiked samples, possibly reflecting its absence, concentrations below the detection limit, or variability in bleaching practices. This study introduces the first use of 1,2-diaminoanthraquinone as a fluorogenic probe for alloxan, offering superior selectivity and red emission that minimizes interference from food matrices.