A portable smartphone platform utilizing dual-sensing signals for visual determination of semicarbazide in food samples

Semicarbazide (SEM) is a metabolite of antibiotic nitrofurazone and a food contaminant in food production, showing potential carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, and toxic effects on human health. It is urgent to develop a highly efficient and sensitive assay for visual detection of SEM. In this paper, a pyrrolopyrrole cyanine fluorescent probe (PPCy-1) was reported for visualization and quantitative analysis of SEM through a chromophore reaction sensing mechanism for the first time. The probe towards SEM exhibited a fast response (10 min), a low detection limit (0.18 mu M), high selectivity, and distinct dual ratiometric fluorescence turn-on and colorimetric modes. Its practicability was further verified by detecting SEM in meat, water, and honey samples with satisfactory recovery values. More importantly, a smartphone-assisted portable testing platform was constructed based on a PPCy-1-immobilized test paper or a polyamide thin film with a color scanning APP for real-time and on-site detection of SEM. This work provides low-cost, convenient, and rapid assays for visual SEM detection, which have potential applications in food safety monitoring. (1) A novel fluorescent probe for SEM detection is developed for the first time. (2) Portable sensing platforms utilizing colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescence modes for sensing SEM.