TAGRA 2025

Food contaminants are substances that are not naturally present in food products and can migrate into food through various pathways. Mycotoxins, one of these, are chemical compounds produced by fungi such as Fusarium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus and can have carcinogenic effects on humans. Aflatoxin (AF) contamination, in particular, significantly impacts the economic value of crops. The presence of food contaminants is one of the most critical threats to food safety and human health. In this context, biosensors and environmental monitoring technologies, particularly the synthesis and use of carbon quantum dots (CQDs), have increased interest in nanotechnology. Thanks to their small size (<10 nm) and large surface area, CQDs can be used for the precise measurement of chemical and biological processes in foods; they exhibit enhanced reactivity and novel optical and electrical properties. Due to their exceptional physical and chemical properties, CQDs have emerged as promising materials in the rapidly developing food safety research worldwide in recent years. CQDs with different surface functional groups can detect contaminants such as additives in processed foods, drug residues in honey, and mycotoxins in beer and flour using IFE, PET, and FRET-based sensing mechanisms.

The results of this study demonstrate the utility of CQDs synthesized from plantss as fluorescent probes for the detection of aflatoxins. By leveraging the unique properties of CQDs, a sensitive, rapid, and economical detection platform that can be integrated into food safety monitoring systems has been developed. This not only contributes to the synthesis of carbon dots from sustainable sources but also addresses a significant need in food safety and environmental monitoring.