3rd TAGRA

Mycotoxins, known for their high toxicity, pose significant challenges to food safety and public health. They garner attention due to their widespread occurrence in food products and their ability to exert toxic effects even at low concentrations. Among these toxins, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is of particular importance due to its potent hepatotoxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic properties. Detecting AFB1 in food and feed is crucial for safeguarding consumer health. Currently, toxins can be analyzed using various techniques—such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and immunological methods—that require expensive instrumentation and specialized personnel. However, technological advancements have accelerated efforts to develop simpler, faster, more sensitive, and portable analytical systems. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are nanomaterials suitable for high-performance sensor applications, thanks to their strong fluorescence, excellent water dispersibility, surface functional groups, and ease of modification. Deriving CQDs from renewable carbon sources, such as plants and agricultural waste, further enhances their value in the context of sustainable nanotechnology. Additionally, incorporating metal ions into the CQD structure allows for the modulation of the material's electronic and optical properties, thereby improving sensor performance. This presentation provides a comprehensive overview of our group's research on utilizing carbon quantum dots derived from plant and agricultural sources for the detection of AFB1. It has been demonstrated that CQDs derived from plant-based waste and modified with metal NPs interact with AFB1, resulting in a fluorescence change that can be utilized for the detection of the toxin. Results obtained from real food samples have further supported the potential application of these nanomaterials in the field of food safety and yielded remarkable findings.