A novel fluorescent probe based on white pitaya peel‐derived carbon dots for highly selective and sensitive determination of sulfaquinoxaline in food

Summary A fluorescent probe based on carbon dots (CDs) for the detection of sulfoquinoxaline (SQX) in food was studied. White pitaya peel‐derived carbon dots (WCDs) were synthesised by hydrothermal method. The obtained WCDs exhibit excellent fluorescence response towards SQX due to the inner filter effect (IFE) and aggregation‐caused quenching(ACQ), which cause the fluorescence to be quenched. The prepared fluorescent probe has a good linear relationship, and the detection limit of SQX is 24.5 μg L −1 . The practicability of the fluorescent probe was further validated in milk, honey, eggs, carp, pork, chicken, beef and pork liver, and the recoveries of SQX range from 93.38% to 103.86%. The fluorescent probe based on WCDs has high selectivity, specificity, sensitivity, reliability and good reproducibility for the detection of SQX.