Engineering of polarity-responsive fluorescent probe for real-time measurement and visualization of total polar materials in edible oils

The content of total polar materials (TPM) in edible oils is generally accepted as a reliable indicator of the quality of edible oils. A high TPM value may signify that the flavor has been compromised and its consumption may lead to adverse effects on human health. However, the lack of convenient and user-friendly detection methods for the detection of TPM remains a challenge. To address this, a sensitive polarity-responsive fluorescent probe has been designed. A good linear relationship was observed for the ratio of the intensity of green to red fluorescence signal (I504nm/I625nm) and the TPM content over the range 1.1–29.3% for soybean oil and 0.1–27.5% for salad oil, respectively. A portable fluorescence sensor system was constructed, which provided a stable platform for the convenient detection of TPM via naked eye observation. These results indicate that the probe has great potential for TPM detection of edible oils in the food safety industry.