New Nanoprobe Enables Autofluorescence-Free Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide Residues
TL;DR
Researchers developed a highly sensitive hydrogen peroxide detection method that outperforms conventional sensors, offering competitive advantages in food safety and quality control markets.
The probe uses persistent luminescence nanoparticles coated with manganese dioxide that restore red luminescence when exposed to hydrogen peroxide, enabling both instrument-based and visual detection.
This technology improves food safety and public health by enabling rapid detection of harmful hydrogen peroxide residues in consumer products and environmental samples.
A new optical probe turns bright red when detecting hydrogen peroxide, allowing visual detection without equipment in milk, water, and contact lens solutions.
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A new optical detection system using persistent luminescence nanoparticles offers a breakthrough approach for monitoring hydrogen peroxide residues in food, water, and consumer products without the interference problems that plague conventional detection methods. Hydrogen peroxide serves as a disinfectant and oxidizing agent across multiple industries, but excessive residues can degrade nutrients, damage tissues, and potentially increase cancer risk, creating an urgent need for reliable monitoring technology.
Researchers from Chengdu University and Hefei University of Technology developed the PLNPs@MnO₂ nanoprobe, which uses near-infrared ZnGa₂O₄:Cr persistent luminescence nanoparticles coated with a manganese dioxide shell. The findings were published on August 28, 2025, in Food Quality and Safety. The technology represents a significant advancement because it eliminates autofluorescence interference, a persistent challenge in optical sensing of complex food and biological samples.
The detection mechanism relies on the MnO₂ shell initially quenching the nanoparticle's luminescence through interfacial electron transfer. When hydrogen peroxide is present in a mildly acidic environment, the MnO₂ rapidly reduces to Mn²⁺, interrupting the quenching pathway and restoring bright red persistent luminescence. This produces an intensity-dependent signal that can be measured quantitatively with instruments or observed visually under UV illumination.
The system achieves a detection limit of 0.079 μmol/L, significantly more sensitive than many conventional fluorescence or electrochemical sensors. The probe demonstrated strong anti-interference performance against common ions, sugars, amino acids, and proteins, while maintaining excellent reproducibility and batch stability. Testing in real samples including bottled water, milk, and contact lens solutions showed recovery rates ranging from 90.56% to 109.73%, confirming reliability in practical applications.
The technology's ability to enable naked-eye detection makes it particularly valuable for resource-limited environments where laboratory instruments are unavailable. The research, supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province and the Sichuan Innovation Team Project of National Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System, opens possibilities for integration into smart packaging, wearable chemical sensors, and real-time contamination alert systems. Additional information about the research is available through the original source at https://doi.org/10.1093/fqsafe/fyaf040.
This autofluorescence-free detection strategy addresses critical needs in food safety monitoring, environmental inspection, and biomedical assays. By simplifying and accelerating hydrogen peroxide detection, the technology supports safer processing environments and improved consumer product quality assurance across multiple industries where hydrogen peroxide monitoring is essential for public health protection.
Curated from 24-7 Press Release
