Polyvinyl alcohol-derived-carbon quantum dots based fluorometric “On-Off” probe for moxifloxacin detection in milk and egg samples

Unconditional use of antibiotics triggered the process of bacterial resistance and causes major health problems. Nowadays, antibiotics majorly used in animals not only for infection treatment but also as mass promotor. The excess amount of antibiotics residue in animal derived foods which accelerate antibiotic resistance (ABR). So, here, a simple and quick CQDs based fluorometric "On-Off" probe was developed for detection of moxifloxacin (MOXI) in milk and egg samples. The CQDs emit blue emission and are uniformly distributed with average particle size 5.9±0.22 nm. With MOXI, fluorescence intensity of CQDs at 372 nm decreased due to inner filter effect (IFE) of MOXI and a new peak correspondence to MOXI appeared at 508 nm. The probe shows linear response with MOXI concentration varies as 0.025 µM – 15.0 µM with lower detection limit (LOD) 6.34 nM. The real sample applicability test prove that the sensors have excellent efficacy for food applications.