A Hydrophobic Ratiometric Fluorescent Indicator Film Using Electrospinning for Visual Monitoring of Meat Freshness

A ratiometric fluorescent film with high gas sensitivity and stability was developed using electrospinning technology for monitoring food spoilage. 5(6)-Carboxyfluorescein (5(6)-FAM) was used as the indicator, combined with the internal reference Rhodamine B (RHB), to establish a composite ratiometr...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Xiaodong Zhai, Xingdan Ma, Yue Sun, Yuhong Xue, Wanwan Ban, Wenjun Song, Tingting Shen, Zhihua Li, Xiaowei Huang, Qing Sun, Kunlong Wu, Zhilong Chen, Wenwu Zou, Biao Liu, Liang Zhang, Jiaji Zhu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Foods
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/13/2200
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Summary:A ratiometric fluorescent film with high gas sensitivity and stability was developed using electrospinning technology for monitoring food spoilage. 5(6)-Carboxyfluorescein (5(6)-FAM) was used as the indicator, combined with the internal reference Rhodamine B (RHB), to establish a composite ratiometric fluorescent probe (FAM@RHB). The hydrophobic fluorescent films were fabricated by incorporating FAM@RHB probes into polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) at varying molar ratios through electrospinning. The FR-2 film with a 2:8 ratio of 5(6)-FAM to RHB exhibited the best performance, demonstrating excellent hydrophobicity with a water contact angle (<i>WCA</i>) of 113.45° and good color stability, with a Δ<i>E</i> value of 2.05 after 14 days of storage at 4 °C. Gas sensitivity tests indicated that FR-2 exhibited a limit of detection (<i>LOD</i>) of 0.54 μM for trimethylamine (TMA). In the application of monitoring the freshness of pork and beef at 4 °C, the fluorescence color of the FR-2 film significantly changed from orange–yellow to green, enabling the visual monitoring of meat freshness. Hence, this study provides a new approach for intelligent food packaging.
ISSN:2304-8158