Abstract
An ammonia-sensitive, easy-to-use, pH-responsive food packaging indicator was developed using drop-coated filter paper combined with hydrothermally generated glucose-derived carbon dots (G-CQDs). The stability and efficacy of the prepared G-CQD were confirmed by TEM, zeta potential, and optical and luminescent investigations. The multifunctional G-CQD exhibited potent antibacterial activity against S. enterica, E. coli, L. monocytogenes, and S. aureus and high antioxidant efficacy against ABTS (~ 99%) and DPPH (~ 90%) radicals. The paper indicator coated with G-CQD showed discoloration from pale yellow to reddish brown according to pH 2–12 adjustment, and ammonia in the range of 0.1–250 μM could be detected. As an indicator of spoilage, the indicator’s ability to indicate the quality of fish and shrimp was evaluated during storage at 28 °C for 24 h. A noticeable variation in the color of the packing indicator from light yellow to dark brown (fish) and blackish brown (shrimp) was observed concurrently with a rise in total volatile basic nitrogen and a pH change of the packaged sample. The G-CQD-based indicators can be a simple and inexpensive approach for suppliers and customers to visually assess the freshness of fish and shrimp in their supply chain.
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Data Availability
Data supporting the findings of this study are available upon request from the corresponding author.
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This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (2022R1A2B5B02001422).
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Ajahar Khan: conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, visualization, writing-original draft and editing. Parya Ezati: investigation, writing-original draft, data curation. Jong-Whan Rhim: supervision, writing-review and editing, funding acquisition, project administration.
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Khan, A., Ezati, P. & Rhim, JW. pH Indicator Integrated with Carbon Quantum Dots of Glucose to Monitor the Quality of Fish and Shrimp. Food Bioprocess Technol 17, 554–569 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-023-03154-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-023-03154-6