Ali et al. (2025) develop a carbon dots-based dual-analyte fluorometric sensor for the simultaneous detection of aluminum (Al3+) and cobalt (Co2+) in canned food products. The sensor is validated in canned tomato sauce and canned tuna as real food matrices, making this one of the few papers in this batch that tests directly in food rather than water.
Key numbers
Al LOD: 0.06 mM (approximately 1.6 mg/L, or 1,620 µg/L = 1,620 ppb) in the canned food matrix after extraction. This LOD is relatively high compared to ICP-MS capabilities but may be adequate for screening elevated Al contamination in canned foods where concentrations from can leaching can reach mg/kg levels.
Co LOD: 0.012 mM. Note: cobalt (Co) is not an HMT&C analyte; only the aluminum data are relevant to this wiki.
Validated in: canned tomato sauce and canned tuna. These are relevant food matrices for Al (canned foods in aluminum or tinplate cans with epoxy linings can leach Al, particularly for acidic products like tomato sauce).
Methods (brief)
Carbon dots with dual fluorescence response to Al3+ and Co2+. Simple preparation, fluorescence readout. Real food matrices tested. The food-matrix validation distinguishes this from purely water-matrix sensor papers.
Implications
Testing: The relatively high Al LOD (~1,620 ppb) means this sensor is suited for detecting elevated Al in canned acidic foods (tomato sauce, canned tuna) rather than for compliance-level food testing where LODs <100 ppb are typically needed. Still useful as a screening tool.
Courses: Illustrates Al leaching from canned food packaging as a contamination pathway. Canned tomato sauce in particular is an important Al source in adult diets.
App: Al from canned food packaging is a contamination pathway worth modeling in the app for canned tomato sauce and canned fish products.