Smartphone-based fluorescence Eu/Ce-MOFs hydrogel sensor for sensitive and visual detection of tetracyclines with machine learning-assistance

The excessive use of tetracyclines (TCs) poses a significant threat to human health, necessitating the development of convenient, rapid, and intelligent detection methods for monitoring TCs residues in food products. In this work, we present a heterogeneous-structured Eu/Ce-MOFs ratiometric fluorescence sensor. This sensor demonstrates excellent stability and high accuracy for TCs detection, with detection limits of 73.0 nmol/L for tetracycline (TC), 51.7 nmol/L for oxytetracycline (OTC), and 54.9 nmol/L for doxycycline hydrochloride (DOX). The Eu/Ce-MOFs ratiometric fluorescence sensor successfully quantified to TC, OTC, and DOX in pork and milk samples and achieved satisfactory recoveries ranging from 89.3% to 112.9%. Furthermore, a hydrogel-based visual sensing platform integrated with machine learning algorithms has been developed, significantly enhancing the detection accuracy of TC, OTC, and DOX. By combining smartphone imaging with machine learning algorithms, this visual sensing platform provides a dependable approach for TCs analysis.