Imidazole derivative-based fluorescent arrays combined with multi-way pattern recognition for Poria cocos origin identification

s Selective probes exclusively interact with a single metal ion species. In contrast, weakly selective probes can simultaneously coordinate with multiple metal ions, generating distinct fluorescence spectral signatures. This unique attribute enables them to provide more abundant chemical information. In this study, two weakly selective fluorescent probes of imidazole derivatives were designed and synthesized. We investigated the viability of utilizing a fluorescent array to trace the origin of Poria cocos based on the variations in fluorescence intensity and position of the distinctive fluorescence peaks created by their interaction with various metal ions. Subsequently, we collected three-dimensional fluorescence spectra of the interactions between the fluorescent array sensors and Poria cocos extracts from different geographical origins. These array data were analyzed using multi-way pattern recognition methods. The U-PLS-DA model exhibited excellent performance, with a prediction accuracy of 97.56 % that exceeded that of the N-PLS-DA model. This study demonstrates that the weakly selective probe array approach integrated with chemometric analysis provides a novel strategy for the traceability of non-fluorescent foods and traditional Chinese medicines.