A “turn-on” Zn-MOF fluorescent probe for simultaneous detection of ethyl maltol and lincomycin hydrochloride in food

Ethyl maltol (EM) is prohibited in natural foods and residues of lincomycin hydrochloride (LH) pose potential health risks. Therefore, the accurate detection of these two substances is crucial for safeguarding food safety. The synthesized Zn-MOF fluorescent probe could be used to detect EM and LH through “turn-on” responses with the low detection limits of 7.86 and 62.5 nM respectively. Moreover, the filter strips based on Zn-MOF can achieve visual detection of EM and LH. The detection mechanism is attributed to the donor-acceptor electron transfer and the weak interaction between the analytes and Zn-MOF. Furthermore, the Zn-MOF probe can be used for the detection of EM and LH in real samples such as Baijiu and milk. The recoveries are in the range of 95.89 %–103.3 %, which confirms its practical application and provides a new strategy for food safety detection.