# Quantum-dot probe measured enrofloxacin in prepared food extracts

> A Foods study tested honey, milk, fish and shrimp extracts. The fluorescence response took six minutes after extraction, with fortified-sample recoveries of 85.2–106.8%.

URL: https://foodradar.org/lab-study-zif-8-protected-quantum-dots-detect-enrofloxacin-in-food-extracts
Language: en
Author: FoodRadar Editorial
Published: 2026-10-19T06:00:10.000Z
Updated: 2026-10-25T01:44:24.834Z
Source publication date: 2026-08-07
Category: Technology
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## A protected fluorescent material

A study published in Foods on 7 August 2026 developed a fluorescent probe combining cesium lead bromide quantum dots, a ZIF-8 framework and an APTES-derived protective layer. The researchers investigated the material through microscopy, spectroscopy and fluorescence measurements, and tested prepared extracts of honey, milk, fish and shrimp.

Enrofloxacin reduced the probe’s fluorescence. The selected response period was six minutes after extraction, and the measurements used final ethanolic extracts following matrix-specific sample preparation.

## Calibration, recovery and fish comparisons

The calibration range was 0.1–25.0 mg/L, with a detection limit of 0.058 mg/L in the final ethanolic extract. Recoveries in fortified samples ranged from 85.2% to 106.8%, with relative standard deviations below 7%. Background enrofloxacin in fish and shrimp was measured by HPLC and subtracted when calculating recoveries.

For perch, crucian carp and common carp, the fluorescence results did not differ significantly from HPLC results in the reported comparisons. The authors identify further testing at lower fortification levels as beneficial for full regulatory validation. They describe the method as targeted preliminary enrofloxacin screening and state that regulatory assessment requires chromatographic confirmation of enrofloxacin and its metabolite ciprofloxacin where the combined marker residue is relevant.

## Storage and environmental assessment

Powder stored under natural light for 30 days retained approximately 83% of its initial fluorescence, measured after dispersing it in ethanol. A separate test followed an ethanolic dispersion for 60 minutes. The authors call for further work on long-term operational stability, large-scale preparation and batch-to-batch reproducibility.

The procedure received an AGREE environmental-assessment score of 0.42. The authors identify multistep preparation, offline laboratory analysis, limited automation, solvent consumption, energy use and waste as limitations. They propose reducing solvent use, simplifying preparation and replacing hazardous solvents. Funding came from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, grant 32272420, and the Incubation Program for Youth Innovation Team in Shandong Province; the authors declared no conflicts of interest.

## Source and licence

Source: Guanru Yi, Shaoyu Lv, Longwei Fu, Zhixiang Xu, Shiyong Wang and Longhua Xu. ZIF-8-Confined and APTES-Passivated CsPbBr3 Quantum Dots for Fluorescence Detection of Enrofloxacin Residues in Foods. Foods (2026), 15, 2772. DOI: 10.3390/foods15162772. © 2026 by the authors. CC BY 4.0. FoodRadar prepared and edited this summary.

## Sources and rights

- [ZIF-8-Confined and APTES-Passivated CsPbBr3 Quantum Dots for Fluorescence Detection of Enrofloxacin Residues in Foods](https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15162772?utm_source=foodradar.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=lab-study-zif-8-protected-quantum-dots-detect-enrofloxacin-in-food-extracts-en). Foods. Guanru Yi, Shaoyu Lv, Longwei Fu, Zhixiang Xu, Shiyong Wang and Longhua Xu (2026). ZIF-8-Confined and APTES-Passivated CsPbBr3 Quantum Dots for Fluorescence Detection of Enrofloxacin Residues in Foods. Foods 15(16), 2772. DOI: 10.3390/foods15162772. © 2026 by the authors. CC BY 4.0. Adapted, edited and translated by FoodRadar. [CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/?utm_source=foodradar.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_content=lab-study-zif-8-protected-quantum-dots-detect-enrofloxacin-in-food-extracts-en-license).

Adapted by FoodRadar.

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