Rapid identification of adulterated camel meat by MIL-101(Cr)-based fluorescent sensing platform: Surface potential adjustment to optimize detection performance

To identify adulterated camel meat in emerging markets, there is an urgent need for sensitive, rapid, and convenient detection methods. In this study, a novel fluorescent sensing platform was developed to effectively identify pork components adulterated in camel meat by regulating the surface charge properties of MIL-101(Cr). Our data demonstrated that the modification of polyethylenimine (PEI) had minimal impact on the crystal structure of MIL-101(Cr). However, it significantly affected the adsorption behavior of MIL-101(Cr) towards 6-carboxyfluorescein (FAM) labelled DNA, thereby influencing the response of fluorescence quenching-recovery. Under optimal conditions, the proposed turn-on fluorescent biosensor, based on PEI-MIL-101(Cr) exhibited high sensitivity with a detection limit of 42 pM. It also demonstrated excellent selectivity for specific target DNA, successfully detecting a pork fraction of 0.45 % (w/w) in camel meat. This study was aimed to provide a fresh perspective on the potential application of functional materials derived from metal-organic frameworks in detecting food adulteration.