In recent years, formaldehyde has been illegally used in food processing for bleaching and preservation purposes, giving the general public serious cause for concern. In view of this, Dr Wong Man-kin and his research team at the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology have developed fluorescent probes for rapid detection of formaldehyde in food, in collaboration with Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.
This innovative technique puts the chemical coupling of amine-functionalised resins, formaldehyde and fluorescent dyes via gold catalysis to good use, enabling the fluorescent probes to detect formaldehyde in food with high selectivity and stability. After the chemical bonding, the resins surface will turn fluorescent blue under hand-held ultraviolet light. Hence, inspectors can detect formaldehyde concentration easily by observing brightness of the fluorescent colour with naked eyes. Not requiring expensive instruments or complicated operation, this invention can test 10 food samples in one go within an hour, making it an ideal solution for on-site food safety inspection and frontline quality control.
A patent on this probing technology has been filed. The related paper was also published in Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, a leading journal in Organic Chemistry. Details>>