Recent advances of quantum dots application in detection for food safety.

Quantum dots,as new pattern of fluorescent nanomaterials,have been used in an expanded range from material sciences,biolology and medicine to food field,stimulating the development of food analysis and detection techniques.This article reviewed the advantages of quantum dots,such as broad excitation spectrum,narrow-band emission spectrum,and high chemical stability.This article also reviewed the research progress and application prospect pathogens of quantum dots in food safety testing,such as biotoxins,pesticide and veterinary drug residues,illegal additives,heavy metal,and so on.Traditional detection methods have some deficiencies,such as long detection time,low sensitivity,tedious sample preparation and weak anti-interference ability.It is difficult to meet the needs of actual testing.The fluorescence detection method based on quantum dots make up for these shortcomings,increasingly being used in modern food analysis detection.