Designing a new nanosensor to detect putrescine and cadaverine in spoiling protein materials based on carbon quantum dots

Failure to detect food corruption, especially meat products, will in many cases lead to food poisoning and finally cases death. Therefore, knowledge of the quality of used foodstuffs and, specially, the detection of meat products corruption can have a significant role in reducing the complications of consumption of corrosive meat products. Meat, when it begins to decompose, produces compounds known as biogenic amines such as cadaverine and putrescine. Hence, in this study, a high-precision nanosensor based on carbon quantum dots was designed to identify these as the first sign of meat corruption at the lowest possible concentration at the fastest time. When the quantum dot is exposed to a specific gas, its ability to transfer electrical current undergoes changes that can be identified by the type of gas. A stronger reaction between the gas and the surface of the carbon quantum dots will cause more changes in the structure as well as the energy levels of the adsorbent. The adsorption energy of putrescine and cadaverine adsorbed on carbon quantum dots is equal to -3.64 and -4.56 eV, respectively, which indicates a strong chemical absorption. Band gap changes of carbon quantum dots when the putrescine molecule is adsorbed on the surface is equal to 0.71 eV and when cadaverine is adsorbed it is equal to 0.59 eV.