A portable europium complex-loaded fluorescent test paper combined with smartphone analysis for the on-site and visual detection of mancozeb in food samples.

The on-site detection of mancozeb in food samples holds immense value for food safety. A red-fluorescent europium complex (Eu-PYDC-Phen) has been prepared and employed as a fluorescence probe for mancozeb detection. The optimized probe suspension exhibits excellent detection performances, including a wide linear range (0–0.24 mM), low detection limit (65 nM), rapid response (2 mins) and high selectivity. Moreover, a portable detection platform was carefully designed, integrating the Eu-PYDC-Phen -based fluorescent test strips with smartphone color recognition software. This innovative platform enables visual and on-site detection of mancozeb in tomato, apple, and lettuce, achieving satisfactory recovery rates (90.34 to 106.50%). Furthermore, the integration of machine learning techniques based on hierarchical clustering algorithm has the potential to further improve the prediction and decision-making efficiency in mancozeb detection. This work provides an economical, convenient, and reliable strategy for on-site detection of pesticide in agricultural products, thereby making a meaningful contribution to food safety. A Eu-PYDC-Phen probe was employed for the detection of mancozeb through a fluorescence quenching effect. A smartphone-assisted test paper platform was designed for the rapid and visual detection of mancozeb in lettuce, tomato, and apple samples. [Display omitted] • A Eu-PYDC-Phen probe was applied for highly sensitive and selective detection of mancozeb. • Smartphone was integration with paper-based probe for visual identification. • The platform was applied for rapid detection of target in food samples. • A machine learning model was developed to simplify the detection process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]