A dual-functional fluorescent probe for biosystem imaging and food safety monitoring of HSO3- with high selectivity and sensitivity.

In the food field, HSO3- is commonly used as a beverage additive, antioxidant, enzyme inhibitor, and preservative to extend shelf life and freshness. However, excessive intake of exogenous HSO3- can lead to abnormal HSO3- concentration levels in the body, causing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. This highlights the urgent need to develop a rapid and sensitive probe for the quantitative detection of HSO3- in foods and biosystems. In this study, we design and synthesize a novel HSO3- fluorescent probe named DCPD. Bioimaging experiments show that DCPD has good mitochondrial targeting and can be used to imaging the redox process of HSO3-/H2O2 in cells and tissue. In addition, DCPD has been used in detecting HSO3- in foods with satisfactory recoveries (98.62-105.06%), further demonstrating its compatibility and utility. Thus, the DCPD probe offers substantial promise for application in food analysis and the assessment of HSO3- concentrations in biological systems.