Novel Reduced State Carbon Dots–Initiated Luminol Chemiluminescence in the Absence of Added Oxidant for Ultrasensitive Determination of Sulfite in Dried Apricot

This study presents the synthesis and characterization of novel reduced carbon dots (rCDs) through a facile and efficient method. The resulting rCDs are characterized by various analytical and spectroscopic techniques. The rCDs exhibit strong chemiluminescence (CL) in the presence of luminol, representing a significant advancement in analytical applications. Leveraging this enhanced CL, a sensitive and selective method was developed for determining sulfite residues in dried apricot samples. Reverse flow injection analysis (rFIA) was employed for the measurements, offering rapid response and high throughput. The method achieved a detection limit of 0.001 mg/L, with a linear calibration range of 0.01-5.0 mg/L and an error margin below 4.0%. Validation results confirmed the method's reliability, accuracy, and precision. Successful application to real dried apricot samples underscores its practical relevance. Overall, the findings highlight the potential of rCDs as CL probes in food safety analysis, contributing to public health and environmental monitoring by enabling the rapid detection of sulfite preservatives in food products.