Thiolated graphene oxide mediated plasmonic–π bridge for quenching driven detection of histamine in spoiled chicken meat

Among various biogenic amines (BAs) released from spoiled meat, Histamine (Hist) serves as a significant and toxic indicator of spoilage. Early and rapid detection of Hist is an effective way to prevent public health concerns caused by consuming spoiled meat. Herein, we present a simple, ultrasensitive, enzyme-free fluorescent sensor based on Perylene (PER) integrated with gold nanoparticles decorated thiol functionalized graphene oxide (PER-AuNPs@SH-GO) nanohybrid. Upon interaction with Hist, the sensor exhibits distinct quenching in fluorescence emission, which is attributed to structural aggregation, electrostatic and π–π stacking interactions, and hydrogen bonding. The sensing probe demonstrates remarkable selectivity and sensitivity, with a detection limit as low as 33 μM, and an excellent linear response (40 μM to 700 μM) with an R² value of 0.995. Furthermore, a reliable response of the fabricated sensor towards actual chicken meat samples validates its practical applicability. This probe offers an efficient approach for next-generation point-of-care systems aimed at advanced food freshness monitoring at early stages.