New Nanoprobe Technology Enables Rapid Hydrogen Peroxide Detection Without Laboratory Equipment

A new persistent luminescence nanoprobe developed by researchers at Chengdu University and Hefei University of Technology provides a breakthrough solution for detecting hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in real-world conditions without the interference problems that plague conventional methods. The technology, detailed in a study published in Food Quality and Safety on August 28, 2025, offers both instrument-based quantitative detection and direct visual observation capabilities, making it particularly valuable for resource-limited environments where laboratory equipment is unavailable.

Hydrogen peroxide serves as a critical disinfectant and oxidizing agent across multiple industries including food processing, pharmaceuticals, and consumer products. However, excessive residues present serious health concerns, potentially degrading nutrients, damaging tissues, causing gastrointestinal irritation, and increasing cancer risk. Current detection methods—including electrochemical sensing, fluorescence probing, and enzyme-based assays—often require specialized equipment, continuous excitation, or complex sample preparation. More importantly, background autofluorescence in food and biological samples frequently compromises signal clarity and accuracy.

The research team engineered a persistent luminescence nanoparticle (PLNP)-based optical probe specifically designed to overcome these limitations. The system, designated PLNPs@MnO₂, features near-infrared ZnGa₂O₄:Cr persistent luminescence nanoparticles uniformly coated with a manganese dioxide (MnO₂) shell. In its initial state, the MnO₂ layer effectively quenches luminescence through interfacial electron transfer, producing a turned-off signal. When H₂O₂ is present in a mildly acidic environment, MnO₂ rapidly reduces to Mn²⁺, interrupting the quenching pathway and immediately restoring bright red persistent luminescence.

The detection performance proved remarkable, achieving a detection limit of 0.079 μmol/L—significantly more sensitive than many conventional fluorescence or electrochemical sensors. The restored red luminescence can be visually recognized under UV illumination, enabling detection on flat plates or paper substrates without instruments. The probe demonstrated strong anti-interference performance against common ions, sugars, amino acids, and proteins, along with excellent reproducibility and batch stability. Testing in bottled water, milk, and contact lens solutions yielded recovery rates ranging from 90.56% to 109.73%, confirming reliability in real sample environments.

The study's corresponding author emphasized that the key innovation lies in overcoming autofluorescence interference, which has long limited optical sensing in real-world food and biological matrices. By using persistent luminescence instead of conventional fluorescence, the method produces clean, high-contrast signals without requiring continuous excitation. The findings were published with DOI 10.1093/fqsafe/fyaf040 and are available through the original source URL at https://doi.org/10.1093/fqsafe/fyaf040.

This autofluorescence-free detection strategy offers practical advantages for food safety monitoring, environmental inspection, and biomedical assays. The capability for naked-eye detection makes it particularly valuable in remote or resource-limited settings. Future development may enable integration into smart packaging, wearable chemical sensors, and real-time contamination alert systems. By simplifying and accelerating H₂O₂ detection, this technology supports safer processing environments and improved consumer product quality assurance across multiple industries.