# Construction of N/S CQDs@Fe-TCPP Nanocatalyst-Induced Electrochemical Sensors for Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Enrofloxacin Residues in Milk

**Authors:** Wenjing Wang, Shujuan Chen, Yifan Fu, Yike Hong, Chenbo Tang, Likou Zou, Junni Tang, Li He, Shuliang Liu, Kaidi Hu, Aiping Liu

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/foods15020266 · 2026-01-11

## TL;DR

A new electrochemical sensor was developed to quickly and accurately detect enrofloxacin residues in milk using a nanocatalyst composite.

## Contribution

The novel N/S CQDs@Fe-TCPP composite enables sensitive and stable detection of enrofloxacin in food samples.

## Key findings

- The sensor detected enrofloxacin in the range of 1–1300 nM with a detection limit of 0.872 nM.
- The sensor showed a recovery rate of 99.02% to 100.9% in milk samples and high reproducibility (RSD of 1.27%).
- The system retained 93.51% peak current after 21 days, indicating strong stability.

## Abstract

Given the potential hazards of enrofloxacin (ENR) residues to human health, establishing an accurate, rapid, and stable detection method is of importance. To enable the direct detection of ENR, an electrochemical sensor was constructed in this study. N- and S-doped carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with peroxidase-like activity were prepared using DL-malic acid, L-alanine, and L-cysteine as precursors and compounded with a tetrakis (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP) and Fe(NO3)3·9H2O to make novel N/S CQDs@Fe-TCPP composite carbon-based nanozymes to construct an electrochemical sensor, and the electrochemical behavior was investigated. Under optimal experimental conditions, the sensor exhibited a linear current response to ENR concentrations in the range of 1–1300 nM (I (μA) = 0.0106c (nM) + 2.9861, R2 = 0.9962), with a calculated detection limit of 0.872 nM (S/N = 3). The recovery rate of this sensor in actual milk samples ranged from 99.02% to 100.9%. The reproducibility experiments demonstrated the high precision of the method, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.27%. Stability testing revealed a peak current retention rate of 93.51% on day 21, indicating excellent system stability. These findings indicate that the sensor shows great capability for ENR detection in food products.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** enrofloxacin (PubChem CID 71188), DL-malic acid (PubChem CID 525), L-alanine (PubChem CID 602), L-cysteine (PubChem CID 581), tetrakis (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (PubChem CID 86278368)

## Full-text entities

- **Chemicals:** S (MESH:D013455), CQDs (-), L-cysteine (MESH:D003545), N (MESH:D009584), L-alanine (MESH:D000409), carbon (MESH:D002244), ENR (MESH:D000077422), DL-malic acid (MESH:C030298)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Figures

5 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12840261/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12840261