Development of Innovative Fluorescence Detection Technique Using Nano Carbon Quantum Dots (NCQD) for Rapid Quantification of Most Probable Number (MPN) in Water

As the prevalence of diseases caused by microbial pathogens like bacteria and viruses continues, early detection becomes paramount to curb their spread. Conventional methods for detecting waterborne pathogens, such as the Most Probable Number (MPN) technique, are often complex and time-consuming. This study presents an innovative approach, utilizing gelatin-derived Nano Carbon Quantum Dots (NCQDs) to quantify bacteria in wastewater. NCQDs were synthesized hydrothermal and characterized using FTIR and fluorescence spectroscopy. The fluorescence intensity of NCQDs, upon interaction with bacterial cells, demonstrated a direct correlation with bacterial count, confirmed by a polynomial regression model. Comparative analysis with traditional MPN methods showed a mean error of less than 5%.Consequently, this novel NCQD-based fluorescence technique offers a rapid, cost-effective alternative for water quality assessment, promising notable enhancements in pathogen detection efficiency.Further validation with additional samples is advised to substantiate these findings. The study’s novelty lies in its inventive synthesis approach, utilizing NCQDs for water quality evaluation, formulating a correlation model, and verifyingthe method’s efficacy with real wastewater samples. This study leads to an advancement in water quality assessment and pathogen detection.