Fast identification of Baijius based on organic acid response colorimetric sensor array

Herein, a simple colorimetric sensor array sensitive to organic acids was designed by gold (Au) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles modified with four different compounds for the identification of 16 famous Baijius containing different organic acids. In detail, the sensing mechanism of the colorimetric sensor array was based on the charge transfer between the nanoparticle surface protectant and H⁺, which reduced the electrostatic force between the nanoparticles, leading to the aggregation and color change of the nanoparticles. The unique color change of the colorimetric array before and after the reaction was used as a unique fingerprint profile for each specific analyte, which can be identified by the naked eye. The generated digital database was analyzed using pattern recognition methods, including principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). All Baijius can be easily identified by fingerprint mapping or PCA scoring maps. 32 blind samples were tested by LDA and 30 samples were correctly classified. The HCA results showed that all samples were correctly classified and even very similar 1 % dilutions of the Baijiu can be easily distinguished, demonstrating the potential of the constructed colorimetric sensor array technology for quality control applications of Baijius and other beverages.