The safety of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) is of paramount importance. Sulfur fumigation, a traditional processing and preservation technique for TCMs, serves to prevent mold during storage and improve product appearance. However, excessive sulfur fumigation leads to sulfur dioxide (SO₂) residues in the herbs, posing potential health risks. Currently, the SO₂ residue detection methods suffer from limitations including long analysis time, high cost, and operational complexity, making them inadequate for meeting the market demand for rapid testing. Fluorescent probe technology, with its advantages of high sensitivity, portability, simple preparation, and rapid response, has been widely applied in pharmaceutical development, biotechnology, and food safety. In recent years, the use of highly selective and sensitive fluorescent probes for the quantitative or semi-quantitative detection of SO₂ residues in TCMs has emerged as a significant research focus. This review systematically summarizes fluorescent probes developed in recent years for detecting SO₂ residues in TCMs, categorizing them based on their recognition mechanisms or structural features. It focuses on application progress of these probes in practical detection scenarios, analyzes the current technical challenges, and discusses future development directions. This review aims to provide theoretical foundations and technical references for enhancing the medicinal safety and quality control of TCMs.

fluorescent probes  /  sulfur dioxide residues  /  traditional Chinese medicine  /  quantitative analysis  /  rapid detection