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Fluorescence techniques have been widely used by scientists to reveal valuable information from biological samples, but in food science, small progress is known due to the complexity of the samples. In this study, two different biological samples, garlic skin (GS) and agave fibers (AF), were used to evaluate the techniques of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy, to obtain valuable information on the fiber size of the samples. A compositional characterization with calcofluor white in CLSM was achieved, but a superficial characterization of the samples with TIRF was made, evidencing fiber sizes of 398.67 ± 48.47 nm and 677.38 ± 76.88 nm for GS and AF, respectively. This work reveals that only an untreated sample can be used with the two techniques in the same microscope. In addition, it is possible to characterize the sample only using a spatial field of research and which valuable information about the structure of the material is found. This work provides the opportunity to use advanced fluorescence techniques for elucidation of structures shortly before studied with these techniques.

Facile, lightweight, and sustainable aerogels have been a growing interest in their applications as support matrixes in the current environmental and energy challenges. In this study, a cellulose aerogel (CA) is fabricated using a homogeneous dispersion of cellulose fibers in an alkali‐urea aqueous solution and a carbon nanotube ink (CNT‐ink) to increase its electrical and conductive behavior in a potentiometric analysis. The physicochemical and morphological properties of the resultant composite aerogels (CA, CA1, and CA2) are investigated by thermal, water resistance, mechanical, FTIR, and SEM analysis. The prepared material exhibits a structured solid network that is visualized through SEM in which fibers are functionalized with CNTs. The results from compressive tests reveal that CA2 has excellent mechanical properties. A saturated CA with CNT‐ink can turn on a white LED and potentiometric measurements by preparing an aerogel‐based ion‐selective electrode (CA2 ‐ ISE) with a potassium ion‐selective membrane (K+ − ISM) reveal good sensitivity at room temperature for the detection in a specific electrolyte solution.

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