Highly sensitive visual fluorescence sensor for aminoglycoside antibiotics in food samples based on mercaptosuccinic acid-CdTe quantum dots

•A novel sensor based on mercaptosuccinic acid -CdTe quantum dos was designed.•The sensor could achieve the rapid visual detection of neomycin.•The limit of detection of neomycin was 1.60 × 10−8 mol/L for the proposed sensor.•The sensor could detect neomycin accurately even in real food samples.