Determination of tartrazine in food products is crucial due to its detrimental impacts on human health if it exceeds the maximum allowed intake limit. It was hypothesized that a ratiometric fluorescence sensor using blue- and orange-emissive carbon dots (B-O-CDs) would outperform single-emission-based sensors in sensitivity and reproducibility. A ratiometric probe was developed by mixing B-CDs and O-CDs, exhibiting emission peaks at 420 and 565 nm, differentially influenced by tartrazine. The fluorescence intensity ratio was used to quantify tartrazine with a detection limit of 64 nM, a linear range of 0.2-60 μM, recovery rates of 97.2-104.4 % and low relative standard deviation values (<
3.5 %) in food samples. The results confirm that the ratiometric approach enhances performance over single-emission-based sensors. The novel use of dual-emissive carbon dots and the inner filter effect offers a rapid, cost-effective, and reliable method for routine tartrazine monitoring in food products.