Development and application of a quantitative lateral flow immunoassay for fumonisins in maize

A quantitative lateral flow immunoassay for measuring fumonisins in maize was developed. Strip preparation and assay parameters were optimized to obtain a dipstick usable outside the laboratory with different samples, and which shows performance comparable with that of other screening methods, as confirmed by the intra- and the inter-day precision of data (RSD 5-16%). Quantification was obtained by an external calibration curve, which can be stored and used for measurements made with strips of the same batch in different days and at varying temperatures (22-37°C). Limit of detection (120 μgL(-1)) and dynamic range (200-5000 μgL(-1)) allow the direct assessment of fumonisin contamination at all levels of regulatory relevance. Twenty-seven maize samples were analyzed after a simple sample preparation which avoids the use of organic solvent. Linear correlation was observed (y=1.071x-0.2, r(2)=0.990) when data was compared with that obtained through a reference LC-MS/MS method, across a wide range of fumonisin contamination.