Application of suspension array for simultaneous detection of four different mycotoxins in corn and peanut

Mycotoxins are highly toxic contaminants in foodstuffs and feedstuffs. The study presents a novel suspension array technology for quantifying four mycotoxins, namely, aflatoxin B1, deoxynivalenol, T-2 toxin, and zearalenone, in corn and peanut. Using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride, the complete antigens of the mycotoxins became attached to the microspheres with viable activity. The optimal concentrations of each antibody and biotin-rabbit anti-goat IgG were obtained through chessboard titration. The four mycotoxins were detected simultaneously and quantitatively in corn and peanut using indirect competitive immunoassay. Multi-channel standard curves with appropriate logistic correlation (R(2)>0.9819) were respectively plotted. The broad working ranges with three to four orders of magnitude were calculated, and limits of detection at the pg level were found to be better than those obtained using high-performance liquid chromatography. The recovery rates in the actual samples generally ranged from 80.16% to 117.65%, with an intra-assay coefficient of variation lower than 15%, which indicated high accuracy and repeatability. A suspension array method for the simultaneous detection of the four mycotoxins within 4h was successfully developed using minimal samples; the method was proven to have high throughput, flexibility, accuracy and reproducibility. The approach could detect multiple contaminants in actual samples.