A sensitive and quantitative fluorescent multi-component immuno-chromatographic sensor for β-agonist residues

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biotechnology
• Food Safety

Background:

• -Agonists are widely used in livestock production but their misuse poses risks to human health.
• Current detection methods can be complex, time-consuming, and require specialized equipment.
• There is a need for rapid, sensitive, and field-deployable analytical tools for -agonist detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a sensitive and quantitative fluorescent multi-component immuno-chromatographic sensor.
• To enable simultaneous detection of three common -agonists: clenbuterol, ractopamine, and salbuterol.
• To provide a rapid and cost-effective on-site detection method.

Main Methods:

• Development of a competitive immunoassay utilizing antibody-conjugated fluorescent beads.
• Immobilization of -agonist antigens on a nitrocellulose membrane for capture of unreacted antibodies.
• Simultaneous detection of clenbuterol, ractopamine, and salbuterol in a single test.

Main Results:

• The sensor achieved simultaneous detection of three -agonists within 10 minutes.
• Limits of detection were as low as 0.09-0.10 ng/mL for the target -agonists.
• High recovery rates (70.0%-100.5%) and low relative standard deviations (<15%) were observed.
• Results from spiked and real samples showed good agreement with LC-MS/MS analysis.

Conclusions:

• The developed fluorescent immuno-chromatographic sensor is a sensitive, quantitative, and rapid tool for -agonist detection.
• The assay requires no sample preparation, making it suitable for on-site applications.
• This novel method offers a low-cost and efficient approach for ensuring food safety by monitoring -agonist residues.