A fluorescent immunochromatographic strip test using Quantum Dots for fumonisins detection

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Fumonisins are toxic mycotoxins commonly found in maize, posing significant risks to human and animal health.
• Accurate and rapid detection of fumonisins is crucial for ensuring food safety and preventing economic losses in the agricultural sector.
• Existing detection methods can be time-consuming, expensive, or require specialized equipment, necessitating the development of more efficient alternatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a Quantum Dot-based fluorescent immunochromatographic strip test (QD-ICST) for the sensitive and rapid detection of fumonisins in maize.
• To determine the analytical performance characteristics of the QD-ICST, including limit of detection (LOD), analytical working range, and recovery.
• To compare the performance of the QD-ICST with other immunochromatographic techniques, such as gold nanoparticles-ICST and chemiluminescent-ICST, for fumonisin detection.

Main Methods:

• Development of a fluorescent immunochromatographic strip test utilizing Quantum Dots (QD) as labels.
• Application of the QD-ICST for the detection of fumonisins in maize samples.
• Determination of the limit of detection (LOD) and analytical working range for fumonisin B1.
• Evaluation of recovery rates and coefficients of variation using fortified and naturally contaminated maize flour samples.
• Comparative analysis of QD-ICST against gold nanoparticles-ICST and chemiluminescent-ICST using identical immunoreagents.

Main Results:

• The developed QD-ICST achieved a limit of detection for fumonisin B1 of 2.8 µg L⁻¹, with an analytical working range of 3-350 µg L⁻¹ (30-3500 µg kg⁻¹ in maize flour).
• The entire analysis, including sample preparation, required only 22 minutes.
• High recovery values (91.4%–105.4%) with low coefficients of variation (≤5%) were obtained for both fortified and naturally contaminated samples.
• The QD-ICST demonstrated comparable or improved performance relative to gold nanoparticles- and chemiluminescent-based methods.

Conclusions:

• The Quantum Dot-based fluorescent immunochromatographic strip test is a highly sensitive, rapid, and reliable method for fumonisin detection in maize.
• This QD-ICST offers significant advantages in terms of speed and sensitivity compared to existing immunochromatographic methods for mycotoxin analysis.
• The developed method holds promise for routine application in food safety monitoring and quality control of maize products.