Development of immune-affinity 96 spots monolith array for multiple mycotoxins detection in food samples

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Mycotoxins like deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZEN), T-2 toxin (T-2), and fumonisin B1 (FB1) pose significant risks to food safety and human health.
• Accurate and sensitive detection methods are crucial for monitoring these contaminants in agricultural products, particularly corn.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, highly sensitive chemiluminescence immune-affinity 96 spots monolith array for the simultaneous detection of four major mycotoxins.
• To optimize the fabrication and performance of the monolith array for mycotoxin analysis.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a monolith array using UV-initiated copolymerization of polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA), glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), and polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG 200).
• Immobilization of antibodies against DON, ZEN, T-2, and FB1 onto the monolith array to create an immune-affinity platform.
• Optimization of fabrication parameters including monomer ratios and UV exposure time.
• Chemiluminescence detection for quantifying the mycotoxins.

Main Results:

• The developed immune-affinity monolith array demonstrated high sensitivity with low limits of detection: 0.0036 ng/mL (DON), 0.0048 ng/mL (ZEN), 0.0039 ng/mL (T-2), and 0.0017 ng/mL (FB1).
• A linear response was observed in the range of 0.01-0.1 ng/mL with a high correlation coefficient (R²=0.98).
• The method proved to be stable and accurate for determining mycotoxin levels in real corn samples.

Conclusions:

• The novel chemiluminescence immune-affinity monolith array is a highly sensitive, accurate, and stable method for detecting multiple mycotoxins in corn.
• This platform offers a promising tool for routine analysis and quality control in the food industry.
• The optimized fabrication process ensures reliable performance for mycotoxin quantification.