Developing a Simple Immunochromatography Assay for Clenbuterol with Sensitivity by One-Step Staining.

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Clenbuterol (CL) is a harmful substance found in food products.
• Conventional methods for CL detection can be complex and time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple, sensitive, and cost-effective lateral flow competition immunoassay (LFCIA) for clenbuterol detection.
• To utilize coomassie brilliant blue (CBB) staining as a chromogenic probe in the LFCIA.

Main Methods:

• Developed an LFCIA using an antibody stained with CBB as both a recognition reagent and a chromogenic probe.
• Evaluated the sensitivity of the CBB-based LFCIA for CL detection.
• Verified the method by screening CL in milk, pork tenderloin, and swine liver samples.

Main Results:

• The CBB-based LFCIA achieved a detection limit of 2 ng mL⁻¹ for CL.
• Recoveries ranged from 81% to 102% in spiked food samples.
• The method simplified antibody conjugation and reduced steric hindrance compared to conventional LFCIAs.

Conclusions:

• The CBB-based LFCIA offers a simple, rapid, and cost-effective method for clenbuterol detection.
• This approach has potential for on-demand monitoring of various harmful small molecules by adapting the antibody.
• The method avoids complex material synthesis and surface modification processes.