Multimycotoxin dipstick enzyme immunoassay applied to wheat

Area of Science:

• Food safety and analytical chemistry
• Development of rapid diagnostic tools
• Mycotoxin analysis

Background:

• Mycotoxins pose significant risks to food safety and human health.
• Simultaneous detection of multiple mycotoxins is crucial for comprehensive risk assessment.
• Existing methods for mycotoxin detection can be time-consuming and require specialized equipment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel membrane-based visual dipstick enzyme immunoassay.
• To enable simultaneous detection of up to five common mycotoxins.
• To provide a rapid and accessible method for mycotoxin screening.

Main Methods:

• Antibodies against aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), T-2 toxin (T-2), 3-acetyldeoxynivalenol (3-AcDON), roridin A (RA), and zearalenone (ZEA) were immobilized on a dipstick membrane.
• A competitive enzyme immunoassay format was employed using toxin-horseradish peroxidase conjugates.
• Visual assessment of color development suppression indicated positive results.

Main Results:

• The assay successfully detected AFB1, T-2, 3-AcDON, RA, and ZEA simultaneously.
• Visual detection limits in buffer were as low as 2 ng/ml for AFB1 and 5 ng/ml for T-2 and ZEA.
• In artificially contaminated wheat, detection limits ranged from 30 ng/g for AFB1 to 600 ng/g for 3-AcDON.

Conclusions:

• The developed visual dipstick immunoassay is a promising tool for rapid, simultaneous mycotoxin detection.
• The assay demonstrates good sensitivity and applicability to real food samples after simple extraction.
• This method offers a cost-effective and user-friendly alternative for mycotoxin screening in quality control laboratories.