Antibodies against citrinin (CTN) were generated from rabbits, which were injected with CTN-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). This work involved the development of a sensitive competitive direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cdELISA) and a rapid gold nanoparticle immunochromatographic strip (immunostrip) method for analyzing CTN in Monascus-fermented food. CTN at a concentration of 5.0 ng/mL caused 50% inhibition (IC50) of CTN-horseradish peroxidase (CTN-HRP) binding to the antibodies in the cdELISA. The capable on-site detection of CTN was accomplished by a rapid antibody-gold nanoparticle immunostrip with a detection limit of 20 ng/mL and that was completed within 15 min. A close inspection of 19 Monascus-fermented foods by cdELISA confirmed that 14 were contaminated with citrinin at levels from 28.6–9454 ng/g. Further analysis with the immunostrip is consistent with those results obtained using cdELISA. Both means are sensitive enough for the rapid examination of CTN in Monascus-fermented food products.

A two-analyte immunochromatographic strip (immunostrip) was developed for the simultaneous detection of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and chloramphenicol (CAP) in milk. Protein conjugates (AFM1-ovalbumin (OVA) and CAP-OVA) and goat anti-rabbit IgG were respectively drawn on nitrocellulose membrane as two test lines (T1 and T2) and a control line (C). The immunostrip was dipped into a well that contained a 200 μL milk sample, 5 μL AFM1 antibody-gold conjugates, and 8 μL CAP antibody-gold conjugates; the whole assay was completed in 15 min and the results could be interpreted visually or using a reader. This immunostrip has cut-off levels of 0.1 ng/mL and 0.5 ng/mL for AFM1 and CAP, respectively. Analysis of CAP and AFM1 in milk samples revealed that data from the immunostrip test agreed closely with those obtained from ELISA. The two-analyte immunostrip is a rapid way for on-site simultaneous detection of AFM1 and CAP in milk.

Antibody specific to chloramphenicol (CAP) was produced from rabbit that had been immunized with CAP‐keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). Using the antibodies, we established a sensitive direct competitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (dcELISA) and a gold nanoparticle immunochromatographic strip (immunostrip) for detection CAP in food samples. In the dcELISA, CAP at levels of 0.15 ng/ml causes 50% inhibition (IC50) of the binding of CAP‐horseradish peroxidase to the antibodies. The overall analytical recoveries of CAP (0.25–100 ng/g) added to the honey or milk samples in the dcELISA were 81.9 and 73.7%, respectively. Onsite determination of CAP was accomplished by immunostrips with a detection limit of 0.5 ng/ml and completed within 10 min. Carefully studying 10 honey and 6 milk samples using the dcELISA and immunostrip indicated that all examined samples were negative for CAP. The presented dcELISA and immunostrip methods are sensitive enough for the rapid determination of CAP in the samples.

BackgroundThe enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been used for diagnosing medical and plant pathologies. In addition, it is used for quality-control evaluations in various industries. The ELISA is the simplest method for obtaining excellent results; however, it is time consuming because the immunoreagents interact only on the contact surfaces. Antibody-labeled magnetic particles can be dispersed in a solution to yield a pseudohomogeneous reaction with antigens which improved the efficiency of immunoreaction, and can be easily separated from the unreactive substances by applying a magnetic force. We used a homemade magnetic microplate, functional magnetic particles (MPs) and enzyme-labeled secondary antibody to perform the sandwich ELISA successfully.ResultsUsing antibody-labeled MPs enabled reducing the analysis time to one-third of that required in using a conventional ELISA. The secondary antibody conjugated with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was affinity-bound to the analyte (IgG in this study). The calibration curve was established according to the measured absorbance of the 3, 3′, 5, 5′-tetramethybezidine–HRP reaction products versus the concentrations of standard IgG. The linear range of IgG detection was 114 ng/mL–3.5 ng/mL. The limit of detection (LOD) of IgG was 3.4 ng/mL. The recovery and coefficient of variation were 100% (±7%) and 116% (±4%) for the spiked concentrations of 56.8 ng/mL and 14.2 ng/mL, respectively.ConclusionPseudohomogeneous reactions can be performed using functional MPs and a magnetic microplate. Using antibody-labeled MPs, the analysis time can be reduced to one-third of that required in using a conventional ELISA. The substrate–enzyme reaction products can be easily transferred to another microplate, and their absorbance can be measured without interference by light scattering caused by magnetic microbeads. This method demonstrates great potential for detecting other biomarkers and in biochemical applications.Graphical AbstractA magnetic ELISA with convenient magnetic microplate.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13065-015-0088-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Rapid detection of citrinin in red yeast fermented products with ELISA kit and immunostrip and confirmed with HPLC.