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The performance of a commercially available microtiter plate ELISA kit for the determination of the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid was evaluated for sensitivity, selectivity, influence of organic solvent used for extraction procedure, matrix interference originated from agricultural sample, accuracy, and method comparison with conventional HPLC analysis. The limit of detection for the kit (0.1 or 0.5 ng/mL) was determined. The working range (1-39 ng/mL) experimentally calculated on the basis of a criterion, which is determined as the range from I(20) to I(80), was comparable to that established by the manufacturer (1-50 ng/mL). The linearity of the standard curve based on the kit-assembled standard solutions agreed with the one based on the self-made standard solutions. Specificity studies indicate that the imidacloprid monoclonal antibody can readily distinguish the target compound from other structurally related neonicotinoid analogues and some metabolites, with the exception of clothianidin, the cross-reactivity of which was approximately 12%. To extract imidacloprid from an agricultural sample (apple) as simply and rapidly as possible, some extraction methods were examined. Consequently, the extraction method with hand-shaking for 5 min was the best among the examined methods. For the analysis of imidacloprid in apple samples, it was extracted directly with methanol and the extracts were diluted 10-fold (100-fold in the well) with water prior to ELISA analysis. No significant matrix interference was observed with the dilution factor. Recoveries of imidacloprid from fortified apple samples ranged from 87.7 to 112.0%. The results obtained with the ELISA kit correlated well with those by the reference method (conventional HPLC analysis) for apple samples (r > 0.998). These findings strongly indicate that the ELISA kit may be employed routinely for an on-site imidacloprid residue analysis of apple samples.

This work describes the fundamental ability of a commercial ELISA to determine acetamiprid and the application of the ELISA to residue analysis in fruit and vegetable samples. The ELISA exhibited satisfactory sensitivity (I (50) 0.6 ng/g; limit of detection 0.053 ng/g) and a high selectivity for acetamiprid versus other neonicotinoid analogs (thiacloprid amide). Methanol, which influenced the sensitivity of the ELISA the least, was selected as the extractant for the ELISA analysis. Simple dilution of sample extracts with water eliminated matrix interferences. Average recoveries from the acetamiprid-spiked agricultural samples were >95% using a simple extraction method. Analytical results obtained from the ELISA were comparable to those obtained from the reference HPLC method (r>0.99). The ELISA applied to the residue analysis of acetamiprid in agricultural products is a rapid, simple, and cost-effective method, and could be successfully applied to the detection of acetamiprid before the distribution of produce.