Chromogenic platform based on recombinant Drosophila melanogaster acetylcholinesterase for visible unidirectional assay of organophosphate and carbamate insecticide residues

In this study we propose a chromogenic platform for rapid analysis of organophosphate (OP) and carbamate (CM) insecticide residues, based on recombinant Drosophila melanogaster acetylcholinesterase (R-DmAChE) as enzyme and indoxyl acetate as substrate. The visible chromogenic strip had the advantages identical to those of commonly used lateral flow assays (LFAs) with utmost simplicity in sample loading and result observation. After optimization, depending on the color intensity (CI) values, the well-established assay has the capabilities of both qualitative measurement via naked eyes and quantitative analysis by colorimetric reader with the desirable IC50 values against the tested six insecticides (0.06 μg mL−1 of carbofuran, 0.28 μg mL−1 of methomyl, 0.03 μg mL−1 of dichlorvos, 31.6 μg mL−1 of methamidophos, 2.0 μg mL−1 of monocrotophos, 6.3 μg mL−1 of omethoate). Acceptable matrix effects and satisfactory detection performance were confirmed by in-parallel LC–MS/MS analysis in different vegetable varieties at various spiked levels of 10−3 to 101 μg g−1. Overall, the testified suitability and applicability of this novel platform meet the requirements for practical use in food safety management and environmental monitoring, especially in the developing world.

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► A visible chromogenic platform for rapid analysis of OP and CM insecticide residues was developed.
► The assay has the capabilities of both qualitative measurement and quantitative analysis.
► The sensitivity, capabilities of resisting interferences and storage stability were desirable.
► Matrix effects were acceptable and detection performance was satisfactory in real application.