Rapid and sensitive quantitation of zearalenone in food and feed by lateral flow immunoassay

A lateral flow immunoassay (LFA) for rapid and sensitive quantitation of zearalenone (ZEN) in food and feed stuffs was developed, based on the availability of a new highly sensitive anti-ZEN monoclonal antibody. Compared to previously reported LFA, the established method allows quantitative determination of ZEN within the desirable dynamic range of 1–50 ng mL−1, corresponding to the recorded color intensity (CI) values of 65–9, with an IC50 value of 15 ng mL−1. The developed approach was then applied to a sample collection of thirty two cereal-based baby food, maize, wheat and feed samples, revealing that seven positive samples contained ZEN at concentrations ranging from 20 to 94 μg kg−1. The accuracy of the obtained results was confirmed by in-parallel LC–MS/MS analyses. The described assay format is capable of simple, rapid, cost-effective and robust on-site screening or remote quantitative analysis for ZEN, fulfilling the currently strictest regulation requirements for ZEN monitoring worldwide.

► A visible chromogenic platform for rapid and sensitive analysis of zearalenone 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.