Development of a colloidal gold strip for rapid detection of ochratoxin A with mimotope peptide

Ochratoxin A (OTA), a mycotoxin mainly produced by some Aspergillus and Penicillium species, is found in cereals, coffee, wine, pork and grapes. The kidney and liver are the target organs of OTA, resulting in teratogenicity, carcinogenicity, and mutagenicity. To avoid the risk of OTA consumption, raw materials should be identified and removed from distribution. Current procedures for detection of OTA are time-consuming and involve sophisticated equipment. Furthermore, materials containing OTA is a biohazard for manufacturers and consumers. In this study, a rapid, inexpensive, and user-friendly lateral flow strip assay ideally suited for on site testing of OTA was developed. Moreover, mimotope peptide capable of mimicking OTA by panning from a M13 phage-displayed random seven-peptide was used instead of OTA–protein conjugate. Ten ppb of OTA was detected in 10 min by this new strip. The results indicated that a rapid method without using the mycotoxin, but using mimotope peptides was developed to screen OTA; related methods also can be developed to screen other mycotoxins.