Development of a biosensor microarray towards food screening, using imaging surface plasmon resonance

In this study we examined the possibilities of implementing direct and competitive immunoassay formats for small and large molecule detection on a microarray, using IBIS imaging surface plasmon resonance (iSPR) system. First, IBIS iSPR optics performance was evaluated. Using a glycerol calibration curve on underivatized surface we observed high baseline variability, but uniform and robust sensitivity between hundred regions of interest. Further on, a direct immunoassay for bovine IgG detection and a competitive immunoassay for gentamicin and neomycin were developed. The direct immunoassay for bovine IgG detection in a microarray format showed poor sensitivity in comparison to the assay performed in Biacore 3000, due to low immobilization efficiency on spots. The competitive immunoassay for parallel gentamicin and neomycin detection in a microarray format displayed sensitivity in the ng mL−1 range, comparable with the sensitivity achieved in Biacore 3000 and in the range of maximum residue limits in milk, established in the European Union. We expect that, utilization of the IBIS iSPR system for food analysis, by screening high and low molecular weight compounds, will allow rapid and simultaneous detection of various ingredients and contaminants, providing the end-user with a detailed food profile. However, assay transfer from conventional SPR biosensors to the imaging microarray platform also presents new challenges, such as sufficient immobilization on spots, that must be addressed in future studies.