Monoclonal antibody–europium conjugate-based lateral flow time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay for quantitative determination of T-2 toxin in cereals and feed

Abstract

A method of lateral flow time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (LF-TRFIA) was developed for rapid and ultrasensitive detection of T-2 toxin with TRFIA strips and an assorted portable TRFIA reader. Quantitative detection of T-2 toxin was realized by recording fluorescence intensities of the mAb–Eu(III) probes captured on the test line (T line) and control line (C line) of the assay strips. Quantitative standard curves for determining T-2 toxin in rice, maize, and feed were established by plotting T/C ratio against the logarithmic concentration of T-2 toxin with the linear range of 0.125–200 ng g⁻¹ for rice and maize and 0.25–200 ng g⁻¹ for feed. The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.09 ng g⁻¹ for rice and maize and 0.17 ng g⁻¹ for feed. The recovery of the standard spike ranged from 94.2% to 111.0%, and the coefficient of variation (CV) was less than 15%. The results obtained by LF-TRFIA within 15 minutes showed a good correlation with the LC-MS/MS results, indicating that the LF-TRFIA method was reliable and suitable for rapid testing.