Hapten synthesis and antibody production for the development of a paper immunosensor for lean meat powder zilpaterol

Abstract

In this study, we describe the design and successful synthesis of a new hapten, which we used to prepare an anti-zilpaterol mouse monoclonal antibody (mAb) with an IC₅₀ of 0.31 ng mL⁻¹ and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.02 ng mL⁻¹. A colloidal gold immunochromatographic test strip was further developed and optimized using the antibody, and cross-reactivity experiments were carried out to prove its good specificity. Semi-quantitative and quantitative detections of zilpaterol were evaluated in swine urine and pork samples using the test strips. For semi-quantitative detection in swine urine and pork samples, the visual limit of detection values were 0.5 μg kg⁻¹ and 0.5 μg kg⁻¹, and the cut-off values were 5 μg kg⁻¹ and 5 μg kg⁻¹, respectively. For quantitative detection, the calculated limit of detection values were 0.08 μg kg⁻¹ and 0.12 μg kg⁻¹, and the remaining values were 10 μg kg⁻¹ and 10 μg kg⁻¹. The developed gold nanoparticle-based immunochromatographic assay is highly suitable for on-site detection and rapid preliminary screening of zilpaterol in swine urine and pork samples.