A sensitive immunochromatographic assay using colloidal gold–antibody probe for the rapid detection of semicarbazide in meat specimens

Chromaticity Evolutionary Detection of Food Contaminant Semicarbazide through an Upconversion Luminescence-Based Nanosensor

Semicarbazide (SEM) is a widespread carcinogenic and neurotoxic food contaminant, originating from the metabolite of antibiotic nitrofurazone, which is used in aquaculture, or thermal decomposition byproduct of a flour blowing agent azodicarbonamide. Although optical detection technologies are powerful tools considering the advantages of fast response and visualization detection, there are few optical nanosensors for highly sensitive and visual assays of SEM due to no luminescence response and UV absorbance of SEM. Herein, an upconversion luminescence (UCL)-based nanosensor was designed for visual detection of SEM with high sensitivity and good selectivity. The nanosensor was constructed by combining upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and phosphomolybdic acid (PMA), which was used as the specific recognition element of SEM. The developed nanosensor exhibited selective absorbance enhancement and UCL quenching behavior with the addition of SEM based on the inner filter effect (IFE). Since the change in absorbance translated into an exponential change in the luminescence, the sensitivity of the nanosensor was greatly improved. The nanosensor realized a highly sensitive and visual response to SEM in the linear range of 0.5-16 μM with a low limit of detection of 58 nM. Moreover, satisfactory recovery values ranging from 90 to 112% in spiked real samples indicated the practical applicability of the nanosensor. The nanosensor designed here provides a sensitive and convenient sensing strategy for visual detection of hazardous substances and is expected to develop the upconversion sensing application in food safety.

A smart meat packaging to show ciprofloxacin residues based on immunochromatography

The aim of this study was to design a novel smart packaging based on immunochromatography to show ciprofloxacin residues in beef meat. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and precision of this smart packaging were 97%, 100%, 100%, and 97%, respectively. The minimum diagnostic concentration and the minimum diagnostic time were 25 μg/kg and 1 min, respectively. Also, intra- and inter-assays showed all assays were all identical. This means that the smart packaging was a stable and reproducible tool for ciprofloxacin analysis. It is recommended that this type of smart packaging be designed, analyzed, and used to show the residues of common antibiotics in the livestock industry. It is hoped that by obtaining the necessary permits and relevant approvals, this type of packaging can be used for the export and import of various types of meat.

Preparation of a carboxylated single-walled carbon-nanotube-chitosan functional layer and its application to a molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor to quantify semicarbazide

Semicarbazide (SEM) is a protein-bound nitrofurazone metabolite that is detrimental to human health. Therefore, to ensure food safety, it is necessary to detect SEM in food samples. To this end, we developed a novel electrochemical sensor to detect SEM by using a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) as the recognition element. Computer-aided molecular modelling was performed to guide the synthesis of the MIP, and subsequently, MIP/carboxylated single-walled carbon-nanotubes/chitosan (MIP/SWNTs-COOH/CS) was prepared as the sensing platform to develop the electrochemical sensor. The linear range of the sensor was 0.04-7.6 ng mL^-1, with a detection limit of 0.025 ng mL^-1. The sensor was successfully applied to detect SEM in four different real samples, with recoveries ranging from 83.16% to 93.40%. The results indicated that the fabricated electrochemical sensor can be widely applied to detect SEM in the environment and in agri-food products.

Determination of nitrofuran metabolites in marine products by high performance liquid chromatography–fluorescence detection with microwave-assisted derivatization

A sensitive method for simultaneous detection of four nitrofuran metabolites (3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AOZ), semicarbazide (SEM), 3-amino-morpholinomethyl-2-oxazolidinone (AMOZ) and 1-aminohydantoin (AH)) in marine products.

Rapid and Sensitive Detection of 3-Amino-2-oxazolidinone Using a Quantum Dot-Based Immunochromatographic Fluorescent Biosensor

To monitor the levels of furazolidone in edible animal tissues, a fluorescent sensor was developed for the determination of 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AOZ), the metabolite of furazolidone, featuring an immunochromatographic test strip assay (ITSA) integrated with a quantum dot (QD) label. The optimal QD-based ITSA sensor exhibits good dynamic linear detection for AOZ over the range of 0.1-100 μg/L, with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of 1.06 μg/L. The decision limit and the detection capability were 0.14-0.15 and 0.27-0.33 μg/kg, respectively, for this analyte using the QD-based ITSA sensor. These values represent an improvement over a previously reported gold nanoparticle-based immunochromatographic assay. The recoveries of AOZ in kinds of animal tissues were between 76.3 and 98.4% at the levels of 1.0, 5.0, and 10.0 μg/kg. The performance and practicality of our QD-based fluorescent immunosensor were confirmed by commercial ELISA kit and LC-MS/MS. In conclusion, the proposed sensor was a feasible detection method for AOZ analysis on site.

Monoclonal antibody-based immunoassay for analysis of octopamine in housefly

Octopamine (OA) is one of the biogenic monoamines in the housefly, which acts as an important neurohormone in the physiological process of this pest. In this study, a new hapten of OA was synthesized via aldol condensation. With the hapten, monoclonal antibodies (MAb) were generated and their characterizations were investigated. An indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) based on MAb 3C11-E3 was established, which required simple sample pre-treatments and had low cross-reactivity with OA structural analogise. The half maximal inhibition concentration (IC50) and the detected range (IC20-IC80) of the icELISA were 128 ng/mL and 12-1438 ng/mL, respectively. Average recoveries of OA ranged from 73 to 129% in the housefly.

An immunochromatographic assay for rapid and direct detection of 3-amino-5-morpholino-2-oxazolidone (AMOZ) in meat and feed samples

BACKGROUND

Furaltadone (FTD) is a type of nitrofuran and has been banned in many countries as a veterinary drug in food-producing animals owing to its potential carcinogenicity and mutagenicity. FTD is unstable in vivo, rapidly metabolizing to 3-amino-5-methylmorpholino-2-oxazolidinone (AMOZ); thus AMOZ can be used as an indicator for illegal usage of FTD. Usually, for the determination of nitrofurans, the analyte is often a derivative of the metabolite rather than the metabolite itself. In this study, based on the monoclonal antibody (mAb) against AMOZ, a competitive immunochromatographic assay (ICA) using a colloidal gold-mAb probe for rapid and direct detection of AMOZ without a derivatization step in meat and feed samples was developed.

RESULTS

The intensity of red color in the test line is inversely related to the analyte concentration and the visual detection limit was found to be 10 ng mL⁻¹. The performance of this assay was simple and convenient because the tedious and time-consuming derivatization step was avoided. The ICA detection was completed within 10 min. The ICA strips could be used for 7 weeks at room temperature without significant loss of activity. The AMOZ spiked samples were detected by ICA and confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results of the two methods were in good agreement.

CONCLUSION

The proposed ICA provides a feasible tool for simple, sensitive, rapid, convenient and semi-quantitative detection of AMOZ in meat and feed samples on site. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the ICA for direct detection of AMOZ.

Colloidal gold nanoparticle probe-based immunochromatographic assay for the rapid detection of chromium ions in water and serum samples

An immunochromatographic assay (ICA) using gold nanoparticles coated with monoclonal antibody (McAb) for the detection of chromium ions (Cr) in water and serum samples was developed, optimized and validated. Gold nanoparticles coated with affinity-purified monoclonal antibodies against isothiocyanobenzyl-EDTA (iEDTA)-chelated Cr(3+) were used as the detecting reagent in this completive immunoassay-based one-step test strip. The ICA was investigated to measure chromium speciation (Cr(3+) and Cr(6+) ions) in water samples. Chromium standard samples of 0-80 ng mL(-1) in water were determined by the test strips. The results showed that the visual lowest detection limit (LDL) of the test strip was 50.0 ng mL(-1). A portable colorimetric lateral flow reader was used for the quantification of Cr. The results indicated that the linear range of the ICA with colorimetric detection was 5-80 ng mL(-1). The ICA was also validated for the detection of chromium ions in serum samples. The test trips showed high stability in that they could be stored at 37°C for at least 12 weeks without significant loss of activity. The test strip also showed good selectivity for Cr detection with negligible interference from other heavy metals. Because of its low cost and short testing time (within 5 min), the test strip is especially suitable for on-site large-scale screening of Cr-polluted water samples, biomonitoring of Cr exposure, and many other field applications.