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Development of a quantum dot–based lateral flow immunoassay with high reaction consistency to total aflatoxins in botanical materials

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Abstract

Total aflatoxins (AFTs) are an important safety indicator for botanical materials, but at present, rapid detection technology for AFTs is seldom reported. In this study, the monoclonal antibody with similar reactivity to total aflatoxins was produced, and the quantum dot–based lateral flow immunoassay (QD-LFIA) coupled with a portable device was developed to rapidly determine AFT residues in botanical materials. The half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of the QD-LFIA for AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, AFM1, and AFM2 were 10.57, 12.64, 11.34, 12.67, 10.13, and 12.75 μg kg−1, respectively, which show high reaction consistency to total aflatoxins. For different botanical materials, the sample was simply extracted with methanol-water and diluted with PBS, and the sample solution was directly loaded onto the QD-LFIA strip for determination. To overcome interference from the matrix effects, specific standard curves were established for each kind of botanical material. The detection limit of AFTs in 6 different botanical materials was 0.95~2.03 μg kg−1 with a linear range of 2~120 μg kg−1. The spiked recoveries of AFTs in botanical materials of different species and localities of growth were 75~105% with a coefficient of variation below 15%. The test results of the actual samples are consistent with the Chinese national standard test method. This study provides an easy-to-use method to rapidly determine AFTs in different botanical materials.

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Funding

The work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFF0212503) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (FRF-AS-17-010).

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  1. Yuxiang Wu and Binger Yu contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shandong Lvdu Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Binzhou, 256600, Shandong, China

    Yuxiang Wu, Ping Cui, Tao Yu & Zhiqiang Shen

  2. School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Binger Yu & Guoqing Shi

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  1. Yuxiang Wu
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Contributions

Y.W. and B.Y. did the experiment and wrote the manuscript; P.C. prepared the QD-LFIA card; T.Y. prepared the software and the hardware of the QD reader; and G.S. and Z.S. designed the experiment and revised the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Guoqing Shi or Zhiqiang Shen.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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We observed all applicable international, national, and institutional guidelines and ethics of welfare of experimental animals for the care and use of animals. Identification code: SYXK(Shandong Province)2016 0008; date of approval: 7 March 2016; institutional review board: Shandong Department of Science and Technology; authorized unit: Shandong Lvdu Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

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Wu, Y., Yu, B., Cui, P. et al. Development of a quantum dot–based lateral flow immunoassay with high reaction consistency to total aflatoxins in botanical materials. Anal Bioanal Chem 413, 1629–1637 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-020-03123-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-020-03123-4

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