Development of a Reliable ic-ELISA with a Robust Antimatrix Interference Capability Based on QuEChERS Technology for the Rapid Detection of Zearalenone in Edible and Medical Coix Seeds and Subsequent Risk Assessments

Abstract

Indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) is an ideal immunoassay method for large-scale screenings to detect mycotoxin contaminants. However, the matrix effect of complicated samples has always been challenging when performing immunoassays, as it leads to false-positive or negative results. In this study, convenient QuEChERS technology combined with optimizing the dilution solvent was ingeniously used to eliminate interference from the sample matrix to greatly improve the detection accuracy, and reliable ic-ELISAs for the two official tolerance levels of 60 and 500 μg/kg were developed to screen zearalenone (ZEN) in edible and medical coix seeds without any further correction. Then, the 122 batches of coix seeds were determined, and the positive rate was up to 97.54%. The contaminated distribution was further analyzed, and risk assessment was subsequently performed for its edible and medical purposes. The findings indicated that consumption of coix seeds with higher ZEN contamination levels may cause adverse health effects for both medical and edible consumption in the adult population; even under the condition of average contamination level, ZEN from coix seeds was the more prominent contributor to the total risk compared to other sources when used as food; thus, effective prevention and control should be an essential topic in the future.

Preparation of Anti-Zearalenone IgY and Development of an Indirect Competitive ELISA Method for the Measurement of Zearalenone in Post-Fermented Tea

“…Concurrently, some ZEN immunoassays have been developed [15,16]. According to the literature, after eliminating interference from the sample matrix, ZEN in edible and medicinal coix seeds can be analyzed using an indirect competitive enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) [17]. High-throughput immunoassays are highly sensitive and rapid.…”

Biosensors and Smart Analytical Systems in Food Quality and Safety: Status and Perspectives

“…Colour change was also used as an analytical strategy using aptamer-functionalised nanobeads by Yu Chen and co-workers [ 12 ], who developed an aptasensor for the determination of aflatoxin B1 in cereal samples, an analyte of great concern due to its toxicity. Two other very toxic molecules present in fish were the subject of the review proposed by Jaume Reverté and co-authors [ 13 ], while zearalenone was analysed in edible and medicinal coix seeds by Kaiyi Guan and co-workers, using a strategy based on an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) [ 14 ]. This method was applied to the determination of zearalenone in 122 batch coix seeds from different parts of China, showing that the occurrence of zearalenone is a universal problem in various districts in China.…”