Production and Use of Antibodies

Abstract

Antibodies are widely used for the reliable detection and quantitation of many analytes including food contaminants or adulterants, toxic residues, pathogens, and environmental toxins, as well as for disease diagnosis. The high specificity of an antibody towards its cognate antigen is one of the most important features that determines the scope of antibody applications in many different fields. This chapter introduces the basics of antibodies and their types, highlighting key aspects of antibody generation, isolation and characterization. In addition, the advantages and limitations of different types and structures of antibodies are discussed. Several recent examples are presented to emphasize the usefulness of antibodies in food analysis.