Simultaneous Determination of Aflatoxin B1 and Aflatoxin M1 in Food Matrices by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

Aflatoxins are a class of highly toxic chemical contaminants occurring in food. Consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated food can lead to harmful effects on human health. A rapid and reliable analysis of aflatoxins in food is crucial. In this study, we generated a broad-specific monoclonal antibody (MAb) 3 C10 against aflatoxin B-1 (AFB(1)). The MAb 3 C10 binds specifically to AFB(1) and AFM(1) and has a IC50 of 0.13 mu g L-1 for AFB(1) and 0.16 mu g L-1 for AFM(1). Furthermore, the MAb showed high cross-reactivity to AFB(2), AFG(1), and AFG(2). To enable simultaneous AFB(1) and AFM(1) detection in different food matrices, an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) based on MAb 3 C10 has been developed and optimized. In addition, the extraction methods of different food matrices (peanut, corn, soybean, wheat flour, rice, soy sauce, vinegar, wine, raw milk, pure milk, skimmed milk, and yogurt) were established. The average recovery ranged from 73 to 121 %, with relative standard deviation values less than 15 %. The limit of detection was 0.52 + 0.36 mu g kg(-1) (mean + 3SD) for AFB(1) in eight agricultural products and 0.031 + 0.015 mu g kg(-1) (mean + 3SD) for AFM(1) in four dairy products. The sensitivity of icELISA was below the limit set by the European Commission for aflatoxin detection in different food matrices and similar to LC-MS/MS method. We demonstrate a rapid, simple, and reliable method for simultaneous screening of AFB(1) and AFM(1) in different food matrices.