Evaluation and Optimization of Three Different Immunoassays for Rapid Detection Zearalenone in Fodders

Zearalenone (ZEN) is one of the most common contaminants in fodder with obvious reproduction toxicity and potential carcinogenicity to animals and humans. Thus, simple and sensitive methods are required for the detection of ZEN. In this work, the anti-ZEN monoclonal antibody (mAb) was prepared by hybridoma technique. Then, the mAb-based indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA), fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA), and immunochromatographic assay (ICA) were evaluated and optimized for ZEN detection in spiked fodder samples. The ic-ELISA and FPIA showed recovery ranges from 80 to 100 %. The limit of detection (LOD) in ic-ELISA, FPIA and ICA were 0.06, 0.54, and 10 ng/mL, respectively. The detection ranges of IC20~IC80 were 2.89 to 115.36 ng/mL in ic-ELISA and 3.0 to 1052 ng/mL in FPIA. Amongst three immunoassays, the ic-ELISA was the most sensitive and stable, nevertheless, most time-consuming with narrower detection range. The FPIA showed good sensitivity, precision, and wide detection range, but it required specific tracer. ICA was a time-saving handy method but exhibited relatively lower precision and quantification compared to other two methods.