Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for T‐2 toxin

Abstract

Abstract An enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the rapid quantitation of T‐2 toxin, a tricothecene mycotoxin produced by members of the genus Fusarium . T‐2 toxin was first converted to the T‐2 hemisuccinate (T‐2 HS) and then conjugated by the water‐soluble carbodiimide method to either bovine serum albumin for use as an immunogen or to horseradish peroxidase for use as an enzyme marker. T‐2 antiserum was air‐dried onto polystyrene microtissue culture plates and the ELISA conducted by simultaneously incubating standards of T‐2 toxin and the T‐2 HS‐peroxidase conjugate. Competition curves were prepared by determining total bound enzyme. The ELISA took about 2 hr to complete and allowed minimal detection of T‐2 at levels of 2.5 pg/assay. Average recoveries from samples of wheat flour spiked with T‐2 toxin in the 1.0‐30 ppb range were 95 ± 25% and those for corn meal spiked in the 5.0‐30 ppb range were 98 ± 19%. The results suggested the ELISA is a simple and convenient alternative for the screening of T‐2 toxin in food and feeds.