Sensitive, simultaneous and quantitative detection of deoxynivalenol and fumonisin B1 in the water environment using lateral flow immunoassay integrated with smartphone

Deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisin B-1 (FB1), as a group of highly toxic secondary metabolites, have become a potential source of water environmental pollutants. To minimize two mycotoxins exposure to consumers, a dual lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) integrated with the smartphone was reported for simultaneous and quantitative detection of DON and FB1 in the water environment. The significantly improved sensitivity was contributed to a smartphone-based device with the ability to image and analyze results. Under optimized conditions, the detection limits of DON and FB1 were calculated to be 3.46 and 2.65 ng/mL, which were approximately 25 and 10 folds lower than those of the visual detection of the LFIA. This method showed good specificity and a good dynamic linear detection for DON and FB1. The recoveries ofDON and FB1 were evaluated by the spiked lake water, river water, and pond water, ranging from 92.47% to 106.2% with the relative standard deviation under 9.13%. Moreover, the results of the developed LFIA showed a high correlation with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results, with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 for DON and 0.996 for FB1, respectively. To sum up, the developed LFIA provides a promising platform for sensitive, simultaneous, quantitative, and on-site detection of DON and FB1 in the water environment.

Automated summary

A dual lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) integrated with a smartphone was developed for simultaneous and quantitative detection of DON and FB1 in water. The method showed improved sensitivity, good specificity, and a dynamic linear detection for both mycotoxins.