Zearalenone determination in corn silage samples using an immunosensor in a continuous-flow/stopped-flow systems

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a mycotoxin produced by a variety of Fusarium fungi that infects cereals. ZEA may accumulate in cereals before harvest time. This paper describes the development of an immunosensor coupled to glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) (CNT-GCE) integrated with a continuous-flow systems for rapid and sensitive quantification of ZEA in corn silage samples. Mouse monoclonal anti-ZEA antibodies were immobilized on a rotating disk. The ZEA in corn sample is allowed to compete immunologically with ZEA bound to horseradish peroxidase (HRP) for the immobilized antibodies. HRP in presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) catalyzes the oxidation of 4-tert-butylcatechol (4-TBC), whose back electrochemical reduction was detected on CNT-GCE at -0.15 V. The total assay time was 15 min. The electrochemical immunosensor showed higher sensitivity and lower detection limits than the standard ELISA method, which shows potential for detecting ZEA in foods and feeds diagnosis. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.