Novel Dual-Color Immunochromatographic Assay Based on Chrysanthemum-like Au@polydopamine and Colloidal Gold for Simultaneous Sensitive Detection of Paclobutrazol and Carbofuran in Fruits and Vegetables

To ensure food safety and prevent the toxic effects of paclobutrazol (PBZ) and carbofuran (CAR) on humans, a sensitive and rapid method for the detection of PBZ and CAR in fruits and vegetables is required. Herein, a highly sensitive PBZ monoclonal antibody (PBZ mAb) and CAR monoclonal antibody (CAR mAb) with half-inhibitory concentrations (IC50) at 0.77 and 0.82 ng mL(-1) were prepared, respectively. We proposed a novel dual-color immunochromatographic assay (ICA) with two test lines (T-1 and T-2) and an independent control line (C) based on chrysanthemum-like Au@Polydopamine (AuNC@PDA) and colloidal gold (AuNPs) for the simultaneous and sensitive detection of PBZ and CAR with naked-eye detection limits of 10 and 5 mu g kg(-1), respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) for PBZ and CAR were 0.117 and 0.087 mu g kg(-1) in orange, 0.109 and 0.056 mu g kg(-1) in grape, and 0.131 and 0.094 mu g kg(-1) in cabbage mustard, respectively. The average recoveries of PBZ and CAR in orange, grape, and cabbage mustard were 97.86-102.83%, with coefficients of variation from 8.94 to 11.05. The detection results of this method for 30 samples (orange, grapes, and cabbage mustard) agreed well with those of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The novel dual-color ICA was sensitive, rapid, and accurate for the simultaneous detection of PBZ and CAR in real samples.

Automated summary

To ensure food safety, a sensitive and rapid method for the detection of paclobutrazol (PBZ) and carbofuran (CAR) in fruits and vegetables was developed. The method involved the use of highly sensitive PBZ and CAR monoclonal antibodies and a novel dual-color immunochromatographic assay. The assay demonstrated high sensitivity, accuracy, and speed for the simultaneous detection of PBZ and CAR in real samples.