Rapid detection of phycotoxin domoic acid in seawater and seafood based on the developed lateral flow immunoassay

A lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) of phycotoxin domoic acid (DA) contaminating seawater and marine organisms was developed in this investigation. Nine clones of monoclonal antibodies against DA were produced and characterized. The test system was implemented in the indirect competitive format, where gold nanoparticles as a marker were conjugated with secondary antibodies. The developed test system allows for the detection of DA with a cutoff of 60 ng mL(-1) and an instrumental detection limit of 1.4 ng mL(-1) within 15 min. The LFIA was applied to detect DA in seawater, mussels, shrimps, and octopuses. A simple method of seafood sample preparation was proposed. The entire analytical cycle, from obtaining a sample to the estimation of final results, takes only 30 min. The assay recoveries ranged from 88.5% to 124%. The developed analytical method is a promising solution for rapid on-site monitoring of marine toxicants in water and food throughout the farm-to-fork chain.

Automated summary

A lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) was developed for the rapid detection of the phycotoxin domoic acid (DA) in seawater and marine organisms. The assay demonstrated a fast and simple method with high sensitivity for the detection of low concentrations of DA. The developed method was successfully applied to detect DA in seafood samples, and a simple sample preparation method was proposed.