Development of a flow-injection liposome immunoanalysis system for fumonisin B1

Fumonisins are a group of naturally occurring mycotoxins produced by several species of the fungus Fusarium (mainly moniliforme) and occur worldwide on corn intended for human and animal consumption. Contamination of food and feed with fumonisins has been implicated in and associated with a number of diseases in both livestock as well as human beings. In this study, a Flow-injection Liposome ImmunoAnalysis (FILIA) system was developed for the heterogeneous quantitative determination of fumonisin B1 (FmB1). The immunoassay is based on the competition between FmB1 and sulforhodamine B (SRB) dye-encapsulating, FmB1-tagged liposomes for a limited number of antibody binding sites. The antibodies are immobilized via protein A in a capillary immunoreactor column, and 35% MeOH is used for the regeneration of antibody binding sites after each measurement, which allows the immunoreactor to be used for up to 70 sequential sample injections without any loss of reactivity. Sample preconcentration is not needed and a single assay can be performed in less than 11 min. The calibration curve for FmB1 in Tris-buffered saline (TBS) solution had a working range of 1-1000 ng/ml. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.