A sensitive chemiluminescence immunoassay based on immunomagnetic beads for quantitative detection of zearalenone

Sensitive and rapid analysis of zearalenone (ZEN) in grains and feed is essential to guarantee the food security for human health. Herein a chemiluminescence method was demonstrated to measure the content of zearalenone in food samples. An immunomagnetic beads-anti-ZEN monoclonal antibody complex was prepared. Besides, the immunomagnetic beads were utilized as the solid support for rendering the immunoassay through the rapid formation of immune complexes in the solution, rapid separation and efficient heterogeneous detection. Under the optimal experimental parameters, the standard curve of ZEN detection is y  = − 0.3839x + 0.1565 ( R 2  = 0.9978), the signal ratio has a well linear relationship with the logarithm of ZEN concentration in the range of 0.03–2.43 ng/mL. The limit detection of zearalenone in the developed assay was 0.01 ng/mL. The applicability of the reported approach for zearalenone detection in grains was demonstrated. In addition, the good recoveries of zearalenone were obtained, ranging from 85.15 to 102.60% at 5, 50, 150 ng/g spiked ZEN concentrations. The relative standard deviation was < 10%. The proposed chemiluminescence immunoassay is sensitive, simple, rapid and reliable for monitoring of zearalenone contamination, which provides a powerful avenue for further application of other mycotoxin in food analysis.