Detection of clothianidin residues in cucumber and apple juice using lateral-flow immunochromatographic assay

Clothianidin (CTA), third generation neonicotinoid insecticide that has been widely used for the long-term control of a wide variety of pests. Therefore, we developed immunochromatographic assay for the detection of CTA residues in cucumber and apple juice. The antigen HCTA-EDC-OVA and the goat anti-mouse IgG antibody were added to a nitrocellulose membrane as the test and control lines, respectively. Under optimal conditions, the cut-off limits of the semi-quantitative strip test for CTA were 1 ng/mL in 0.01 M PBS (pH 7.4), 4 ng/mL in cucumber juice, and 5 ng/mL in apple juice, and the results were obtained within 5 min. The immunochromatographic assay can be used for the sensitive, rapid, and specific on-site screening of CTA residues in cucumber and apple juice.