Quantum dot-based biomimetic fluorescence immunoassays for enrofloxacin detection in animal-derived foods

Long-term consumption of foods with excessive enrofloxacin (ENRO) residues may cause the accumulation of ENRO in the human body, thus damaging human health. In this study, quantum dot-based biomimetic fluorescence immunoassays were used for enrofloxacin detection in food of animal origin. Under the most suitable conditions, the detection limit (IC15) of the method in standard solution was 0.13 ± 0.02 ng L−1 and the sensitivity (IC50) was 0.13 ± 0.18 μg L−1. The recoveries for ENRO from four fortified food samples, including chicken, eggs, shrimp, and milk, ranged from 85.74% to 114.19% and the coefficients of variation were 0.01–18.09%. The established method shows good agreement with the results obtained using commercial ELISA kits, with a correlation coefficient of 0.997. The proposed method shows the advantages of high sensitivity, specificity and wide detection range. It can be used as an alternative method for the rapid and sensitive detection of ENRO in food of animal origin.