Development of a new antibody with high organic solvent tolerance for the detection of AFB1 in plant oils and monitoring UV decontamination processes

Aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) contamination in plant oils poses a serious threat to food safety. Monitoring AFB 1 decontamination, such as by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, is challenging due to matrix complexity and the lack of robust tools. This study developed a novel monoclonal antibody with exceptional organic solvent tolerance up to 60 % methanol, enabling a one-step direct competitive ELISA (dc-ELISA). This tolerance minimized sample preparation, allowing for direct AFB 1 quantification in diverse plant oil matrices with satisfactory recovery rates (73.7–128.9 %). The dc-ELISA was innovatively applied to monitor UV-induced AFB 1 degradation kinetics, showing a high correlation with HPLC and HPLC-MS/MS methods in acetonitrile and was effectively extended to track decontamination in peanut oil. Mechanistic studies via UPLC-Q/TOF-MS identified key degradation pathways involving demethylation, oxidation, hydrolysis, and loss of CO. Electrostatic potential (ESP) analysis revealed these structural modifications altered the electronic profiles of the degradation products, resulting in low cross-reactivity and fundamentally validating the assay's reliability for process monitoring. This work provides a practical, cost-effective, and reliable tool for both the detection and degradation monitoring of AFB 1 , establishing a promising on-site solution for comprehensive food safety control.