Development and Application of an Immunoaffinity Column Enzyme Immunoassay for Mycotoxin Zearalenone in Complicated Samples

The zearalenone (ZEA) monoclonal antibody (mAb) 2D3, one of the highest sensitivity antibodies, was developed. Based on this mAb, it was established of an immunoaffinity column (IAC) coupled with an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA). After optimization, the icELISA allowed an IC(50) against ZEA of 0.02 µg L(−1). The mAb 2D3 exhibited a high recognition of ZEA (100%) and β-zearalenol (β-ZOL, 88.2%). Its cross-reactivity with α-zearalenol (α-ZOL) and β-zearalanol (β-ZAL) were found to be 4.4% and 4.6%, respectively. The IAC-icELISA method was employed to analyze ZEA contamination in food samples, compared with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The spiked assay for ZEA demonstrated the considerable recoveries for IAC-icELISA (83–93%) and HPLC (94–108%) methods. Results showed that the mAb 2D3 and IAC-icELISA method posed potential applications in sensitively determination of ZEA in maize.