Sensitive lateral flow immunoassay for the detection of pork additives in raw and cooked meat products

Abstract

In this study, we developed a lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for the detection of pork additives in meat products. LFIA of porcine immunoglobulins (IgG) as a molecular biomarker was carried out in a sandwich format for species identification. Gold nanoparticles as a nano-dispersed label were conjugated to secondary antibodies specific to anti-porcine IgG. The test system was characterized by high specificity, which was confirmed by the absence of cross-reactivity with any other species tested. A short technique of sample preparation was proposed aimed at the effective extraction of IgG from meat samples. The developed LFIA enabled the detection of a pork ingredient at a level as low as 0.063% (w/w) in raw meat within 35 min including sample preparation. A large panel of real meat samples was analyzed by the LFIA. The results showed that porcine IgG can be reliably recognized both in raw meat products and processed meat foodstuffs.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Immunoglobulins; Lateral flow immunoassay; Meat adulteration; Pork additives; Species identification.