An easy-to-operate membrane-based flow-through test for multiplex screening of four mycotoxins (zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, aflatoxin B1, and ochratoxin A) in a variety of cereal-based feed ingredients and compound feeds, such as wheat, barley, soybean, wheat bran, rice, rice bran, maize, rapeseed meal, and sunflower meal, and various types of complete feed (duckling feed, swine feed, broiler feed, piglet feed) was developed and validated. First, the antibodies were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and then employed in the membrane rapid test. The cutoff levels for zearalenone, deoxynivalenol, aflatoxin B1, and ochratoxin A were 50, 200, 1, and 10 μg/kg, respectively, based on European regulations and consumers' requirements. As sample pretreatment, consecutive steps of extraction, dilution, solid-phase extraction by addition of C18 sorbent, and final filtration of supernatant were followed. Both the sample preparation and the analysis procedure were simple, cost-effective, and easy to perform on-site in a nonlaboratory environment. The impact of sample processing on the result of the experiment was investigated supported by experimental design. The validation procedure was performed on the basis of Commission Regulation 2006/401/EC. The numbers of false-positive and false-negative outcomes were <5%, going along with the Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was performed as a confirmatory technique.
Keywords: flow-through; immunoassay; membrane test; multiassay; multiplex screening; mycotoxins; rapid test.