POLYCLONAL ANTIBODY-BASED ELISA AND HPLC METHODS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF FUMONISINS IN CORN - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY

The performance of an experimental polyclonal antibody (PAb)-based com petitive direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CD-ELISA) developed for the analysis of fumonisins in corn was assessed by comparison wit h an established highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The comparative study was conducted using a series of 20 corn samples naturally contaminated with combined fumonisin levels ranging from <0. 05 to >5 mu g/g (ppm). Linear regression analysis between the results generated by HPLC and CD-ELISA provided correlation coefficients (r) a nd regression slopes (b) of r = 0.960, b = 1.493 (P < 0.001); r = 0.86 5, b = 3.903 (P < 0.001); and r = 0.832, b = 0.107 (P < 0.001) for the individual fumonisins B-1 (FB1), B-2 (FB2) and B-3 (FB3), respectivel y, while corresponding values of r = 0.967, b = 1.059 (P < 0.001) were obtained for the combined FB1, FB2, and FB3 concentrations. In 3 of 1 8 fumonisin-positive corn samples, combined fumonisin levels determine d by CD-ELISA were between 85 and 100% higher than those determined in the same extracts by HPLC, while in 13 other samples, CD-ELISA result s were between 1.8 and 53% higher than those determined by HPLC. Conve rsely, in 2 of 18 samples, CD-ELISA results were lower than those dete rmined by HPLC. The differences recorded between HPLC and the experime ntal PAb-based CD-ELISA were far less than those previously recorded f or other mono- and polyclonal antibody-based CD-ELISA systems. The res ults indicate that the experimental PAb-based. CD-ELISA may be effecti vely applied for the initial screening for fumonisins in corn.