A. Abad et al., A MONOCLONAL IMMUNOASSAY FOR CARBOFURAN AND ITS APPLICATION TO THE ANALYSIS OF FRUIT JUICES, Analytica chimica acta, 347(1-2), 1997, pp. 103-110
Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) for the carbamate pesticide carbofuran (2
,3-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-7-benzofuranyl methylcarbamate) were obtained
by immunizing mice with the hapten 3-[[(2,3-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-7-ben
zofuranyloxy) carbonyl]amino] propanoic acid (BFNP) conjugated to bovi
ne serum albumin (BSA). Based on one of these MAbs in combination with
an heterologous hapten, an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
(ELISA) was developed for the quantification of carbofuran. For stand
ards, the detection limit of the ELISA was 0.2 ng ml(-1), with a I-50
value of 1.8 ng ml(-1). Cross-reactivity studies showed that the immun
oassay was quite specific for carbofuran since, of the six N-methylcar
bamates assayed, only bendiocarb was significantly recognized (17.4%).
The ELISA was applied to the determination of carbofuran in apple, gr
ape, and pineapple juices. Recovery and precision of the method were e
valuated by spiking juices with carbofuran at 25, 50, and 100 ng ml(-1
). Coefficients of variation were below 15% in most cases, and mean re
coveries were 112.6, 107.4, and 115.4% for apple, grape, and pineapple
juices, respectively. Therefore, the developed ELISA was able to dete
rmine carbofuran at levels below the maximum residue limits simply by
diluting the sample, without the need for cleanup or sample concentrat
ion.