Sensitive, simultaneous and quantitative detection of deoxynivalenol and fumonisin B₁ in the water environment using lateral flow immunoassay integrated with smartphone

Deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisin B₁ (FB₁), as a group of highly toxic secondary metabolites, have become a potential source of water environmental pollutants. To minimize two mycotoxins exposure to consumers, a dual lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) integrated with the smartphone was reported for simultaneous and quantitative detection of DON and FB₁ in the water environment. The significantly improved sensitivity was contributed to a smartphone-based device with the ability to image and analyze results. Under optimized conditions, the detection limits of DON and FB₁ were calculated to be 3.46 and 2.65 ng/mL, which were approximately 25 and 10 folds lower than those of the visual detection of the LFIA. This method showed good specificity and a good dynamic linear detection for DON and FB₁. The recoveries of DON and FB₁ were evaluated by the spiked lake water, river water, and pond water, ranging from 92.47% to 106.2% with the relative standard deviation under 9.13%. Moreover, the results of the developed LFIA showed a high correlation with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results, with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 for DON and 0.996 for FB₁, respectively. To sum up, the developed LFIA provides a promising platform for sensitive, simultaneous, quantitative, and on-site detection of DON and FB₁ in the water environment.