Development of Monoclonal Antibodies for Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) Identification Using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

Two murine IgG1 monoclonal antibodies (McAbs), C1C1 and C2A2, against red snapper protein a were produced using hybridoma technique. McAb C1C1 showed strong reactivity with red snapper, vermilion snapper (VS), lane snapper (LS), mutton snapper (MS), and yellowtail snapper (YS), and it could be used in ELISA and immunodot blotting to screen these fish species from 36 commonly consumed seafood and meat samples. Since C2A2 did not react as strongly with VS, LS, MS, and YS as with red snapper, it could be used to separate red snapper from the remaining four species. The combined use of these two McAbs in a blind study using ELISA correctly identified red snapper from 24 various seafood and meat extracts. Furthermore, the identities of 24 commercial fish samples claimed to be red snapper, MS, Caribbean red snapper, and other various red snappers by seafood retailers were verified using ELISA with these two McAbs and thin-layer and slab IEF gel electrophoresis