Ultrasensitive and quantitative gold nanoparticle-based immunochromatographic assay for detection of ochratoxin A in agro-products

•Developing a sensitive and quantitative immunochromatographic assay for ochratoxin A.•Using antibody conjugated gold nanoparticles as label for detection.•Using a rapid color intensity portable strip reader for quantifying the method.•The assay was used for ochratoxin A detection in agro-products.•The results were reliable and in accordance with those obtained using HPLC. In most cases of mycotoxin detection, quantitation is critical while immunochromatographic strip tests are qualitative in nature. Moreover, the sensitivity of this technique is questioned. In order to overcome these limitations, an ultrasensitive and quantitative immunochromatographic assay (ICA) for rapid and sensitive quantitation of ochratoxin A (OTA) was developed. The assay was based on a competitive format and its sensitivity was improved by using a sensitive and selective OTA monoclonal antibody (OTA-mAb). The visible ICA results were obtained within 15min, and in addition to visual examination, they were read by the rapid color intensity portable strip reader. The visual and computational detection limits (vLOD and cLOD, respectively) for ochratoxin A were 0.2 and 0.25ngmL−1, respectively. These values were lower than those reported by previous studies in a range 5–2500 folds. For validation, contaminated samples including wheat, maize, rice and soybean were assayed by ICA and a standard high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results were in good agreement for both ICA and HPLC methods. The average recoveries of the HPLC were in the range 72–120% while the ICA values were from 76 to 104%, confirming the accuracy and sensitivity of this method.