An immunoassay based on lab-on-a-chip for simultaneous and sensitive detection of clenbuterol and ractopamine

We propose a microfluidics-based indirect competitive immunoassay (MICI) system to detect clenbuterol and ractopamine. The microfluidic technology greatly reduces the consumption of reagents, shortens the reaction time and enables high-throughput, multi-sample simultaneous detection. [Display omitted] Both clenbuterol (CLB) and ractopamine (RAC) are β-adrenergic agonists. After long-term excessive intake, there will be adverse reactions such as headache, chest tightness, limb numbness, and serious life-threatening. Simultaneous detection of CLB and RAC in related samples is of great importance for human health. In this work, we outline a microfluidics-based indirect competitive immunoassay (MICI) system that can sensitively detect residual CLB and RAC in pork, swine blood and swine urine. The rapid detection of multiple samples can be achieved in one chip, which greatly improves the detection efficiency. This method has good stability and reproducibility and the microfluidic chips are easy to manufacture. The linear ranges for CLB and RAC detection by MICI are 0.1–2.5 ng/mL and 0.1–5 ng/mL, and the limits of detection (LODs) are 0.094 ng/mL and 0.091 ng/mL, respectively. This straightforward and portable immunoassay system provides a good platform for rapid detection of harmful substances in food samples.