Development of a polyclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of Sunset Yellow FCF in food samples

Sunset Yellow FCF is widely used as food additives to make foods more attractive. Due to its abuse and potential risk to human health, Sunset Yellow FCF is precisely limited to use in food. To monitor the illegal use of Sunset Yellow FCF, a polyclonal antibody-based indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ic-ELISA) with satisfactory sensitivity and specificity was developed. A carboxyl group was introduced to Sunset Yellow FCF, then the modified hapten was coupled with carrier proteins to synthesize the immunogen and coating antigen. The IC50 value of 0.52 ng mL−1 and detection limit of 25 pg mL−1 (in buffer) were achieved by this method. The cross-reactivity values of the antibodies with six structurally related colorants were less than 1.5%, indicating the high selectivity. Three kinds of food samples (beverage, dried beancurd, braised pork) and serum were chosen to evaluate the application of the immunoassay in real systems. The limits of detection (LOD) in the above three food samples were 0.12, 0.04 and 1.11, respectively (mean+3SD). The recovery (94%–106%), intra-assay (<5%) and inter-assay (<12%) coefficients of variation in foods and serum samples were also acceptable. The results suggest that this ELISA method is a specific, sensitive and simple method for the determination of Sunset Yellow FCF additives.