A smartphone-based dual detection mode device integrated with two lateral flow immunoassays for multiplex mycotoxins in cereals

In this study, a smartphone-based quantitative dual detection mode device, integrated with gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and time-resolved fluorescence microspheres (TRFMs) lateral flow immunoassays (LFIA) for multiplex mycotoxins in cereals were established. The most frequently used visible light and fluorescence detection modes were integrated in one device. A user-friendly application was self-written to rapidly quantify results. GNPs-LFIA and TRFMs-LFIA were used to detect aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), zearalenone (ZEN), deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 toxin (T-2), and fumonisin B1 (FB1). The visible limits of detection (vLODs) were 10/2.5/1.0/10/0.5, 2.5/0.5/0.5/2.5/0.5 μg/kg for the two methods, respectively. The quantitative limits of detection (qLODs) were 0.59/0.24/0.32/0.9/0.27, 0.42/0.10/0.05/0.75/0.04 μg/kg, respectively. The recoveries of both LFIAs ranged from 84.0%-110.0%. A parallel analysis in 30 naturally contaminated cereal samples was conducted by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), the results showed good consistency, indicating the practical reliability of the established methods. The developed two smartphone-based LFIAs provide a promising technique for multiplex, highly sensitive, and on-site detection of mycotoxins.