A Fluorescence Polarization Assay To Detect Steroid Hormone Traces in Milk

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5b03689
• Publication Date: 2015-10-05T05:19:56Z
• Authors: Antonio Varriale; Anna Pennacchio; Gabriella Pinto; Giorgia Oliviero; Stefano D’Errico; Adelia Majoli; Andrea Scala; Alessandro Capo; Angela Pennacchio; Stefano Di Giovanni; Maria Staiano; Sabato D’Auria
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; milk; Chemistry (all); Fluorescence Polarization; Food Contamination; biosensors; 01 natural sciences; Hormones; 0104 chemical sciences; 3. Good health; Milk; Agricultural and Biological Sciences (all); antibody; estradiol; antibody; biosensors; estradiol; fluorescence; milk; Agricultural and Biological Sciences (all); Chemistry (all); Animals; Steroids; fluorescence

Steroids are a class of hormones improperly used in livestock as growth-promoting agents. Due to their high risk for human health, the European Union (EU) has strictly forbidden the administration of all natural and synthetic steroid hormones to food-producing animals, and the development of new rapid detection methods are greatly encouraged. This work reports a novel fluorescence polarization assay, ready to use, capable of detecting 17β-estradiol directly in milk samples with a low limit of detection of <10 pmol. It is based on the coupling of monospecific antibodies against 17β-estradiol and fluorophores, capable of modulating the fluorescence polarization emission on the basis of the specific binding of antibodies to fluorescence-labeled 17β-estradiol derivative. The successful detection of 17β-estradiol has disclosed the development of an efficient method, easily extensible to any food matrix and having the potential to become a milestone in food quality and safety.