Cross-reactivity of antibodies in some commercial deoxynivalenol test kits against some fusariotoxins

Cross-reactivity of antibodies in AGRAQUANT, DON EIA, VERATOX, ROSA LF-DONQ, and MYCONTROLDON designed for deoxynivalenol (DON) determination in food and feedstuffs was evaluated against nivalenol, 3-acetylDON, 15-acetylDON, de-epoxy metabolite 1 of DON, DON-3β-glucoside, T2-toxin, HT2-toxin, fusarenone X, diacetoxyscirpenol, verrucarol, and zearalenone. Cross-reactivity measurements were run in water using the 50% reduction of absorbance of the blank for ELISA kits or through direct DON determination upon using the standards of mycotoxins via ROSA LF-DONQ or MYCONTROLDON. For the tested toxin concentrations, all DON kits have low cross-reactivity toward diacetoxyscirpenol, T2-toxin, HT2-toxin, verrucarol, and zearalenone and moderate cross-reactivity toward 15-AcetylDON and fusarenone X. AGRAQUANT, DON EIA, and VERATOX kits showed high cross-reactivity in various ranking orders against DON-3-Glc, DOM-1, and 3AcDON. DON EIA showed also high cross-reactivity against nivalenol and fusarenone X. These mycotoxins could coexist in food or feedstuffs, and analytical results can be wrongly interpreted. Cross-reactivity does not allow checking the compliance with the legal norms, but it does allow an overall risk assessment for the consumers. Updating regularly the cross-reactivity evaluation of the produced batches is recommended for 3-acetylDON, nivalenol, DON-3-Glc, de-epoxy metabolite 1, and fusarenone X.