Development and Application of a Gold Nanoparticle-Based Lateral Flow Immunoassay for the Rapid Detection of Carbendazim in Fruits and Vegetables

A lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for the detection of the banned fungicide carbendazim (CBZ) in food products was developed using rabbit-purified polyclonal antibodies. The strips were optimized and tested for sensitivity and selectivity with a cutoff of 0.20 µg/kg, which is considerably lower than the maximum residue level established for food. The developed strips were tested on 77 fruit and vegetable samples, and the presence of CBZ was confirmed in 20 samples, compared to 14 samples detected by HPLC. The LFIA exhibited higher sensitivity compared to HPLC, making it an appropriate tool for use in pesticides program monitoring in developing countries.