Immunoassay
Duration: 1-3 hours (Seeds); 6-8 days (Leaves)
Immunoassay tests (ELISA plates and Lateral Flow Strips) utilize antibodies of what is being tested for (one or more biotech traits) or certain pathogens to determine if protein for that trait or pathogen is present (yes/no or qualitative) or how much is present (quantitative).
Immunoassay
Test Details
Biotech trait purity testing requires checking individual seeds or leaves. Generally, leaves contain more protein than seeds and therefore are very useful for detecting traits that don’t necessarily produce much protein in seeds. ELISA plates are a natural for this. To test for the absence of biotech traits, single trait strips or combs containing strips for each trait can be used to check ground pools of seeds in water. A critical factor is knowing the capabilities of the ELISA plate or lateral flow strip.