ABSTRACT
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is an identification and quantification technique that works upon antigen-antibody interaction. The basic working principle of ELISA is based on the antibody-antigen interaction. The antibodies developed against an analyte are first applied on a solid surface or scientifically speaking, a solid phase, which subsequently bounds themselves to the molecules in solid phase. After successful mounting over the solid phase, the analyte is applied over it. The analytical antigens then become attached to the antibodies present on the solid surface, forming an antigen-antibody complex. The enzymes linked to the immunogens get activated subsequently to the antigen-antibody interaction and convert the substrates applied, which denotes the analyte presence by inducing a color change. ELISA is subdivided into various types, such as direct ELISA, indirect ELISA, competitive ELISA, and sandwich ELISA. Immunoassays are often used in food analysis methods to identify food pollutants, as well as in the agricultural sector to identify hazardous remnants in plants, water, and soil. For the identification and characterization of dangerous chemicals in food, many ELISA approaches have been developed. ELISA bears a great potential to be a universal tool in the identification and quantification of food toxins. This chapter discusses the use of the ELISA technique in the detection and quantification of food toxins such as cyanogenic glycosides, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, furocoumarins, lectins, and glycoalkaloids.
