Development and validation of a lateral flow assay for the detection of crustacean protein in processed foods.

We developed and validated a novel lateral flow assay for the detection of crustacean protein in processed foods. This assay had high sensitivity; the visual detection limit for shrimp protein extract was 25μg/L, equivalent to 1μg/g protein in a food sample, and results could be obtained within 20min without sophisticated procedures or expensive equipment. Concordance between our assay and another validated quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was 97% for commercially processed foods. This assay is rapid, simple, reliable, and highly correlated with validated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and is thus suitable for monitoring of food products, especially in food-processing facilities.