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.

Kinetic analysis of ribosome binding process onto mRNA using a quartz-crystal microbalance.

Translation initiation is the most dynamic and important step along a series of protein synthesis processes. In bacteria, it is generally accepted that the 70S ribosome initially dissociates into the 30S and 50S subunit, and then, the 30S ribosomal subunit binds to the Shine-Dargalno (SD) sequence of mRNA. We analyzed binding kinetics of 70S, 50S and 30S ribosomes to the SD sequence by using a mRNA-immobilized 27 MHz quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM).