ELISA - Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay

In ELISA formats there are several parameters that are common and critical to assay performance and should be considered during the optimization process, including antibodies concentration, antigen concentration, incubation time of blocking, substrate solution and washing solution. Though immunoassays offer a specific, sensitive and rapid method to detect and quantify even trace amounts of allergens in foodstuffs, certain processes can denature, alter or destroy proteins so that they are no longer detectible by assay using antibodies. When using monoclonal antibodies, there is a great chance of obtaining false negatives in the detection. Polyclonal antibodies are recommended for ELISA techniques as the risk of obtaining false negatives is reduced as compared to monoclonal antibodies which are quite specific.