| abstract |
The present invention involves approaches to the detection of insect contamination of foodstuffs such as grain, for example. These approaches involve the detection of biological substances characteristic of insects. One such approach is an assay for the insect exoskeleton material, chitin. This test is particularly suited to the detection of live or dead specimens of the adult or egg stages of insects and for insect parts. Another type of assay uses an immunological approach to the detection and quantitation of an insect-specific protein such as the insect muscle protein, myosin or components thereof, for example. This type of test is well suited for detecting all stages of insect development from egg to adult, whether live or dead. It should also provide an assay system that correlates well to the current insect fragment assay. |