Immunoassay methods are becoming more specific, precise, and sensitive in monitoring pesticide residues in foods, production crops, and environmental materials. This book discusses the current application and new developments of immunoassays in trace analytical determination.

It is divided into six sections: Section I, "Current Needs for Immunoassays," provides information on the need for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) in regulatory activities. The performance that is required from these methods is also discussed.

Section II, "Synthesis of Haptens," addresses research being carried out to increase the specific of immunoassay methods while maintaining their sensitivity. An extensive literature review is included, which focuses on assay development and hapten designs for low-molecular-weight compounds.

Section III, "Immunoassay Formats," discusses the practical application and technical considerations of immunoassays using examples of magnetic bead immunoassay and biosensor technology. Guidelines for identifying and correcting problems during assay development are provided.

Section IV, "Sample Preparation from Various Matrices," contains chapters on the cleanup of water, soil, and other matrices using immunoassay methods together with solid-phase C₁₈ extraction and immunoaffinity chromatography to concentrate and purify the analyte. Other innovative methods to improve immunoassay precision and/or specificity are also discussed.

Section V, "Most Recent Advances in Immunochemical Methods," includes chapters on forthcoming methods that use DNA technologies (e.g., the polymerase chain reactions) to modify antibodies that are useful for analyzing small molecules. In addition, the characteristics of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies for determining taiazine herbicides are compared; immunomagnetic cell separation for preparing monoclonal antibodies is discussed; a double-antibody sandwich ELISA and a biotin-streptavidin ELISA are compared. Finally, the history, architecture for the antibody molecule, advantages, and limitations of DNA technology are discussed. A chapter on the use of urinary biomarkers as indicators of personal exposure is also included.

The final section, "Chemometric or Statistical Methods of Quantification," covers general concepts of quanitiative analysis as well as sophisticated and novel statistical approaches in the analytical process. Control charts, statistical tests, and graphical presentations in immunoassay are presented in a chapter on quality control. A companion chapter covers efficient use of wells in a 96-well-plate format for estimating the proper precision. Comparisons are presented in two chapters among several calibration methods; the use of the novel parallel fitting method and a least squares calibration approach with the asymptotic theory and a bootstrap method. The final chapter discusses multivariate matching, a powerful technique that few have used in solving analysis problems.

This text is essential for agricultural and environmental scientists from industry, government, and academia who are interested in the current applicaiton and new developments of immunoassay techniques in the analysis of agrochemical residues.