Immunological Technique for Measuring Insect Contamination of Grain

An immunological assay to measure insect contamination of grain was established. Polyclonal antibodies were prepared against the insect muscle protein myosin from crickets. These antibodies were used to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The ELISA can sensitively measure low nanogram quantities of insect myosin, and can detect a wide variety of common insect pests of stored grain. The assay can quantitatively detect as little as one granary weevil per 50 g of grain and can detect adult, pupal, and larval life stages, but not eggs.