Recombinant scFvs to zearalenone were isolated by phage display, expressed in Escherichia coli and the analytical sensitivity of selected scFvs determined by competitive inhibition enzyme-linked immunoassay (CI-ELISA) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based inhibition assay. The results demonstrated higher sensitivity for the SPR-based assay compared to CI-ELISA. The applicability of the SPR-based assay for the detection of zearalenone in food samples was evaluated using sorghum. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.