Are the results this new test produces in accordance with conventional test results?
Calculated detection limits for the new immobilized enzyme method are 1.7 ng/mL morphine and 89 ng/mL heroin; both of these values are orders of magnitude lower than the lower detection limits of current assays: minimum morphine detection levels are 1.0
mg/mL for TLC and 0.3 mg/mL for EMIT.
There is excellent correlation between the results of the luminescence assay and those of conventional testing procedures. No false positives occurred despite the higher sensitivity of the luminescence test, and all samples that responded positively to conventional tests also produced a positive result in the luminescence test. Furthermore, several substances interfere with the conventional assays so as to produce a false positive response; one of these compounds, dihydrocodeine, did not give a positive signal in the luminescence assay. This would mean fewer false positive results would be produced by this new method.