Development of reference standards for food allergen analysis

Many parameters may affect the analytical results of allergen analysis in food products, and these must be taken into consideration during the validation process. In their investigation into these issues, a research group in Budapest produced an incurred sample matrix comprising a wheat flour-based cookie with specific amounts of allergenic proteins from milk or egg.

Using these samples, the effects of food processing steps and the analytical performance of the applied Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) methods were studied. The researchers found the performance of the ELISA method was highly related to the state of the sample matrix, with heat treatment causing a large-scale decrease in the amount of allergen content measurable in the incurred samples.

In conclusion, the researchers believe these problems must be taken into consideration when validating a protocol for allergen analysis in food products.

Reference: Bugyi et al. 2010 Analytica Chimica Acta. Vol 672(1-2) pp. 25-29. DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2010.03.058