Assessing Almond and Peanut Allergens Using Commercially Available Immunoanalytical Kits and LC-MS/MS: A Case Study.

With an ever-increasing allergic population and an emerging market for allergen-free foods, accurate detection of allergens in foods has never been more important. Although ELISA-based methods are the most widely used for detection of allergens in food, there is a need for the development of orthogonal approaches. A commercial ELISA detected a relatively high concentration of peanut and almond in an allergen-free product.

Determination of cyclopiazonic acid in white mould cheese by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) using a novel internal standard.

For the determination of cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) in food and feed samples a simple and accurate LC-MS/MS method, which does not require extensive sample clean-up steps, was developed and validated. A fully carbon-13-labelled internal standard was used to compensate for matrix effects. Briefly, the samples were extracted with 1% formic acid in acetonitrile and directly analysed with HPLC-MS/MS.

Development of a sandwich ELISA-type system for the detection and quantification of hazelnut in model chocolates.

Hazelnut is one of the most appreciated nuts being virtually found in a wide range of processed foods. The simple presence of trace amounts of hazelnut in foods can represent a potential risk for eliciting allergic reactions in sensitised individuals. The correct labelling of processed foods is mandatory to avoid adverse reactions.

Assessing hazelnut allergens by protein- and DNA-based approaches: LC-MS/MS, ELISA and real-time PCR.

Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is responsible for a significant part of the allergies related to nuts. Still, it is a very much appreciated nut and as consequence is widely used in all types of processed foods, such as chocolates.

Marker peptide selection for the determination of hazelnut by LC-MS/MS and occurrence in other nuts.

The aim of this work was identifying and selecting hazelnut marker peptides and subsequently developing a complementary method of common immunoassay for the detection of hazelnut. For this purpose, at first, an in silico digestion of three major hazelnut allergens (Cor a 8, Cor a 9 and Cor a 11) was performed to get information about expected peptides. After extraction and trypsin digestion of hazelnut proteins, the samples were measured with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) by direct infusion, which led to identification of 14 peptides.

Selection of possible marker peptides for the detection of major ruminant milk proteins in food by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

The aim of this work was the determination of peptides, which can function as markers for identification of milk allergens in food samples. Emphasis was placed on two casein proteins (α- and β-casein) and two whey proteins (α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin). In silico tryptic digestion provided preliminary information about the expected peptides.

Differences in usability of rabbit IgG and chicken IgY after clean-up and impact on gold labelling properties.

For the application of antibodies in rapid test systems such as Lateral Flow Devices (LFD) antibodies have to be coupled to coloured particles for immediate readability of the test system. In this work colloidal gold was selected for conjugation to the antibodies. Polyclonal rabbit antibodies were chosen for the development of Lateral Flow Devices for the detection of bovine alpha-casein.

Commercialized rapid immunoanalytical tests for determination of allergenic food proteins: an overview.

Food allergies have become an important health issue especially in industrialized countries. Undeclared allergenic ingredients or the presence of "hidden" allergens because of contamination during the food production process pose great health risks to sensitised individuals. The EU directive for food labelling lists allergenic foods that have to be declared on food products by the manufacturers.

Effectiveness of natural and synthetic blocking reagents and their application for detecting food allergens in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

Blocking is an important step before an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) can be performed. It reduces non-specific binding to the microtiter plate to a minimum. For detecting food allergens by means of ELISA, the problem with protein blocking solutions is obvious.