Mass spectrometry will cover ineffective allergen testing: food safety expert

By Mark Astley

- Last updated on GMT

Mass spectrometry will cover ineffective allergen testing: food safety expert
The first commercially available mass spectrometry (MS) multi-allergen screening system will cover the “inefficiencies” of current methods, according to a food safety expert.

The Allergen iMethod Application, which has been developed by AB SCIEX based on a technique established by food testing group Eurofins, will be used in the detection of allergenic molecules – specifically egg and milk - in baked food goods.

The technology uses MS, which is an analytical tool used for measuring the molecular mass of a sample, in the multiple direct detection of allergen proteins compounds in a single test.

As FoodProductionDaily.com reported earlier this year, Eurofins was first to develop the MS-based allergen-detection method - but until now it has not been commercially available.

Current insufficiencies

Eurofins’ director of scientific development Dr. Bert Popping told FoodProductionDaily.com that the need for additional testing is due to “insufficiencies in current testing methods,”​ such as polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays (ELISA).

AB SCIEX’s new liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) iMethod application allows the direct detection of multiple allergens from a single sample.

Popping, who was involved in the original development of the technique added: “If the allergen is present, it can be detected in a single analysis no matter if there is one allergen or tens of different allergens.”

PCR does not monitor allergen protein levels; instead it detects DNA material. The ELISA method does not offer a multiple allergen testing platform, as each allergen requires a separate testing kit.

“Egg (white) and milk cannot or only with very poor sensitivities be tested by PCR because these matrices contain little or no DNA but high quantities of protein,” ​added Popping.

“If the allergen is in the matrix, it will be detected at a cost-efficient rate, because you only have to run a single analysis instead of many separate ELISA kits,”​ said the Eurofins science director.

Increased number of tests

An estimated 6% of children and 3.7% of adults in the US have food allergies – with reports suggesting these numbers are rising.

This increased prevalence of food allergens and new European regulations setting common acceptable limits for allergens in food have increased the need to improve screening.

Popping added: “Mass spectrometry is a perfect technology to help us prepare for the widely anticipated introduction of action levels for common allergens in Europe.”

“High sensitivity with high accuracy will help Eurofins be ready for an increase in the number of tests we expect to do in the near future. By investing in allergen analysis – a field that is continuously gaining importance – AB SCIEX is helping to push this forward.”

AB SCIEX’s vice president of applied markets and clinical research, Joe Anacleto said: “Allergens are an issue that clearly needs a new approach in the industry, so we have made it easy for food testing labs to standardise on a verified method and obtain the most accurate results possible.

Before this development, food testing labs were limited, and plagued with frequent false-positive or false-negative results

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