Food Allergens

Food allergy occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks a food protein. Ingestion of the offending food may trigger the sudden release of chemicals, including histamine, resulting in symptoms of an allergic reaction.

Common food allergens are:

• Gluten-containing cereals
• Crustaceans
• Eggs
• Fish
• Peanuts
• Soybeans
• Lupines
• Nuts
• Milk
• Mustard
• Sesame
• Celery
• Molluscs

Food allergies affect 1-3% of the whole population and 5-8% of children, representing an important health problem in modern society. Even minor exposure to a food allergen in the nano-gram range can cause symptoms, which may be mild (rashes, hives, itching, swelling) severe (trouble breathing, wheezing, loss of consciousness) or even fatal (anaphylactic shock).

Strict avoidance of the allergy-causing food is the only way to avoid a reaction. Since cross contamination during the production process often occurs, residues of food allergens in different products may be present. Food manufacturers are required to meet increasingly strict worldwide labelling regulations. Therefore, great accuracy is needed. Testing for food allergens prevents any unlabelled ingredient from finding its way into a food product and thus protects allergic consumers.

Romer Labs® offers several AgraQuant® ELISA and AgraStrip® LFD for allergen detection.