Approximately 3-4% of people in the U.S. suffer from food allergies. Strict avoidance of the offending food allergen is the only recourse for consumers with food allergies. However, allergens can be inadvertently introduced into food through cross-contact during processing or cooking operations. One mechanism by which cross-contact can occur is when foods are fried in oil previously used to cook or process allergen-containing foods. Several lab-scale experiments investigated transfer of allergens (peanut, tree nuts, shrimp) to frying oil and to other foods fried in reused oil. Separate experiments evaluated the effectiveness of filtering treatments for removing allergens from frying oil. Concentrations of allergens in frying oil were measured with allergen-specific ELISA kits as well as total protein (bicinchoninic acid; BCA) assays, while ELISA analyses were used to detect allergens in foods. In general, the allergen content of frying oil increased with the number of batches of allergenic food fried. However, the concentration of allergens detected in oil, particularly by ELISA, did not increase linearly, suggesting that they become less detectable during the frying process. Use of allergen-specific ELISA kits verified that allergens present in frying oil transferred to other foods. Use of filtering treatments such as a cellulose filter with or without added filtering aids, such as diatomaceous earth, reduced allergen levels in frying oil. These studies indicate that allergen cross-contact from shared frying oil can occur, and that oil filtration treatments can be effective at preventing cross-contact. New analytical methods are needed to accurately quantify the presence of allergens in frying oil and in fried food.

Allergen cross-contact due to the use of shared frying oil

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.