Food allergy concerns emerged in the late 1980's after recognition that fatalities could occur.  As attention rapidly escalated, the situation became chaotic because the food industry had limited knowledge or tools to conduct risk assessments.  Immunoassays for detecting proteins from allergenic sources were the first tools created for risk assessment.  Over the years, many immunoassays have been developed in both quantitative and qualitative (swabs and lateral flow strips) formats.  While these assays have been quite helpful in assessing allergen risks in industry, interest has also emerged in other approaches including PCR and mass spectrometry.  The validation of methods for the detection of food allergen residues remains an issue.  Other issues include the lack of international reference standards and examination of the effects of processing on allergen detection.  While numerous methods now exist, the selection of the optimal allergen analytical method for any specific purpose has now become the bigger challenge.

From chaos to control: A perspective on food allergens and their detection

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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