Allergens

Food allergens are proteins in food which can trigger allergic, sometimes even life-threatening, reactions in sensitised individuals. Even extremely low allergen concentrations can cause allergic symptoms. 90% of all food allergies are caused by the following eight common food categories: milk, eggs, peanuts, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat and soy.

Managing food allergies usually means completely eliminating the allergenic proteins from one’s diet, requiring strict traceability throughout the food production process, from raw materials to the final product.

EU Regulation No. 1169/2011 requires food manufacturers to label their products with all ingredients potentially capable of causing allergic reactions. The directive also includes a list of food ingredients classified as being possible allergens or intolerants. Many other countries worldwide have similar legislation requiring food manufacturers to label products that potentially contain allergens.

SENSIStrip Lateral Flow Tests

The lateral flow assays are the perfect tool to control any potential cross-contamination with food allergens, avoiding external analyses and thus considerably reducing the time needed to release a food product batch to the market.

With only a few minutes of incubation time, the tests provide a very easy-to-use technique for adequate control at different stages of the food manufacturing process, across food matrices, rinse water and equipment.

Key benefits of the lateral flow tests

High sensitivity, low limits of detection
Semi-quantitative result provided by an evaluation card
No need for a highly qualified end user: fast and easy to use
All necessary and ready-to-use material provided to perform 20 individual analyses per kit
Automation: the RapidScan ST5-W lateral flow reader is unique to the market with its flexibility, multiple target analysis and its compatibility with applications for our allergen, GMO, glyphosate and algal toxins lateral flow tests. This portable instrument performs well in both laboratories and in field testing environments.

SENSISpec Allergen Detection ELISA Kits

Do you want to improve and simplify your in-house allergen testing processes? We offer a full range of allergen ELISA test kits which reliably detect the presence of potential allergens caused by even low level cross-contaminations. The assays provide accurate and fast results and are available for all key allergens.

Watch this video introducing the SENSISpec allergen ELISA kits, and learn more about both the manual and automated processing of results:

Key benefits of the ELISA kits

Quick and sensitive method with low limits of detection
Quantitative results and simple test format
Comprehensive ELISA test kit portfolio
Automation
- ELISA Analyzers: The Bolt^TM and the ThunderBolt^® ELISA analyzers are innovative, fully automated, open platforms that are both compact and cost efficient. The user friendly and flexible software is capable of programming a broad range of protocols and validated for multiple GSD allergen ELISA kits.
- ELISA Reader: the GSD Absorbance 96 ELISA reader is a new category of plate readers that simplifies the workflow in the laboratory. The small size of the reader, in combination with the unique open design, provides an entirely new user experience and delivers precise and accurate results.

Gluten Testing with an AOAC PTM: SENSISpec INgezim Gluten R5 ELISA

The assay is based on the R5 Monoclonal Antibody, specifically for proteins from wheat, rye and barley. The assay’s Limit of Detection is 3 ppm (mg/kg).

The AOAC Performance Tested Method (PTM) status of the assay demonstrated that after a rigorous validation study, all the results obtained were satisfactory and in line with expectations. The SENSISpec INgezim Gluten R5 kit provides fast and reliable quantitative results for gluten detection and is a validated assay for ISO 17025 accredited laboratories. SENSISpec INgezim Gluten R5 Product page

Client Success Stories: Exploiting Synergies to Tackle Allergens Management