On the Development of Metrological Support for the Identification and Quantitative Determination of the Content of Non-infectious Food Allergens of Animal or Plant Protein Origin in Food Products

Abstract

In accordance with TR CU022/2011 «Food products in terms of their labeling», the content of allergens in food products is subject to mandatory control. Work on the creation of a metrological support complex for the identification and quantitative determination of the content of non-infectious food allergens of animal or plant protein origin in food products includes the development and certification of methods for identification and quantitative determination; conducting interlaboratory comparisons; creation and testing for type approval of reference materials.Within the framework of this research, work was carried out on the development and certification of methods for identifying and quantifying the content of non-infectious food allergens of plant (gluten, peanuts, nuts, soybeans) and animal (cow’s milk, chicken eggs, fish and seafood) protein origin in samples of all kinds of food products and objects related to the requirements for food products, swabs taken from work surfaces during production control using reagent kits for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay produced by XEMA LLC.Certification of quantitative analysis methods in accordance with legal requirements in the field of ensuring the uniformity of measurements was conducted using imported reference materials of food allergens. The lowest sensitivity limits (detection limits) of the presence or absence of antigens by allergen protein weight ranged from 0.001 ppb to 5 ppm. The developed methods make it possible to ensure the safety of food products when establishing the conformity of products with the requirements of the legislation on technical regulation.