Hazelnut In Foods Research Articles

Development of a sandwich ELISA-type system for the detection and quantification of hazelnut in model chocolates

Hazelnut is one of the most appreciated nuts being virtually found in a wide range of processed foods. The simple presence of trace amounts of hazelnut in foods can represent a potential risk for eliciting allergic reactions in sensitised individuals. The correct labelling of processed foods is mandatory to avoid adverse reactions. Therefore, adequate methodology evaluating the presence of offending foods is of great importance. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a highly specific and sensitive sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection and quantification of hazelnut in complex food matrices. Using in-house produced antibodies, an ELISA system was developed capable to detect hazelnut down to 1mgkg−1 and quantify this nut down to 50mgkg−1 in chocolates spiked with known amounts of hazelnut. These results highlight and reinforce the value of ELISA as rapid and reliable tool for the detection of allergens in foods.

Detection of Hazelnut in Foods Using ELISA: Challenges Related to the Detectability in Processed Foodstuffs

Hazelnuts are widely used nowadays, and can pose a serious threat to allergic consumers due to cross-contamination that may occur during processing. This might lead to the presence of hidden hazelnut in foods. Therefore, reliable tests are needed to detect hazelnut, especially in processed foods. A hazelnut-specific indirect competitive ELISA based on polyclonal chicken antibodies was developed. The polyclonal antibodies were raised against modified hazelnut proteins in order to improve the detectability of hazelnut proteins in processed foods. The assay showed a detection limit of 1.36 microg hazelnut protein/mL of 5 mM urea in phosphate-buffered saline buffer (pH 7.4). Limited cross-reactivity with walnut and pecan nut was observed; no cross-reactivity was observed with other food ingredients. Blank cookies spiked before analysis showed recoveries of 73-107%. However, cookies spiked before baking showed that the detectability was severely decreased. Addition of lactose to the cookies, which led to more severe modification through the Maillard reaction, led to an increase in the detectability. These results indicate that using antibodies developed toward allergens modified through food processing-simulating reactions is a better approach for detection.

Development and Validation of a SYBR-Green I Real-Time PCR Protocol To Detect Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) in Foods through Calibration via Plasmid Reference Standard

Many tree nuts are considered to be a serious problem in food safety, because of the presence of causative factors in IgE-mediated food allergies. Among these, hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) seeds are largely used in a range of confectionery products and contain many well-characterized allergens. DNA-based methods and ELISA tests may prove to be useful to assess the presence of hidden ingredients in foods. The aim of this work was the development and validation of a species-specific SYBR Green I real-time PCR protocol for the detection of hazelnut in foods. A novel efficient primer pair on the Cor a 8 genomic coding region was designed by preparing a plasmid vector-based internal reference standard to calibrate the PCR. A good sensitivity, down to 20 (genomic) and 15 (plasmid) DNA copies, was established. All of the commercial samples considered in our study (containing hazelnut as ingredient or as a potential trace cross-contamination) were effectively amplified by PCR, showing a perfect correspondence with an ELISA commercial test, employed as a reference standard method.

Detection of hazelnut ( Corylus spp.) in processed foods using real-time PCR

Hazelnut seeds ( Corylus spp.) are source of allergens and could cause severe adverse reactions in sensitized subjects, even if consumed in traces. This work presents two sensitive real-time PCR methods to quantify hazelnut in foods, one using the Sybr green dye and one based on hazelnut-specific Taqman probe designed on Cor a1.04 gene (specific amplicon: 82 bp). The sensibility and the robustness of the method were estimated analyzing spiked samples and some commercial hazelnut-containing creams. The lowest detection limit was 0.1 ng of genomic DNA. A qualitative specific PCR and a comparison of different DNA extraction protocols are also discussed.