Versteckte Allergene

Summary

Strict avoidance of the offending food is of great importance for allergic individuals to prevent from potentially life-threatening allergic reactions. Product mislabelling or incidental contamination during food production can result in hidden allergenic components that are an unpredictable health risk for allergic individuals. Therefore, allergen detection is of increasing interest for food labelling purposes. Applying immunoassays for protein detection or the polymerase chain reaction for detection (PCR) of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of an allergenic food, even traces of hidden allergens < 10 ppm (mg/kg) can be detected. The application of allergen specific detection methods and an improved food labelling can substantially increase the food safety for allergic individuals.