ABSTRACT
This document provides supplemental guidance on specifications for the development and implementation of studies to validate the performance characteristics of quantitative ELISA methods for the determination of food allergens. It is intended as a companion document to other existing publications on method validation. The guidance is divided into two sections: information to be provided by the method developer on various characteristics of the method, and implementation of a multilaboratory validation study. Certain criteria included in the guidance are allergen-specific. Two food allergens, egg and milk, are used to demonstrate the criteria guidance. These recommendations will be the basis of the harmonized validation protocol for any food allergen ELISA method, whether proprietary or nonproprietary, that will be submitted to AOAC and/or regulatory authorities or other bodies for status recognition. Regulatory authorities may have their own particular requirements for data packages in addition to the guidance in this document. Future work planned for the implementation and validation of this guidance will include guidance specific to other priority allergens.
Subject(s)
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/standards , Food Analysis/methods , Food Hypersensitivity/immunology , Legislation, Food/trends , Allergens , Animals , Calibration , Cattle , Chemistry Techniques, Analytical , Food Contamination , Food Hypersensitivity/prevention & control , Mass Spectrometry/methods , Milk , Ovum , Reference Standards , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
Food allergies represent an important health problem in industrialized countries. Undeclared allergenic foods as contaminants in food products pose a major risk for sensitized persons. Reliable detection and quantification methods for food allergens are necessary to ensure compliance with food labeling and improve consumer protection. The methods currently used for the detection of potential allergens in foods are to target either the allergen itself or a marker that indicates the presence of the offending food. As markers for the presence of potentially allergenic foods or ingredients, specific proteins or DNA fragments are targeted. In routine food analysis, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the form of a real-time PCR or in combination with an ELISA have been used. The availability, the characteristics, and some future aspects of DNA-based methods in the rapid and sensitive detection of potentially allergenic food constituents or contaminations are discussed in this review.
