Advances in analytical methods applied to food allergen detection

Food allergies are a serious health concern with increasing worldwide prevalence. Food legislation issued in several countries requires detailed declarations of allergenic ingredients in food products; however, an important risk for allergic consumers is posed by the presence of undeclared allergens due to potential cross-contaminations during food processing. Sensitive, reliable and robust methods are necessary to trace food allergens and reduce the risk of accidental exposure. Detection methods may target the allergen itself, or a marker for the allergen presence (either protein or DNA), the final choice strictly depending on the information available for the target allergen and the specific antibodies and primers. Current common methods for food allergen analysis utilize antibody-based assays although some drawbacks can be encountered such as matrix/processing effects and epitope masking especially when dealing with complex and processed foods. Alternative non-immunological methods have been investigated in the last decade with particular emphasis placed on mass spectrometry based method. In the present contribution, an overview of the main methodological approaches will be presented critically discussing the main pro and cons of each approach.