Bart van der Nagel: Allergen analysis in a new light

Food safety is not a luxury, but a necessity. At a time when more and more people are affected by food allergies, the importance of reliable analysis methods has become greater than ever. In the past, a simple test would often suffice, but today the complexity of processed foods and the diversity of allergens call for more advanced techniques.

For years, ELISA and PCR were the standard. They have proven their worth: fast, relatively inexpensive, and suitable for detecting specific allergens. But, as is often the case in science, practical application reveals limitations. A protein that changes its structure through heating, for example, becomes difficult to identify in an ELISA test — resulting in a false negative. Cross-reactivity also causes confusion and sometimes unreliable results — for instance, between mustard and rapeseed, or celery and coriander.

This is where modern technology provides a solution: LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry). This method does not look at the overall structure of a protein, but at specific fragments of it — the peptides. As a result, the effects of heating or processing are largely bypassed. In addition, multiple allergens can be detected simultaneously in a single analysis, without interference from cross-reactions. Mustard, for example, can not only be identified as mustard, but even distinguished between white and brown varieties.

The beauty of this development is that the tradition and expertise of existing methods are not discarded. ELISA and PCR still have their place, especially for quick and targeted testing. But for those seeking a complete overview or doubting a previous result, LC-MS/MS offers a powerful and reliable alternative.

It shows how the pursuit of food safety evolves with the times — with respect for the past and confidence in the future.

Bart van der Nagel
R&D Manager, Nutrilab