Food allergens detection methods ELISA

Koch P, Schappi GF, Poms RE, Wiithrich B, Anklam E, Battaglia R (2003). Comparison of commercially available ELISA kits with human sera based detection methods for peanut allergens in foods. Food Addit. Contam., 20(9) 797-803. 

ELISA tests are used widely for the detection of contaminants both in analytical laboratories and in the food industry. Commercial kits are generally used, as they have the advantage of containing all the materials necessary to run the tests (in some cases the preparation of solutions is required). They meet performance specifications set by the manufacturer, which are evaluated by the end user to see if the method is suitable for his or her application (processed food, type of matrix, etc.). Quantitative tests require the use of a microplate or strip reader. Some commercial ELISA kits are available on the market for the detection of soy allergens [12,13] (see Table 17.1 for performance parameters). The column raw and processed food relates to information provided by the manufacturer about the applicability to raw and processed food. 

We used both ELISA and PCR in analyzing real samples to verify the applicability of the two methods and the possible effects of different food matrices on the detection of soy as an allergen (Table 17.6). Generally, ELISA and PCR give comparable results. The only matrices for which results were found to be different are rice ice cream and... 

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