FOOD SERVICES FOOD ALLERGENS: ANALYTICAL RISK ASSESSMENT

FOOD SERVICES FOOD ALLERGENS: ANALYTICAL RISK ASSESSMENT

FOOD ALLERGENS Accurate and reliable testing to protect consumers Each year, millions of people have allergic reactions to food. Although most food allergies cause relatively mild and minor symptoms, some can cause severe reactions and may even be life-threatening, such as anaphylaxis. As labelling requirements vary from country to country, how do food suppliers ensure that they comply with the regulations in destination markets? 2

FOOD SERVICES These varying regulations around the world set high demands on companies that intend to export and sell their products in other markets. Introduction To protect allergic consumers, food allergen labelling regulations have been implemented in several countries. In Europe, Annex II to EU Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 lists a number of allergy or intolerance substances which should always be declared if present in food. The food industry faces many challenges in the management of allergen risk, including a lack of treshold values and reference methods for allergen detection, as well as varying regulations around the world for allergen labelling. Food suppliers need an independent service provider who can provide guidance with legislative advice regarding labelling, education in food safety as well as a comprehensive spectrum of testing methods for the detection and quantification of allergens in food and swab samples. Labelling of allergens According to regulation EU No 1169/2011, there are some ingredients that, if present in a food commodity, should always be declared. The list contains 14 different ingredients known to cause hypersensitive reactions. Included are the eight major food allergens which are: Milk Eggs Peanuts Tree nuts for example hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans and brazil nuts Soybeans Cereals containing gluten Fish Crustaceans As well as celery, mustard, sulphur dioxides for example in preservatives, sesame seeds, lupins and molluscs. Different countries around the world have their own lists of food allergens which need to be included in allergy labelling. The ingredients contained within these lists differ from country to country but a few allergens are more common than others, for example milk, eggs, soy and peanuts, while others are country specific, for example buckwheat in Japan. These varying regulations around the world set high demands on companies that intend to export and sell their products in other markets. Analytical methods for allergen risk assessment As previously discussed, with the many challenges faced by the food industry in the management of allergen risk, such as the lack of treshold values and reference analytical methods for allergen detection, a good allergen management plan is an important part of a food company s food safety management system to reduce potential risks from food allergens. Allergen management covers a broad range of aspects of the business, from raw materials through to the processing and packaging of the final product. One of the major issues is to avoid cross contamination between ingredients containing one or more allergens with ingredients not containing any allergens. This can be done by having separate production areas or production lines for the products which are free from the particular allergen of interest. Another solution is to design and implement a production scheme that produces products with less allergens at the beginning of the week and products with several allergens at the end of the week. The effective cleaning of equipment and production areas is a key point in allergen risk management. To ensure and validate a good cleaning procedure, different analytical tests for allergen detection can be of great help. To validate a good cleaning process you can test: Environmental samples Swab samples Cleaning / rinsing water Allergen testing can also help to check the products arriving from your suppliers. Even if they provide your company with details about their allergen risk management, it can be helpful to carry out spot checks on some of their ingredients/products. Although the industry tries to eliminate the risk of the unintended presence of food allergens, it is almost impossible to produce a zero risk product. Therefore, many food companies use precautinary labelling like may contain or produced in a factory that uses It is important to know that this precautinary labelling should not replace an allergen risk management system and that it should be used when the risk cannot be kept under control. The lack of allergen tresholds is a problem for the producers of food and has caused an inconsistency in the use of precautinary labelling. One way of handling this is to use an allergen risk assessment tool as a guide for when to use or not use a precautinary statement like may contain. 3

FOOD ALLERGENS BRING FOOD TESTING TO LIFE Current methods For analysing allergens in food suppliers can either utilise a method that detects the allergenic protein itself or use a DNA-based method that detects the species-specific DNA which serves as a marker for the presence of the allergen. Among the protein based methods, ELISA (Enzyme linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) is traditionally used for allergen detection. The method uses biological antibodies to bind and detect the target protein. ELISA can be used both qualitatively and quantitatively, however the quantitative result is known to differ depending on the analytical test kit used. This variation is due to different antibody specificity, lack of standardised calibration material and that different extraction solutions are used for different test kits. The ELISA test often has a high sensitivity and is a robust and easy to use method. The disadvantage is that the antibodies can cross-react to other similar substances and that proteins during processing can fold, bind and unfold in ways so the antibodies don t recognise the target protein, causing false negative results. Another protein based method is the mass spectrometry often combined with LC. This method separates and detects proteins/molecules based on weight and 4 is a very accurate method. MS has a great potential for multiallergen screening. DNA based methods like real time PCR are based on amplification of a species specific DNA-sequence. This method can be both qualitative and quantitative. Since the DNA molecule is more stable to processing than proteins are, this is a good method to choose for highly processed samples. A DNA-based method also has very high specificity, minimising the risk for false positives. Reliable results and limitations Food can be prepared in many ways and the products are often based on several different ingredients, all of them with different physical properties. Polyphenols and tannins can affect the results. High viscosity or food with high fat content can also, in some ways, affect at least the immunochemical methods. High temperature can make the proteins denature, making them impossible for the antibody to bind. Proteins can also change to a three dimensional structure or create a bind to other ingredients (for example, sugars, maillard reaction). Food thickeners can also effect the testing properties of a sample. All of these factors affect the analytical methods and the outcoming results. In order to get true and reliable results, experts within testing laboratories must understand the background of your sample, i.e. which ingredients are there and how the sample has been processed. Close collaboration for optimal results In order to help the food industry to get safe and reliable results, it is important to have good communication between the laboratory experts and the customer. The more the laboratory knows about the product to be analysed and the purpose of the analysis, the better they can customise the test setup to fit your needs. What ingredients the product contains and how it has been treated during processing can, in some cases, affect the analytical results. It is therefore of great importance that you notify the laboratory with this information. Based on the information provided, the testing experts can decide how the sample should be treated and extracted in order to provide the most accurate result. Another important point for reliable results is how the sample is obtained. You should work with a reputable testing organisation such as Intertek on a plan for representative sampling to ensure that accurate results are obtained.

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FOOD ALLERGENS The partner you can trust Intertek is the leading quality solutions provider to industries worldwide. From auditing and inspection, to testing, training, advisory, quality assurance and certification, Intertek adds value to your products, processes and assets. With a network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 38,000 people in more than 100 countries, Intertek supports your success in a global marketplace. We help you to meet consumer expectations for safety, sustainability, performance, integrity and desirability in virtually any market worldwide. Our UK service provides global protection from a worldwide network of testing laboratories, supplier auditors, chemists, legal advisors and food technologists, assuring the safety of the food supply chain from all corners of the globe. Wherever you source your raw materials, we can provide the protection you need. Our testing services MICROBIOLOGY Our world-class microbiologists test for the full range of potentially harmful food-borne micro-organisms and offer a comprehensive service covering: General microbiological testing and indicators of quality and hygiene. For example, total viable count, Enterobacteriaceae, E.coli, yeast and moulds Food poisoning organisms like Salmonella, Listeria, E.coli 0157 and Campylobacter Traditional shelf-life testing Automated ELISA to test large volumes of samples for Listeria and Salmonella CHEMISTRY If you need your results in a hurry, use our 24 hour turnaround for the following chemistry services: Nutritional testing for labelling, product release and development purposes Meat content Allergen testing Meat speciation Our standard turnaround is 2-10 days. SPECIALIST TESTING Our experts also offer a wide scope of specialist testing services, including: Legionella testing Microbiological water testing for water intended for human consumption Real time PCR for E.coli STEC organisms, Listeria, Salmonella and meat speciation Allergens by ELISA (flexible scope) 6

FOOD SERVICES An integrated approach Intertek is more than a single service partner, providing you with an integrated solution for your business: Food testing Food hygiene training Third party supplier audits, including British Retail Consortium (BRC), International Featured Standard (IFS) and Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000) HACCP training and support Swabbing plans / sampling plans Theoretical calculations e.g. meat contents, nutrition information Labelling validation Support services through our customer portal (NetPortal) Supporting your business Intertek Food Services UK is a UKAS accredited testing laboratory No. 4065 and ISO17025 accredited. Our experts provide fast and reliable food testing and analysis services designed to meet your individual requirements. We strive to provide the most up to date and intelligent methodologies and procedures in everything we do. This has allowed our laboratories to offer unprecedented turnaround times without affecting the quality of results. We proactively ensure that each of our clients is able to meet the growing demands of their customers and ever changing industry regulations. SUPPORTING YOU WITH: Meat content and nutritional testing with 1 day, 3 day, 5 day and 10 day turnaround Allergen and meat authenticity testing in 24 hours Improved turnaround times for pathogen testing Our chemistry and microbiology teams work 7 days a week, with microbiologists working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year 18 refrigerated vans covering all mainland UK Our dedicated customer portal system (NetPortal) allows you instant access to results as they come in FOR MORE INFORMATION If you would like to understand more about our Allergen Testing services, or any of our other Testing, Assurance, Inspection, Auditing and Certification services, contact your regional customer service centre using the details on the back. 7

ITK080617NH_ENG South Africa Ground Floor, Zerwick Forum Glen Eagles Office Park Cnr Monument Rd & Braambos Ave Glen Marais Kempton Park, 1619 Gauteng, South Africa +27 11 396 1101 info.africa@intertek.com intertek.com/food