Allergens

Allergens in food

Flexibly accredited according to DIN EN ISO 17025

Allergic reactions to certain foods have been on the rise in recent years. It is estimated that between 6 – 8 % of children and 2 – 4 % of adults are affected. Food allergies are a misdirected overreaction of the immune system to the smallest traces of individual allergens. The majority of allergies (90%) can be limited to a few triggering substances.

Allergen labelling for food has been mandatory since November 25, 2005. Since then, certain ingredients that most frequently trigger food allergies in Europe must be labelled on packaged foods. Labelling must also be carried out if the allergenic ingredients only enter the food indirectly via other ingredients. The current legal labelling obligation is regulated in the Food Regulation 1169/2011.

List of allergens subject to mandatory labelling in the EU:

• Cereals containing gluten, namely wheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats or their hybrid strains
• Crustaceans such as crabs, shrimps, prawns, lobsters etc.
• Eggs
• Fish
• Peanuts
• Soy
• Milk (including lactose)
• Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pine nuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, Queensland nuts)
• Celery
• Mustard
• Sesame
• Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (from 10 mg per kg or l)
• Lupine
• Molluscs (e.g. snails, mussels, squid etc.)

Incompatibilities

• Gluten

Allergen management

Allergen management should minimize the risk of cross-contacts and derive the necessity of trace labelling from this. Cross-contacts are caused by carry-over to products that do not contain the allergen as an ingredient. Such cross-contamination can occur in the production process due to contaminated equipment, raw materials and poor storage, for example. These are considered a high risk for allergy sufferers and should be avoided or minimized as far as possible.

VITAL Concept 4.0 – Trace labeling of foods

The VITAL concept (Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling) is a standardized procedure for the risk assessment of unintentional allergen traces on the basis of threshold values. This concept was developed in 2005 by the Australian-New Zealand Industry Initiative Allergen Bureau and published in 2007. Version 4.0 of the VITAL concept has been available since 2024.

Allergen detection

Allergens are detected:

• immunologically using ELISA
• molecular biological by real-time PCR

At GEN-IAL® the allergens are detected using real-time PCR. The methods used are flexibly accredited in accordance with DIN EN ISO 17025. The PCR analyses are continously tested in ring trials and proficiency tests. The detection by ELISA (quantitative) is subcontracted to external accredited partner laboratories.

Gluten

Gluten intolerance is a hypersensitivity to the gluten protein in some types of grain. It is known as coeliac disease in children and infants. If foods containing gluten are consumed with such an intolerance, the mucous membrane of the small intestine is destroyed. Digestion and absorption of food are impaired. Gluten is contained in wheat, rye and barley. It is not contained in corn, rice, millet, sesame, soy…