On Developing Metrological Assurance to Identify and Quantify the Content of Non-infectious Food Protein Allergens of Animal or Plant Origin in Food Products

As specified in Technical Regulations of the Customs Union 022/2011 “Food products in terms of their labeling”, allergen presence in food composition is subject to mandatory control. Creating a metrological assurance system to identify and quantify the content of non-infectious food protein allergens of animal or plant origin in foods includes developing and certifying identification and quantification techniques. Other objectives are performing round-robin comparative tests (proficiency testing), creating and testing reference materials for type approval. Within this research framework, we developed and certified methods to identify and quantify the content of non-infectious food protein allergens of plant (gluten, peanuts, nuts, soybeans) and animal (cow’s milk, chicken eggs, fish, seafood) origin using reagent kits for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay produced by XEMA LLC. The samples included all types of foods and objects related to requirements for foods, countertop wipe samples obtained during in-process inspection. Quantitative techniques were certified according to the legislative requirements for measurement assurance using imported food allergen reference materials. The lower sensitivity limits (detection limits) for the presence or absence of antigens by allergen protein mass ranged from 0.001 ppb to 5 ppm. The developed methods ensure food safety when establishing product compliance with the legislation on technical regulation.