Some foods such as peanuts, nuts, milk and egg are the cause of serious allergies in many people. Allergen related issues are the leading cause of product recall.
We provide a comprehensive range of allergen services which help you control and manage allergens within manufacturing and retailing.
Current EU legislation (Directive 2003/89/EC and amendments) requires the mandatory labelling of 14 major allergens in pre-packed foods, regardless of quantities (except gluten and sulphites) present in formulations. We use the latest techniques to test for milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (Includes almond, brazil, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, pecan, pistachio and walnut), fish, sesame, molluscs, crustaceans, mustard, celery/celeriac, lupid and sulphite allergens and more.
Allergen analysis can be carried out using immunological, DNA, distillation and gas chromatography techniques, depending on the allergen to be detected.
Our allergen services can assist you:
We are experts in the testing of food using molecular biology techniques and use both commercial ELISA kits for the detection of allergenic proteins and we have also developed DNA tests for the detection of specific allergens. We can also test for sulphites within our Analytical Chemistry Laboratory and lactose in our Functional Ingredients Laboratory.
All methods used are fully validated for a wide range of sample matrices, including cooked and raw food products, ingredients and environmental swabs for process monitoring. As new commercial assays become available, they are validated and added to our UKAS Schedule of Accreditation. We were awarded a Flexible Scope of Accreditation by UKAS in 2006.
To complement the allergen analysis, we also offer: