Allergens Testing- Need Of the Hour

On a daily basis, majority of human beings consume foods and face no side effects or harm. Although, there is a part of the human population who are adversely effected by certain foods and face life threatening reactions that drastically disrupt their quality of life.

Scientists estimate that approximately 2 – 4 % of adults and 6 – 8 % of children suffer from food allergies as well as the huge number of persons with food intolerances. An allergen is an antigen that is capable of stimulating a type-I hypersensitivity reaction in atopic individuals through Immunoglobulin E (IgE) responses.

In most production lines, more than one product is produced which may result in unintended contaminations with allergens. To protect consumers and to assure an adequate labelling, an HACCP concept including reliable on-site allergen analyses must be implemented in all food production industries.

Regulatory bodies such as European Union, US FDA, FSSAI and many more have emphasized on the importance of labelling of these allergens on the food product to ensure safe food consumption by the consumers who are vulnerable to allergens. Globally 14 allergens of importance have been recognized by regulatory authorities that can pose a threat to consumers.

At TUV India Food Testing Laboratory, we use the latest R-Biopharm immunochemical (ELISA, lateral flow test) kits and cover a wide range of allergens. The method used is of ELISA. TUV India provides our clients with fast results of prime quality.

The laboratory participated in an international proficiency testing program conducted by LGC and successfully passed the test for gluten allergen.

The allergens covered by TUV India are: