Food allergen analysis: Considerations for establishing a reference measurement system to implement EU legislation

Abstract

Inconsistent quantification results obtained from various analytical methods for food allergen testing hamper an accurate quantitative risk assessment and its regulatory implementation. In order to overcome such problems, a concept aiming at ensuring the comparability of quantitative food allergen measurement results is presented here. It is based on an approach called reference measurement system for food allergens, which uses a commonly agreed reference, namely the 'mass fraction of total protein of the allergenic ingredient in food'. The necessary system components are outlined, consisting of a primary reference measurement method, a certified reference material and a reference laboratory. This metrology-based concept can be applied to quantify various food allergens determined with different analytical procedures. The example of 'milk in cookies' is used to demonstrate the approach.

Keywords: Calibration hierarchy; Comparability of results; Food allergen analysis; Metrological traceability; Reference measurement system.