Shrimps cause a significant part of crustacea-related allergies. It is used in processed foods, including fermented Korean foods, such as kimchi. Even low amounts of shrimp allergens can provoke reactions in consumers allergic to shrimp. Accurate food labeling is the most effective means of preventing the consumption of allergenic ingredients. To validate labeling compliance and minimize the risk of cross-contaminations, the effectiveness of methodologies used for the detection of allergens in foods should be compared. Here, seven commercial kits, based on quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), were assessed for their ability to detect the presence of shrimp allergens in food. Our results showed that SureFood real-time PCR kit and Ridascreen ELISA kit had the highest recovery, whereas five other kits underperformed in the determination of allergen content of kimchi and its ingredients. The variation in recovery among the kits depended on the limit of detection and reactivity to the shrimp allergens, tropomyosin, and sarcoplasmic calcium-binding protein. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This research confirms the performance of commercial kits to detect the presence of shrimp allergens in kimchi, and demonstrates that the sensitivity of these kits depends on reactivity to the specific shrimp allergenic proteins. These results can be used to food allergy labeling and can be applied by the food industry to develop allergen test kits for fermented foods with improved performance.
Keywords: allergens; detection; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; kimchi; real-time polymerase chain reaction; shrimp.
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