AOAC ISPAM Food Allergen WG Meeting Book (12-15-16)

Question/Comment-4

Table 1: The concentration units in this table should be much more specific. The note at the bottom of the table is more confusing than helpful in this regard. The units of "ppm" really must be clearly described somewhere, for example: "ppm indicates mg whole dried egg per kg product". The note at the bottom of the table could be interpreted to mean that the units should be expressed on a dry weight basis (i.e. mg whole dried egg per kg dry weight product), which we would not want. For the top end of the analytical range, it might be more clear to state something like, "at least ten times the LOQ", rather than just ">10", which could lead to somewhat narrow analytical ranges (e.g. 3-13 ppm whole dried egg). MDL should be changed to LOD, and the minimum value should be changed. (The LOD should be less than the LOQ.) It may also be worthwhile to discuss the actual utility and applicability of requiring an LOD for a quantitative method. Results below the LOQ and above the LOD often cause additional confusion for end users, as it then becomes difficult to interpret the information and evaluate the risk associated with such a result when quantitative information is lacking.

There should be some requirements added regarding specificity and cross-reactivity. (Referring to OMA Appendix M may be sufficient.)