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CONFIDENTIAL
Proprietary information of Nestlé S. A., Vevey, Switzerland
This document should not be reproduced or disclosed without prior authorisation
Allergen Testing
•
Results are not comparable
between different test kits and
methods
•
No recognized standard
reference materials
•
No reference method, except for
gluten
•
No standardized reporting unit
•
No standardized sampling plan
CONFIDENTIAL
Proprietary information of Nestlé S. A., Vevey, Switzerland
This document should not be reproduced or disclosed without prior authorisation
Is food allergen analysis flawed?
•
Key industry standards emphasize transparency, traceability and integrity in
the supply chain, which in turn require testing to ensure that food is what it is
claimed to be, e.g. labeling claims, gluten-
free, surveillance ….
•
Presence of peanut and almond (or Mahaleb) in cumin due to initially flawed
analysis resulted in hundreds of recalls in 2014-2015
o
Unequivocal presence of peanut proteins
o
False positive for almond by ELISA due to cross reactivity to an unknown spice
o
LC-MS/MS confirmed absence of almond and identified presence of mahaleb
o
Multiplex methods show other possible contaminants: almond, Brazil nut, cashew,
hazelnut, and pistachio
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