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The aim of this review is to describe the state-of-the-art in the analysis of A- and B-trichothecene mycotoxins in cereals and to support knowledge and experience exchange between laboratories in the field of Fusarium mycotoxin analysis. Current screening tests and quantitative methods for the most prevalent type-A and -B trichothecenes, HT-2 and T-2-toxin, and deoxynivalenol (DON) are reviewed. This includes the extraction and clean-up procedures and chromatographic methods (TLC, HPLC, GC) applied and the immunochemical methods, especially enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), employed for the determination of these mycotoxins. Results from recent intercomparison studies of the determination of DON are also discussed. Experience gained during these intercomparisons clearly shows the need for further improvement in the determination of trichothecenes, to obtain more accurate and comparable results. This also indicates there is a strong need for the development of further certified reference materials (CRM) which would enable comparison of measurement results between different European laboratories for several A- and B-trichothecenes. For both A- and B-trichothecenes there is still a lack of simple and reliable screening methods enabling the rapid detection of these mycotoxins at low cost.

Food allergies have become an important health issue especially in industrialized countries. Undeclared allergenic ingredients or the presence of "hidden" allergens because of contamination during the food production process pose great health risks to sensitised individuals. The EU directive for food labelling lists allergenic foods that have to be declared on food products by the manufacturers. The list includes gluten-containing cereals, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, various nuts (e.g. almond, hazelnut, and walnut, etc.), celery, mustard, sesame seeds, lupin, and molluscs. Reliable methods for detection and quantification of food allergens are needed that can be applied in a fast and easy-to-use manner, are portable, and need only limited technical equipment. This review focuses on the latest developments in food allergen analysis with special emphasis on fast immunoanalytical methods such as rapid enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), lateral-flow immunochromatographic assays (LFA) and dipstick tests. Emerging technologies such as immunochemical microarrays and biosensors are also discussed and their application to food allergen analysis is reviewed. Finally, a comprehensive overview of rapid immunochemical test kits that are currently available commercially is given in tabular form.

Auxiliary channel subunits regulate membrane expression and modulate current properties of voltageactivated Ca 2؉ channels and thus are involved in numerous important cell functions, including muscle contraction. Whereas the importance of the ␣ 1S , ␤ 1a , and ␥ Ca 2؉ channel subunits in skeletal muscle has been determined by using null-mutant mice, the role of the ␣ 2 ␦-1 subunit in skeletal muscle is still elusive. We addressed this question by small interfering RNA silencing of ␣ 2 ␦-1 in reconstituted dysgenic (␣ 1S -null) myotubes and in BC3H1 skeletal muscle cells. Immunofluorescence labeling of the ␣ 1S and ␣ 2 ␦-1 subunits and whole cell patch clamp recordings demonstrated that triad targeting and functional expression of the skeletal muscle Ca 2؉ channel were not compromised by the depletion of the ␣ 2 ␦-1 subunit. The amplitudes and voltage dependences of L-type Ca 2؉ currents and of the depolarization-induced Ca 2؉ transients were identical in control and in ␣ 2 ␦-1-depleted muscle cells. However, ␣ 2 ␦-1 depletion significantly accelerated the current kinetics, most likely by the conversion of slowly activating into fast activating Ca 2؉ channels. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis indicated that ␣ 2 ␦-1 is the exclusive isoform expressed in differentiated BC3H1 cells and that depletion of ␣ 2 ␦-1 was not compensated by the up-regulation of any other ␣ 2 ␦ isoform. Thus, in skeletal muscle the Ca 2؉ channel ␣ 2 ␦-1 subunit functions as a major determinant of the characteristic slow L-type Ca 2؉ current kinetics. However, this subunit is not essential for targeting of Ca 2؉ channels or for their primary physiological role in activating skeletal muscle excitation-contraction coupling.Voltage-activated Ca 2ϩ channels are important signaling proteins in many cellular processes including muscle contraction, secretion, synaptic function, and transcriptional regulation. Ca 2ϩ channels are composed of a pore-forming ␣ 1 subunit and the auxiliary ␣ 2 ␦, ␤, and ␥ subunits (1). Whereas the ␣ 1 subunits are responsible for voltage sensing and ion conduction, the auxiliary subunits have been implicated in functions of membrane targeting and modulation of channel properties (for review see Ref.2). Much of our current knowledge about the specific properties of Ca 2ϩ channel subunits has been obtained from heterologous expression in Xenopus oocytes and in mammalian expression systems. Moreover, null-mutant mice have provided important information about the roles of Ca 2ϩ channel subunits in native tissues.In skeletal muscle the voltage-activated Ca 2ϩ channel functions as a voltage sensor in excitation-contraction (EC) 1 coupling. The role of the slowly activating L-type Ca 2ϩ current, which is not necessary for the activation of skeletal muscle contraction, is not clear. A null-mutant of the skeletal muscle ␣ 1S subunit, the dysgenic mouse, lacks EC coupling and L-type Ca 2ϩ currents and dies at birth from respiratory failure (3). A knock-out mouse of the skeletal ␤ 1a Ca 2ϩ channel subunit results in a very simila...

Precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) was introduced by the food industry to help manage and communicate the possibility of reaction from the unintended presence of allergens in foods. However, in its current form, PAL is counterproductive for consumers with food allergies. This review aims to summarize the perspectives of all the key stakeholders (including clinicians, patients, food industry and regulators), with the aim of defining common health protection and risk minimization goals. The lack of agreed reference doses has resulted in inconsistent application of PAL by the food industry and in levels of contamination that prompt withdrawal action by enforcement officers. So there is a poor relationship between the presence or absence of PAL and actual reaction risk. This has led to a loss of trust in PAL, reducing the ability of consumers with food allergies to make informed choices. The result has been reduced avoidance, reduced quality of life and increased risk-taking by consumers who often ignore PAL. All contributing stakeholders agree that PAL must reflect actual risk. PAL should be transparent and consistent with rules underpinning decision-making process being communicated clearly to all stakeholders. The use of PAL should indicate the