Characterization and Detection of Food Allergens Using High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry: Current Status and Future Perspective

Abstract

Allergic reactions to food are among the major food safety concerns in industrialized countries, and it is estimated that approximately 5% of the population suffers from immunoglobulin-E-mediated food allergy. High-resolution mass spectrometry has become one of the most important techniques for the molecular characterization of allergens, including structural modification, degradation in the gastrointestinal environment, or identification of suitable marker peptides for the development of novel analytical approaches, in the past decade. This perspective aims to briefly summarize the current situation and discuss future developments.

A rapid lateral flow assay using immunomagnetic nanoparticles for detecting mango allergen residues in processed foods

“…However, they need expensive devices and well-trained personnel to operate (Bräcker & Brockmeyer, 2018;Miyazaki et al, 2019). Therefore, the IMNP-based LFA established in this study is user friendly and does not require unique equipment, and thus it is a potential method for the on-site detection of Man i1.…”

Methodological Approaches for Monitoring Five Major Food Safety Hazards Affecting Food Production in the Galicia–Northern Portugal Euroregion

“…The main problem is that it requires expensive equipment and trained personnel. Allergens are analyzed based on specific peptides obtained after enzymatic degradation that are then isolated by LC and subsequently identified by MS. MS has been combined with proteomics, allowing it to overcome several ELISA limitations related to isoform diversity, post-translational modifications, and other structural changes during food processing and degradation in the gastrointestinal tract [ 122 , 123 ].…”

High-Throughput Identification of Allergens in a Food System via Hybridization Probe Cluster-Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing

“…All in all, there is an urgent need for reliable analytical methods enabling screening of intended and unintended allergens in food products, followed by confirmatory analysis. Current methods, such as immune-based [e.g., enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)], protein-based [e.g., liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)], and DNA-based [e.g., polymerase chain reaction (PCR)] methods, provide relatively sensitive and reliable detection for the identification and confirmatory analysis of allergens. − ELISA and LC-MS are the standard protocols for directly quantitating allergens in food ingredients rather than processed foods since some proteins and peptides may be degraded during food processing steps implying heating. , The incomplete proteoform database for allergens also limits the application of LC-MS in food allergen analysis . DNA-based methods are indirect detection approaches as screening tools to trace the presence of allergenic ingredients by capturing segments of the gene encoding allergenic proteins or any specific DNA of the allergenic foods. , Direct-multiplex PCR, TaqMan real-time PCR, and LAMP methods have been used for identifying the plant- and animal-derived allergenic foods.…”

“…15,16 The incomplete proteoform database for allergens also limits the application of LC-MS in food allergen analysis. 17 DNA-based methods are indirect detection approaches as screening tools to trace the presence of allergenic ingredients by capturing segments of the gene encoding allergenic proteins or any specific DNA of the allergenic foods. 18,19 Direct-multiplex PCR, 20 TaqMan realtime PCR, 21 and LAMP 22 methods have been used for identifying the plant-and animal-derived allergenic foods.…”