Rapid Detection of Food Allergens With Reactive Strip

Food allergy or hypersensitivity is estimated to affect about 520 million people worldwide. These reactions occur mainly through the consumption of foods containing trace allergens.

Therefore, identifying and quantifying them before the food is consumed is essential, and this is what the test researchers have developed allows.

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‘A strip with multiple internal controls and calibrators precisely identify and quantify traces of allergen in the food.’

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The prototype has been developed as a proof of concept for simultaneously detecting almond and peanut allergens and has been validated with everyday commercial foods such as biscuits and energy bars. The findings are published in the journal Biosensors.

Among its advantages, the researchers highlight the reliability of the test, which contains multiple internal controls and calibrators integrated into a miniaturized 36-point array.

With microarray technology, we perform 36 assays in a single step. The derived information allows us to identify whether the result is a true positive or negative. In addition, with the internal calibrators and the smartphone, we can quantify high-precision traces of allergens in the food.

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Regarding the extraction method, the research team stresses its simplicity, which means anyone can carry it out at any time. Current extraction methods consist of multiple steps and require sophisticated equipment for grinding, degreasing, extraction, and purification of allergens.

Therefore, the analysis is carried out in qualified laboratories. The aim is to decentralize the analysis, as has been done with the COVID-19 test. They were able to analyze food just before consuming it.

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The extraction method developed is based on the use of a portable grinder, which is used to grind and filter the sample in a single step; 5 mL of a solution is then added to extract the allergen, and, once the sample is prepared, the test strip is immersed in the solution. And in just 5 minutes, the result is obtained, which can be read with a mobile phone.

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At an estimated cost of €1 per strip, the developed test has great commercial potential, for example, in the food sector for rapid identification of allergens in situ and in the pharmaceutical sector to quantify the potency of allergenic extracts used in allergy testing.

Looking to the future, the research team points out that, given the characteristics of the test strip, it could easily be adapted for other allergens, as the group has specific antibodies for a wide range of allergens and biomarkers.

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Source-Eurekalert