Naslov
Foodborne allergens as a possible public health problem

Autori
Lasić, Dario ; Prskalo, Ivana ; Bošnir, Jasna ; Čulig, Borna ; Brkić, Danijel ; Budeč, Maja ; Pavić, Tomo

Izvornik
Arhiv za higijenu rada i toksikologiju (0004-1254) 68 (2017), Supplement; 22-29

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, ostalo

Ključne riječi
ELISA ; consumer health ; food producers ; self-control

Sažetak
Available literary data shows an increasing phenomenon of foodborne allergies and intolerances worldwide. The purpose of this research is to point to the need of establishing better controls on this matter. All food samples were provided from small and medium-sized food producers in Croatia and from third countries. All samples were processed products in original packaging and were analysed in accordance with EU legislation, with particular focus on non-marked allergens on the label. The ELISA (immunoenzymatic) technique was been used for laboratory analysis on the presence of known allergens. A total of 144 samples were analysed, most of them for gluten presence (51 %), almond presence (13 %), followed by milk, soybean, peanuts, and hazelnut. No detected allergen presence was found in 80 samples (55 %), but 21 samples (15 %) were considered non-compliant with the pertaining label and legislation. A total of 69 samples had a confirmed presence of allergens above the limit of method quantification (40 % > LOQ) or at the threshold of LOQ (8 %). The most frequent non-labelled allergens quantified were gluten (29 % above 20 ppm), followed by hazelnuts (24 %), and almonds (24 %). The obtained results indicate the presence of certain allergens in food products that have not been highlighted on the labels with another text style (mandatory by the EU Regulation No. 1169/2011). Clear guidelines have been provided for manufacturers to indicate a possible presence of these product allergens in the obligatory citation (“May contain...”). A quantitative probabilistic risk assessment needs to be determined whether these measurable results represent a potential risk to consumer health. These results stress the need to include additional cross-contamination control of allergens during routine self-control. Additionally, there is a need to establish targeted official monitoring in the Republic of Croatia in retail sector.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Javno zdravstvo i zdravstvena zaštita

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