The main objective of ALLERMASS project is to develop a method allowing the detection and the quantification of food allergens in heat-processed foodstuffs with the ultimate goal of improving food allergen labeling and thus the quality of life for allergic people. However, food allergen proteins modified and degraded by thermal process are difficult to detect. To take up this challenge, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was chosen for its many advantages: specificity, sensitivity and the possibility to detect several food allergens simultaneously.
Four target allergens causing high number of allergic reactions in Europe were selected: milk, egg, soy and peanut. An in-silico approach (Skyline) was chosen for peptide and transition designs and analyzed by UHPLC-MS/MS on raw ingredients. After incorporation of these allergens in cookie dough, a heat-processed was applied to identify proteins and peptides that are stable to a thermal process.
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