In this collaborative project between URBC-NARILIS (UNamur), in collaboration with CER (Centre d’Economie Rurale) Group (Marloie) and ILVO (Instituut voor Landbouw-en Visserijonderzoek (Merelbeke), the goal is to develop a multi-target LC-MS/MS method for the detection and the quantification of four main allergens (peanut, hazelnut, egg and milk) in processed food products. The targets selected identified by these analytical methods are specific peptides that are stable during food processing. The identification of these peptides is mainly based on high-resolution mass spectrometry in food matrices containing the allergens that undergo different processing steps. The aim is also to store the global peptide profile in a database, including the peptides that are affected during processing. This information could thus also be of interest and relevant as a marker for process authenticity. Indeed, it is well known that food processing might affect the allergenic potential of food ingredients.
Finally, several reference materials (containing peanut, hazelnut, egg, milk) that are representative for commercialized food products will be produced. These different reference materials will be used to validate the developed LC-MS/MS method and to compare the newly developed analytical LC-MS/MS approach with already existing and alternative detection methods such as ELISA, flow cytometry, real-time PCR and droplet PCR.
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