The aim of my thesis for the Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Toxicology is to make a bridge between the industry Food Protection strategy, prevention of consumer food allergy and the clinical food allergen thresholds by presenting the 3 following chapters:
I. Clinical food allergen thresholds versus industry food allergen analytical limits: making the bridge between clinical data and the industry
II. Additional contributing cofactors to food allergies, forensic investigations & learnings, anaphylactic reaction, and food allergy treatments.
III. Flavour allergen risk assessment and Food Protection prevention: making the bridge between the industry best practices, Food Protection culture and the clinical prevention strategies.
This thesis is composed of 2 parts: 1 is the current document associated with part 2 which is the Allergen Risk Assessment Tool (Excel file). Food Protection can be understood through the association of Food Safety (accidental food adulteration), Food Defense (intentional ideologically motivated food adulteration to harm people) and Food Fraud mitigation (intentional economically motivated food adulteration). The Food Protection program goal is to prevent accidental (unintentional) and intentional contamination of food. Food Protection is covering application of regulations, risk assessments (HACCP/TACCP/VACCP), audits & inspections, validation, verification, and continuous improvement for health & safety of the consumers. Flavour allergen risk assessments are not commonly published. Among the different reasons, the flavour matrix complexity (A flavour can contain more than 50 different ingredients) and the need to protect the final consumer sensory “signature”, the confidential flavour formulae & its intellectual property.
Food allergen thresholds in ppm or in mg of food or food proteins are given by some regulations (ref (NEBRASKA)), by double blind clinical provocation tests (example Europreval), via toxicological studies and NOEL modeling & Eliciting Doses. But so far, there is no global consensus despite the new FAO/WHO recent publications. In parallel, available industry analytical methods determine the presence of some specific allergenic proteins, peptides or DNA molecules quantification but cannot confirm total absence which is required by marketing allergen free labels. These analytical methods are influenced by food surface nature (like stainless steel – EHEDG rugosity), food composition matrix, manufacturing process, food contact surface, residual water, residual solvents, hygiene level and consistency in adequate controls…). Adequate, because test selection is limited by the nature of the allergen, matrix complexity, Limit of Detection/Limit of Quantification (LOD/LOQ) & chosen technics (ELISA, PCR, HPLC-MS, MALDI-TOF, others…). “Matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS) is largely recognized as an important tool in the analysis of many biomolecules such as proteins and peptides” ref (Cosima D Calvano 1 2)).
Allergen specificity and laboratory capabilities, analysis accreditation & proficiency tests make industry risk evaluation, more and more complex & legal/penal. Analytical methods have some limitations, and the clinical thresholds/reference doses in mg of food proteins have been recently reviewed by an expert committee led by WHO/FAO, US FDA & one by ILSI.
