Detection of Sesame Allergen Traces with Two PCR Assays - The Challenge to Protect Food-Allergic Consumers

Authors

  • Dimitra Panagiotis Houhoula Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Technology and Nutrition, Technological Educational Institute of Athens,
  • Vasilios Belsis Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Technology and Nutrition, Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Ag. Spyridonos Str, Egaleo, 12210, Athens,
  • Leonidas Georgopoulos Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Technology and Nutrition, Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Ag. Spyridonos Str, Egaleo, 12210, Athens
  • Virginia Giannou Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Polytechnioupoli Zografou, 15780, Athens,
  • Vasiliki R. Kyrana Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Technology and Nutrition, Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Ag. Spyridonos Str, Egaleo, 12210, Athens
  • John Tsaknis Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Technology and Nutrition, Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Ag. Spyridonos Str, Egaleo, 12210, Athens
  • Vladimiros P. Lougovois Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Technology and Nutrition, Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Ag. Spyridonos Str, Egaleo, 12210, Athens
  • Stamatios Koussissis Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Technology and Nutrition, Technological Educational Institute of Athens, Ag. Spyridonos Str, Egaleo, 12210, Athens

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v3i4.210-215.221

Keywords:

PCR, Quantification, Sesame, Declaration, Food allergy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible presence of sesame in commercial foods normally carrying no warning for the allergen, but which may have been subjected to contamination during processing. One hundred units of widely consumed goods with high potential to contain allergenic substances deriving from nuts were analyzed, using sensitive and capable PCR (C-PCR) and Real Time PCR (RT-PCR) methodologies. Of the products examined, 15 (15.0%) declared the presence of sesame, 36 (36.0%) carried no food allergy label, 44 (44.0%) were marked by the phrase “may contain traces of nuts” and 5 (5.0%) carried the indication “may contain sesame traces”. The sesame-positive products detected using the C-PCR method were 15 (100%), 12 (33.3%), 14 (31.8%) and 3 (60%), respectively. Using the RT-PCR technique, positive results were obtained for 15 (100%), 18 (50.0%), 18 (20.5%) and 5 (100%) samples, respectively. The results indicate that the PCR methods applied are highly sensitive and selective, which makes them suitable for the detection of sesame traces in food samples. In addition, they can be useful for monitoring the effectiveness of cleaning processes in the production units of the food industry.

Author Biography

Dimitra Panagiotis Houhoula, Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Technology and Nutrition, Technological Educational Institute of Athens,

Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Technology and Nutrition,

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Published

13.01.2015

How to Cite

Houhoula, D. P., Belsis, V., Georgopoulos, L., Giannou, V., Kyrana, V. R., Tsaknis, J., Lougovois, V. P., & Koussissis, S. (2015). Detection of Sesame Allergen Traces with Two PCR Assays - The Challenge to Protect Food-Allergic Consumers. Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology, 3(4), 210–215. https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v3i4.210-215.221

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 4 (2015)

Section

Food Technologies

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