Food
Analysis

An allergen is a substance that can induce a hypersensitivity reaction in susceptible individuals who have previously been in contact with it. The hypersensitivity reaction generated causes different effects of varying intensity in susceptible individuals.

REGULATION ON ALLERGENS

Regulation 1169/2011 states that all foods placed on the market must inform of the possible presence in their composition of any of the following ingredients:

• Cereals containing gluten and products thereof.
• Crustaceans and crustacean products.
• Eggs and egg products.
• Fish and fish products.
• Peanuts and peanut-based products.
• Soybeans and soybean products.
• Milk and milk products (including lactose).
• Nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashew nuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, walnuts and macadamia nuts,
• Australia, and products thereof).
• Celery and products thereof.
• Mustard and products thereof.
  Sesame seeds and sesame seed products.
• Sulphur dioxide and sulphites in concentrations above 10mg/kg or 10 mg/l expressed as SO2.
• Lupins.
• Molluscs or products based on molluscs.

It is mandatory that any ingredient used in the production of a food which is still present in the finished product, even if in modified form, and which is listed in Annex V or derived from ingredients listed in Annex V, is indicated on the label by a clear reference to the name of that ingredient.

GLUTEN DETECTION AND ANALYSIS

Among the allergens found in various foodstuffs, gluten is undoubtedly the most common allergen.

Gluten, present in many different types of cereals, is a glycoprotein. It has several functions, but one of the fundamental ones is to act as a binding element, it is the cement that binds the various ingredients in bakery and pastry making, responsible for the elastic consistency of the dough.

There are several cereals (or varieties thereof) that contain gluten:

• Wheat
• rye
• barley
• spelt
• spelt
• triticale
• spelt
• kamut
• green spelt
• bulgur
• oats

There is a wealth of information on the different ways of cooking gluten-free, but there is a great lack of knowledge on how to effectively and efficiently manage the production of gluten-free foods, as well as how to manage the production processes to eliminate cross-contamination.

Gluten analysis in industry

In this industrial field, it is extremely important to carry out gluten analyses that allow the manufacturer to place products on the market that are suitable for coeliacs with all the guarantees for all interested parties.

When does gluten cross-contamination occur?

For the information of consumers and small-scale manufacturers, it is important to bear in mind that there is a possibility that gluten-free foods may, at some point, be mixed with this glycoprotein. If this happens, the affected foods are no longer suitable for coeliacs. This situation is called cross-contamination.

At Conycal Laboratory we are specialised in Food Analysis and specifically allergen analysis. We carry out more than 3,000 gluten tests per year, and we are accredited by ENAC ISO 17025 as a testing laboratory for gluten analysis in foodstuffs. We are also authorised by FACE (Federation of Spanish Coeliac Associations), meeting the highest standards of accuracy and reliability in gluten analysis.