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The number of identified and characterized bioactive peptides derived from milk proteins is increasing. Although many antimicrobial peptides of dairy origin are now well known, important structural and functional information is still missing or unavailable to potential users. The compilation of such information in one centralized resource such as a database would facilitate the study of the potential of these peptides as natural alternatives for food preservation or to help thwart antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria. To achieve this goal, we established MilkAMP, a new database that contains valuable information on antimicrobial peptides of dairy origin, including microbiological and physicochemical data. The current release of MilkAMP contains 371 entries, including 9 hydrolysates, 299 antimicrobial peptides, 23 peptides predicted as antimicrobial, and 40 non-active peptides. Freely available at http://milkampdb.org/, this database should be useful to help develop uses of biologically active peptides in both the pharmaceutical and food sectors. As more information about antimicrobial peptides becomes available, the database will be expanded and improved accordingly.

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Precautionary allergen labeling (PAL) is widely used by food industries. Occurrence studies revealed that few analyzed products contained the allergen(s) present in the statement, but little is known in Canada. To improve manufacturing practices and better manage allergen cross-contamination, occurrence data is needed to determine the exposure of allergic individuals eating those products. Samples were analyzed for peanuts (n = 871) and hazelnuts (n = 863) using ELISA methods. Within samples analyzed for peanuts, 72% had a PAL (n = 628), 1% had peanuts as a minor ingredient (n = 9) and 27% were claimed “peanut-free” (n = 234). Most hazelnut samples had a PAL for tree nuts/hazelnuts (94%; n = 807) with 6% claimed “nut-free” (n = 56). Peanuts and hazelnuts were found in 4% (0.6–28.1 ppm) and 9% (0.4–2167 ppm) of all samples, respectively. Chocolates were mostly impacted; they should be treated apart from other foods and used in risk assessments scenarios to improve manufacturing practices, reducing unnecessary PAL use.