Peanut and hazelnut traces in cookies and chocolates: Relationship between analytical results and declaration of food allergens on product labels

Abstract

Accidental exposure to hazelnut or peanut constitutes a real threat to the health of allergic consumers. Correct information regarding food product ingredients is of paramount importance for the consumer, thereby reducing exposure to food allergens. In this study, 569 cookies and chocolates on the European market were purchased. All products were analysed to determine peanut and hazelnut content, allowing a comparison of the analytical results with information provided on the product label. Compared to cookies, chocolates are more likely to contain undeclared allergens, while, in both food categories, hazelnut traces were detected at higher frequencies than peanut. The presence of a precautionary label was found to be related to a higher frequency of positive test results. The majority of chocolates carrying a precautionary label tested positive for hazelnut, whereas peanut traces were not be detected in 75% of the cookies carrying a precautionary label.

Detection of the peanut allergen Ara h 6 in foodstuffs using a voltammetric biosensing approach

“…In the specific case of chocolate, samples were frozen at −20°C before being ground, and 1 g of skimmed milk powder (Nestlé) was added before the extraction step to block the high amount of phenolic compounds (e.g., tannins) present in this matrix, which have ability to bind to the allergens and/or antibodies [24].…”

“…Sample preparation was based on previously described procedures [19,24], with minor adjustments. Briefly, after grinding in a mill (GM 200, Retsch, Germany) at 10,000 rpm during 20 s (3×), 1 g of sample was extracted with 10 ml of Tris-HNO 3 buffer (pH 8.2, 1 % NaCl) at 60°C during 30 min.…”

Detection of Ara h 1 (a major peanut allergen) in food using an electrochemical gold nanoparticle-coated screen-printed immunosensor

“…Samples were prepared according to previously described procedures (Pele et al, 2007;Pollet et al, 2011) with minor modifications. Briefly, after homogenization in a mill at 10,000 rpm during 20 s (3 Â ), 1 g of sample was extracted with 10 ml of Tris-HNO 3 buffer (pH 8.2, 1% NaCl) at 60°C during 30 min.…”

Simultaneous Determination of the Main Peanut Allergens in Foods Using Disposable Amperometric Magnetic Beads-Based Immunosensing Platforms

“…Regarding the chocolate sample, it was frozen at´20˝C before blending, and 0.5 g of skimmed milk powder (Central Lechera Asturiana ® , Asturias, Spain) were added during the extraction in order to avoid masking of the target protein by tannins [7]. Subsequently, the aqueous phase was isolated by centrifugation involving a first step at 3600 rpm during 10 min and a second step at 10,000 rpm during 3 min (4˝C) for a 1 mL aliquot of the first supernatant [14,17,18]. The resulting supernatant appropriately diluted was used to perform the determinations with the MBs-based immunosensor.…”