Testing of Allergens and Genetically Modified Organisms in Food Products

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Due to growing number of allergenic reactions in people, it is very important to have reliable methods of detection of allergens in food products. The detection of allergens from food products is a very difficult task because allergens are present in little amounts. The detection of allergy causing ingredients in food products has received increased attention from the food industry and legislative and regulatory agencies over recent years. This has resulted in the improvement of measures aimed at the protection of food-allergenic consumers. The food products regulated by food inspection agencies manufacturing and control operations depend on the availability of techniques that can detect traces of allergic substances. The development of methods for detection of allergen faces a multitude of analytical challenges. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method is used for the detection of allergen from food products. This method is only suitable for uncooked food products because the heating process can denature protein molecules and then allergen is not detectable and can still cause problems to sensitive individuals. A genetically modified organism (GMO) is a living organism. GMO detection is done by RT-PCR method. As the amount of GMO is increasing at a rapid speed, RT-PCR is the most sensitive method used to detect DNA molecules of the food products. It can be used for the detection in raw and cooked food products and are not affected by the heating process of the cooking because DNA remains intact even after being exposed to the cooking temperatures of most foods products.

Keywords: Allergies, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, genetically modified organism, RT-PCR

Cite this Article: Shivangi Sharma. Testing of Allergens and Genetically Modified Organisms in Food Products. International Journal of Genetic Engineering and Recombination. 2019; 5(1): 38–43p.