Info about Allergies

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Problems of ‘Hidden’ Allergens

Those individuals who suffer from severe forms of food allergy, such as anaphylaxis, can have reactions triggered by very small amounts (as little as 100 mg) of an allergen present in a food. Indeed, traces of nuts found in processed oils and carry-over of allergens on utensils used for serving foods can be enough to cause an allergic reaction. Proteins are widely used as functional ingredients in foods, with soya flours being routinely included in bread and bakery products as an improver, whereas other soya ingredients are used in soups and sauces as well as meat products such as sausages. Similarly, caseinates and whey protein isolates are used in a range of products such as sauces, cakes, and confectionery. Another difficulty is presented by the uncertainty 0027 relating to accidental contamination, where processing lines are shared between products utilizing different ingredients. This is particularly problematic for confectionery, where tree nuts and peanuts are a favored ingredient and has led to labeling of products with the warning ‘may contain nuts.’ Indeed, surveys have shown that a large proportion of chocolate confectionery is contaminated with hazelnut proteins, probably as a result of cross-contamination in factories during manufacture. One of the consequences of this for the allergic consumer is that allergenic proteins are hidden as ingredients in manufactured products. Accidental exposure to allergens is a frequent occurrence, and epidemiological studies have shown that around 50% of peanut-allergic individuals have a reaction at least once a year as a consequence of accidental exposure.