Electrochemical Immunosensor for the Simultaneous Determination of Two Main Peanut Allergenic Proteins (Ara h 1 and Ara h 6) in Food Matrices

Voltammetric immunosensor based on oxidized carbon nanotubes/MnFe2O4 hybrid nanoplatform for amplified detection of celery (Apium graveolens)

Celery is a food allergen that must be included in the ingredient list of commercial food products in the European Union. This is a challenge for the food industry because of potential cross-contamination and undeclared ingredients because of their low concentrations. So, the food industry requires expedited high-performance analytical methods. The development, validation and application of a magnetic nanomaterial-based voltammetric immunosensor is reported to quantify a major celery allergen (Api g 1), achieving a low limit of detection (32 pg·mL-1, in a 40-μL sample). The applicability of the biosensor was evaluated by analysing twenty food products and the lowest Api g 1 content (1.1 ± 0.9 mg·kg-1) was quantified in a cooked sample. The selectivity of the method and the interference of similar fresh products (e.g., parsley, basil) were evaluated. This portable and easy-to-use biosensor can be a fit-for-purpose solution to tackle a major problem for the food industry.

A comprehensive review on novel synthetic foods: Potential risk factors, detection strategies, and processing technologies

Nowadays, the food industry is facing challenges due to the simultaneous rise in global warming, population, and food consumption. As the integration of synthetic biology and food science, novel synthetic foods have obtained high attention to address these issues. However, these novel foods may cause potential risks related to human health. Four types of novel synthetic foods, including plant-based foods, cultured meat, fermented foods, and microalgae-based foods, were reviewed in the study. The original food sources, consumer acceptance, advantages and disadvantages of these foods were discussed. Furthermore, potential risk factors, such as nutritional, biological, and chemical risk factors, associated with these foods were described and analyzed. Additionally, the current detection methods (e.g., enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, biosensors, chromatography, polymerase chain reaction, isothermal amplification, and microfluidic technology) and processing technologies (e.g., microwave treatment, ohmic heating, steam explosion, high hydrostatic pressure, ultrasound, cold plasma, and supercritical carbon dioxide) were reviewed and discussed critically. Nonetheless, it is crucial to continue innovating and developing new detection and processing technologies to effectively evaluate these novel synthetic foods and ensure their safety. Finally, approaches to enhance the quality of these foods were briefly presented. It will provide insights into the development and management of novel synthetic foods for food industry.

Progress in Electrochemical Immunosensors with Alkaline Phosphatase as the Signal Label

Electrochemical immunosensors have shown great potential in clinical diagnosis, food safety, environmental protection, and other fields. The feasible and innovative combination of enzyme catalysis and other signal-amplified elements has yielded exciting progress in the development of electrochemical immunosensors. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is one of the most popularly used enzyme reporters in bioassays. It has been widely utilized to design electrochemical immunosensors owing to its significant advantages (e.g., high catalytic activity, high turnover number, and excellent substrate specificity). In this work, we summarized the achievements of electrochemical immunosensors with ALP as the signal reporter. We mainly focused on detection principles and signal amplification strategies and briefly discussed the challenges regarding how to further improve the performance of ALP-based immunoassays.

Recent Advances in Electrochemical Biosensors for Food Control

The rapid and sensitive detection of food contaminants is becoming increasingly important for timely prevention and treatment of foodborne disease. In this review, we discuss recent developments of electrochemical biosensors as facile, rapid, sensitive, and user-friendly analytical devices and their applications in food safety analysis, owing to the analytical characteristics of electrochemical detection and to advances in the design and production of bioreceptors (antibodies, DNA, aptamers, peptides, molecular imprinted polymers, enzymes, bacteriophages, etc.). They can offer a low limit of detection required for food contaminants such as allergens, pesticides, antibiotic traces, toxins, bacteria, etc. We provide an overview of a broad range of electrochemical biosensing designs and consider future opportunities for this technology in food control.

Analytical Methods for Allergen Control in Food Processing

Food allergy and food-related anaphylaxis have become a growing public health and food safety issue worldwide [...]

Tracking a Major Egg Allergen to Assess Commercial Food Label Compliance: Towards a Simple and Fast Immunosensing Device

An amperometric immunosensor was developed for the analysis of the major egg-white allergen ovotransferrin (Gal d 3) in commercial food products because the (accidental) intake, skin contact with, and/or inhalation of eggs can lead to severe disorders in allergic individuals. Employing a sandwich-type immunosensing strategy, screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCE) were biomodified with anti-Gal d 3 (capture) antibodies, and the allergen’s detection was achieved with anti-Gal d 3 antibodies labelled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB)/H2O2 reaction with HRP was used to obtain the electrochemical (amperometric) signal. An attractive assay time of 30 min and a remarkable analytical performance was achieved. The quantification range was established between 55 and 1000 ng·mL−1, with a limit of detection of 16 ng·mL−1. The developed method demonstrated good precision (Vx0 = 5.5%) and provided precise results (CV < 6%). The sensor also detected extremely low amounts (down to 0.010%) of egg. The analysis of seven raw and/or cooked egg and egg-white samples indicated that food processing influences the amount of allergen. Furthermore, to assure the compliance of product labelling with EU legislation, 25 commercial food ingredients/products were analysed. The accuracy of the results was confirmed through an ELISA assay. The stability of the ready-to-use sensing surface for 20 days allows a reduction of the reagents’ volumes and cost.

Review of Electrochemical Biosensors for Food Safety Detection

Food safety issues are directly related to people's quality of life, so there is a need to develop efficient and reliable food contaminants' detection devices to ensure the safety and quality of food. Electrochemical biosensors have the significant advantages of miniaturization, low cost, high sensitivity, high selectivity, rapid detection, and low detection limits using small amounts of samples, which are expected to enable on-site analysis of food products. In this paper, the latest electrochemical biosensors for the detection of biological contaminants, chemical contaminants, and genetically modified crops are reviewed based on the analytes of interest, electrode materials and modification methods, electrochemical methods, and detection limits. This review shows that electrochemical biosensors are poised to provide miniaturized, specific, selective, fast detection, and high-sensitivity sensor platforms for food safety.

Food allergen control: Tropomyosin analysis through electrochemical immunosensing

Regulations of the EU obliges the indication of the presence of allergens on food labels. This work reports the development of an electrochemical immunosensor to determine tropomyosin (TPM) - a major shellfish allergen - prevailing in the muscles of crustacean species. Two linear ranges between the signal and TPM concentration were obtained: between 2.5 and 20 ng mL^-1 and between 30 and 200 ng mL^-1, with a lowest limit of detection of 0.47 ng mL^-1. The selectivity of the optimized immunoassay, tested with other food allergens (e.g., Cyp c 1, a fish allergen), assures the effective detection of TPM, enabling successful control of foodstuff labelling. Several (12) foods, containing high and low TPM concentrations and TPM-free samples, were analysed using the sensor. A conventional ELISA kit and recovery assays were used to evaluate the accuracy of the results.

Tracking Arachis hypogaea Allergen in Pre-Packaged Foodstuff: A Nanodiamond-Based Electrochemical Biosensing Approach

The present work reports a nanodiamond-based voltammetric immunosensing platform for the analysis of a food allergen (Ara h 1) present in peanuts (Arachis hypogaea). The possibility of the usage of nanodiamonds (d = 11.2 ± 0.9 nm) on screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCE/ND) in a single-use two-monoclonal antibody sandwich assay was studied. An enhanced electroactive area (~18%) was obtained and the biomolecule binding ability was improved when the 3D carbon-based nanomaterial was used. The antibody-antigen interaction was recognized through the combination of alkaline phosphatase with 3-indoxyl phosphate and silver ions. Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) was applied for fast signal acquisition and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) support the voltammetric approach and confirm the presence of silver particles on the electrode surface. The proposed immunosensor provided a low limit of detection (0.78 ng·mL−1) and highly precise (RSD < 7.5%) and accurate results. Quantification of Ara h 1 in commercial foodstuffs (e.g., crackers, cookies, protein bars) that refer to the presence of peanuts (even traces) on the product label was successfully achieved. The obtained data were in accordance with recovery results (peanut addition, %) and the foodstuff label. Products with the preventive indication “may contain traces” revealed the presence of peanuts lower than 0.1% (m/m). The method’s results were validated by comparison with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This allows confident information about the presence of allergens (even at trace levels) that leads to profitable conditions for both industry and consumers.

Detection of Allergenic Proteins in Foodstuffs: Advantages of the Innovative Multiplex Allergen Microarray-Based Immunoassay Compared to Conventional Methods

Several factors can affect the allergen content and profile of a specific food, including processing procedures often leading to a decrease in allergenicity, although no change, or even an increase, have also been reported. Evaluation of the effectiveness of a processing procedure requires the availability of reliable methodologies to assess the variation in molecules able to induce allergic reactions in the analyzed food. Conventional and innovative strategies and methodologies can be exploited to identify allergenic proteins in foodstuffs. However, depending on the specific purposes, different methods can be used. In this review, we have critically reviewed the advantages of an innovative method, the multiplex allergen microarray-based immunoassay, in the detection of allergens in foodstuffs. In particular, we have analyzed some studies reporting the exploitation of an IgE-binding inhibition assay on multiplex allergen biochips, which has not yet been reviewed in the available literature. Unlike the others, this methodology enables the identification of many allergenic proteins, some of which are still unknown, which are recognized by IgE from allergic patients, with a single test. The examined literature suggests that the inhibition test associated with the multiplex allergen immunoassay is a promising methodology exploitable for the detection of IgE-binding proteins in food samples.

Voltammetric Immunosensor to Track a Major Peanut Allergen (Ara h 1) in Food Products Employing Quantum Dot Labels

Tracking unreported allergens in commercial foods can avoid acute allergic reactions. A 2-step electrochemical immunosensor was developed for the analysis of the peanut allergen Ara h 1 in a 1-h assay (<15 min hands-on time). Bare screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCE) were used as transducers and monoclonal capture and detection antibodies were applied in a sandwich-type immunoassay. The short assay time was achieved by previously combining the target analyte and the detection antibody. Core/shell CdSe@ZnS Quantum Dots were used as electroactive label for the detection of the immunological interaction by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry. A linear range between 25 and 1000 ng·mL-1 (LOD = 3.5 ng·mL-1), an adequate precision of the method (Vx0 ≈ 6%), and a sensitivity of 23.0 nA·mL·ng-1·cm-2 were achieved. The immunosensor was able to detect Ara h 1 in a spiked allergen-free product down to 0.05% (m/m) of peanut. Commercial organic farming cookies and cereal and protein bars were tested to track and quantify Ara h 1. The results were validated by comparison with an ELISA kit.