Key result
Immunological methods enable routine gluten detection but food matrices and antibody types limit their reliability.
Why the study?
Coeliac patients face risk from unintentional gluten contamination or hidden gluten in food products, prompting a review of gluten risk analysis and immunological detection methods.
Immunological methods are suitable for routine gluten detection but require harmonization to overcome analytical drawbacks and ensure safe food choices.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Urges caution interpreting ELISA gluten results in complex foods; leaves open need for harmonized reference materials.
Gluten is among the 14 major food allergens officially recognized by Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011. The risk to coeliac patients from gluten presence in the food products they consume is likely due to the unintentional contamination of naturally gluten-free (GF) and GF-labelled products, or to hidden sources of gluten in processed GF products. The aim of this paper is to provide a snapshot of gluten risk analysis, with emphasis on immunological methods currently used in gluten detection. The study highlights that immunoassays have some advantages over other analytical methods in gluten determination and are suitable for routine tests. However, some factors (e.g., complexity of the food matrix, type of the applied antibody, gluten extraction procedures and lack of reference material) affect the reliability of obtained results. Hence, efforts are required at an analytical level to overcome the drawbacks of the immunological methods currently available. Harmonization is necessary, so as to assist both consumers in making safe food choices, and the food industry in gluten risk assessment, management and communication.
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Melini et al. (2018) conducted a review in Coeliac disease and gluten-related disorders. Immunological methods for gluten detection was evaluated. Immunological methods like ELISAs are suitable for routine gluten detection, but their reliability is affected by food matrix complexity, antibody type, and lack of reference materials.
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