(Food) Allergen Management by Alois
Fellinger FoodSAFE’14 May 7,2014

Allergens

It is said that if
you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles. (知彼知己，百戰不殆；不知彼而知己，一勝一負；) Sun Tzu (孫子, c. 6th century BCE), Chinese general, author of The Art of War

Allergy to bovine milk is
most common in children Main Allergen(s): β-Lactoglobulin (Bos d 5), α-Lactalbumin (Bos d 4), Casein Fraction (Bos d 8) Caseins from cows, sheep and goats have 87-98% identical sequences Milk

Main Allergen(s): Ovomucoid (Gal d
1), Ovalbumin (Gal d 2), Ovotransferrin (Gal d 3), Lysozyme (Gal d 4) Cross reactivity between different bird eggs is published Allergy to chicken meat (as well as to turkey) is very rare Eggs

Allergens are Parvalbumins, calcium- binding
proteins found in the white muscle meat of many fish species (~5mg/g meat), they are heat stable and enzyme resistant proteins Main Allergen(s): Codfish (Allergen M, Gad c 1), Salmon (Sal s 1), Carp (Cyp c 1), Tuna >95% crossreactivity with other fish in allergic persons Fish

Allergen is mostly Tropomyosin, a
protein responsible for muscle contractions Main Allergen(s)Shrimp (Pen a 1), Craps (Cha f 1), Crawfish (Pan s 1), Lobster (Hom a 1), Oyster (Cra g 1, Cra g 2), Squid (Tod p 14) High probability of cross reactivity between different seafoods Crustaceae

One of the most common
food allergies in children and adults. Major Allergen(s) Hazelnut (Cor a 1), Cashew nut (Ana o 1), Walnut (Jug r 1), Brazil nut (Ber e 1) High probability of allergy to other nuts. Tree nuts should not to be confused with peanut, which is a legume, or seeds, such as sunflower or sesame. © 2013, A. Fellinger Food Allergy & Allergens 9 Nuts

Peanuts are the leading cause
of severe food allergic reactions with more severe symptoms than other food allergies. As many as one-third of peanut-sensitive patients have severe reactions, such as fatal and near-fatal anaphylaxis. Major Allergen(s): Peanut (Ara h 1, Ara h 2) © 2013, A. Fellinger Food Allergy & Allergens 10 Peanuts

© 2013, A. Fellinger Food
Allergy & Allergens 11 Wheat allergy is most common in children, and is usually outgrown before reaching adulthood A wheat allergy should not be confused with “gluten intolerance” or celiac disease, which affects the small. Individuals with celiac disease must avoid gluten, found in wheat, rye, barley and sometimes oats Cereals containing gluten

Soybean allergy is one of
the more common food allergies, especially among babies and children, but it is often outgrown. Allergic reactions to soy are typically mild. Major Allergen(s): Soya (Gly m 4, Gly m 5, Gly m 6) Soybeans are widely used in processed food products. As it is used in so many products, eliminating all those foods can result in an unbalanced diet. © 2013, A. Fellinger Food Allergy & Allergens 12 Soy

Celery Lupine Molluscs Mustard Sesame
SO2

How to deal with
Allergens?

Source of Allergens
Recipe

Label it!

What about
hidden
Allergens?

Anything out there? … and
if so, where is it coming from?

Could it be
harmful?

Can it be
avoided?

Product Ingredients product contamination contamination
during transport Process Cleaning Storage Handling Design improper procedure tools equipment handling of reworks process design „crossing“ production lines shared storage with allergens open storage of packing material selection of ingredients production schedule environmental influence *depending on your product & process

Product Development and Design •
Consumer group? • Specific needs? e.g. gluten free • Naturally free or specifically processed • Selection of ingredients – cross contamination • Production process – shared equipment? • Correct labelling

Critical Control Points • Incoming
goods • Ingredient Storage - Warehouse • Cleaning • Manufacturing equipment • In-process cross contamination • Rework • Packaging/labelling - finished product • Storage

Incoming goods and Warehouse •
Audit supplier and supply chain • Confirm supplier specifications & certificates • Assure correct storage and ingredient separation • Have complete raw material and product specifications

Processing and Packaging • Plan
and schedule production • Try to use dedicated production lines • Proper cleaning and sanitation of production equipment • Appropriate design of facilities, equipment and tools • Accurate labeling of equipment, tools, intermediates, etc. • Procedures for using rework (internal returns) • Clean tools • Detect cross contamination

Finished Product and Warehouse •
Verify correct labelling • Correct packaging • Correct product separation • Auditing and enforcement

The VITAL (Voluntary Incidental Trace
Allergen Labelling) system is an essential standardized allergen risk assessment tool for food producers

VITAL allows a single simple
standardized precautionary statement, to assist food producers in presenting allergen advice consistently for allergic consumers. VITAL 2.0

Good management with poor equipment
will bring to a better result than any good equipment with poor management. “