Food Allergen Testing Laboratory
Since late November 2005, food labelling regulations in the UK and Europe have insisted that allergens deliberately added to pre-packed food and food products must be labelled with allergen information.
ILS can provide a wide range of food allergen testing, whether it is in finished products, raw materials, rinse waters or environmental swabs*.
*Not UKAS
In 2012 there is expected to be thresholds/action levels introduced for Peanut, Milk, and Egg Allergens.
Food Allergen testing is carried out on the following list of allergenic foods:
- Cereals with Gluten
- Crustaceans
- Eggs
- Fish
- Peanuts
- Soyabeans
- Milk - Lactose
- Celery
- Lupin
- Molluscs
- Mustard
- Sesame
- Sulphur dioxide / sulphites
- Nuts (see list of nuts tested below)
Nut Allergen Testing includes.
- Almond
- Hazelnut
- Walnut
- Cashew
- Pecan
- Brazil
- Pistachio
- Macadamia
- Queensland
Contact ILS - for more information and prices on allergen testing and analysis
ILS can also conduct the following Food Allergen Testing:
- Histamine
- Mycotoxin Testing - Aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2 - Ochratoxin
Toxic response to Mycotoxins has been around for thousand's of years and now hundreds of varieties of toxins and toxin mixes are known. The toxins are often stable through cooking and freezing and therefore are a very real hazard to certain types of food production.
There are hundreds of cases in the EU alone let alone worldwide and staple products rice, grains, maize, fruit and wine are affected.
ILS can test for Aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2 and Ochratoxin.
Gluten Allergy
Gluten allergy is commonly called coeliac disease named from the Greek "koiliakos" from the second century AD. Gluten allergy is not classically an allergy but an auto immune system disorder.
Gluten is a naturally occurring protein in wheat, barley, rye and oats and they protein gives flour from grain their strength and elasticity.
The gluten protein in coeliac is perceived by the body to be an attacking invasive protein and this creates an immune response. The surface of the small intestine becomes inflamed and flattened which means vital nutrients cannot be absorbed which leads to ill health.
ILS can analyse your food labeling claims or investigations to check for the presence of Gluten.
Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance is basically the bodies inability to break down Lactose which is the sugar found in milk. Lactose is normally broken down by the body into Glucose and Galactose which are simpler sugars, these are then absorbed by the body.
The enzyme which facilitates the breakdown of Lactose is called Lactase and a shortage of this enzyme means that Lactose cannot be broken down and therefore cannot be absorbed into the body.
The excess of Lactose causes the symptoms of the intolerance which include nausea, bloating, diarrhoea, stomach craps and pains. Lactose intolerance is more normal in adults and certain countries and ethnic groups and is common where milk does not form part of the normal diet.
If you are going to label your products Lactose free then ILS can provide the Lactose testing and analysis for you to label your products with confidence.
Contact ILS - for more information and prices on allergen testing and analysis
Useful Links
http://foodallergens.ifr.ac.uk/
clientfiles/File/buyingfoodallergy1109.pdf
http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/maycontainguide.pdf