Updated population minimal eliciting dose distributions for use in risk assessment of 14 priority food allergens

Food allergy and allergen management are important global public health issues. In 2011, the first iteration of our allergen threshold database (ATDB) was established based on individual NOAELs and LOAELs from oral food challenge in roughly 1750 allergic individuals. Population minimal eliciting dose (EDp) distributions based on this dataset...

Potential cofactors in accidental food allergic reactions are frequently present but may not influence severity and occurrence

Background: Cofactors, such as physical exercise and alcohol intake, might be associated with the severity or occurrence of food allergic reactions. Objective: To gain insight into the frequency of presence of potential cofactors in accidental food allergic reactions in adults and to what extent these factors influence the severity and...

Sensitization to Cor a 9 or Cor a 14 has a strong impact on the distribution of thresholds to hazelnut

[No abstract available] Chemicals / CAS immunoglobulin E, 37341-29-0; Allergens; Antigens, Plant; Cor a 14 allergen, hazelnut; Cor a 9 protein, hazelnut; Immunoglobulin E; Plant Proteins.

Threshold Dose Distribution in Walnut Allergy

Background In food allergy, eliciting doses (EDs) of foods on a population level can improve risk management and labeling strategies for the food industry and regulatory authorities. Previously, data available for walnut were unsuitable to determine EDs. Objective The objective of this study was to determine EDs for walnut allergic adults and to...

Unintended allergens in precautionary labelled and unlabelled products pose significant risks to UK allergic consumers

Background Allergens in food may pose a risk to allergic consumers. While there is EU regulation for allergens present as an ingredient, this is not the case for unintended allergen presence (UAP). Food companies use precautionary allergen labels to inform allergic individuals of a potential risk from UAPs. This study investigates the risk of an...

Frequency, severity and causes of unexpected allergic reactions to food: A systematic literature review

Summary: Food allergic patients have to deal with an avoidance diet. Confusing labelling terms or precautionary labels can result in misinterpretation and risk-taking behaviour. Even those patients that strictly adhere to their diet experience (sometimes severe) unexpected allergic reactions to food. The frequency, severity and causes of such...

Understanding food allergen thresholds requires careful analysis of the available clinical data

Allergen reference doses for precautionary labeling (VITAL 2.0): Clinical implications

Background There has been a dramatic proliferation of precautionary labeling by manufacturers to mitigate the perceived risk from low-level contamination from allergens in food. This has resulted in a significant reduction in choice of potentially safe foods for allergic consumers. Objectives We aimed to establish reference doses for 11 commonly...

Risk assessment and food allergy: The probabilistic model applied to allergens

In order to assess the risk of unintended exposure to food allergens, traditional deterministic risk assessment is usually applied, leading to inconsequential conclusions as 'an allergic reaction cannot be excluded'. TNO therefore developed a quantitative risk assessment model for allergens based on probabilistic techniques resulting in a more...

How accurate and safe is the diagnosis of hazelnut allergy by means of commercial skin prick test reagents?

Background: Allergy to tree nuts, like hazelnuts, ranks among the most frequently observed food allergies. These allergies can start at early childhood and are, in contrast to other food allergies, not always outgrown by the patient. Tree nut allergy is frequently associated with severe reactions. Diagnosis partially relies on in vivo testing by...

Comparison of different immunochemical methods for the detection and quantification of hazelnut proteins in food products

Hazelnuts are widely used in the food industry owing to their nutritive value and taste. The amount of hazelnut present in a recipe is usually considered as a mark of quality. On the other hand, contamination of foods that normally do not contain hazelnuts is a threat for patients with a hazelnut allergy. For this reason, the availability of a...