Almond ELISA

Enzyme immunoassay for the quantitative determination of Almond in food.

Background: Almond (Prunus dulcis) belongs to the rosaceae. With 25 % the fraction of proteins in almond is high. Some of these proteins are known for being allergenic. In addition to profilin which is known to be cross-reactive to grass pollen, the almond major protein AMP has the greatest relevancy. AMP is known to be heat resistant making it stable to different production processes. For this reason almond represents an important food allergen. For almond allergic persons hidden almond allergens in food are a critical problem. Already very low amounts of almond can cause allergic reactions, which may lead to anaphylactic shock in severe cases. Because of this, almond allergic persons must strictly avoid the consumption of almonds or almond containing food. Cross-contamination, mostly in consequence of the production process is often noticed. The chocolate production process is a representative example. This explains why in many cases the existence of almond residues in foods cannot be excluded. For this reason, sensitive detection systems for almond residues in foodstuffs are required.
Almond ELISA represents a highly sensitive detection system and is particularly capable of the quantification of almond residues in cookies, cereals, ice cream, sweets, food supplements and chocolate. Furthermore, it is validated for rinse water/ CIP s and swab samples.

Description: The Almond quantitative test is based on the principle of the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. An antibody directed against almond proteins is bound on the surface of a microtiter plate. Almond containing samples or standards are given into the wells of the microtiter plate. After 20 minutes incubation at room temperature, the wells are washed with diluted washing solution to remove unbound material. A peroxidase conjugated second antibody directed against almond proteins is given into the wells and after 20 minutes of incubation the plate is washed again. A substrate solution is added and incubated for 20 minutes, resulting in the development of a blue colour. The colour development is inhibited by the addition of a stop solution, and the colour turns yellow. The yellow colour is measured photometrically at 450 nm. The concentration of almond is directly proportional to the colour intensity of the test sample.

Product Features:
- The kit contains reagents for 96 determinations;
- Microtiter plate consisting of 12 strips with 8 breakable wells;
- Almond Standards: 0, 0.4, 1, 4, 10 ppm;
- ELISA reader at 450 nm;
- Standard range: 0.4 - 10 ppm;
- Sensitivity analytical: 0.00 – 0.09 ppm.