title: Confirmation of the allergenic peanut protein, Ara h 1, in a model food matrix using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS).
abstract: Enzymatic digestion of total protein along with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was used to confirm the presence of a major peanut allergen in food. Several peptides obtained from the enzymatic digestion of the most abundant peanut allergen, Ara h 1, were identified as specific peptide biomarkers for peanut protein. Using ice cream as a model food matrix, a method was developed for the detection of the allergen peptide biomarkers. A key component of the method was the use of molecular mass cutoff filters to enrich the Ara h 1 in the protein extracts. By applying the method to ice cream samples containing various levels of peanut protein, levels as low as 10 mg/kg of Ara h 1 could routinely be detected. This method provides an unambiguous means of confirming the presence of the peanut allergen, Ara h 1, in foods and can easily be modified to detect other food allergens.
authors.affiliation: Center for Food Safety and Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, Maryland 20740, USA. kshefche@cfsan.fda.gov
authors.forename: Kevin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Shefcheck
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Musser
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000032:analysis*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D052179:Antigens, Plant; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D006023:Glycoproteins; D007054:Ice Cream / Q000032:analysis; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D052179:Antigens, Plant; C500889:Ara h 1 protein, Arachis hypogaea; D006023:Glycoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins