title: Presence of Undeclared Food Allergens in Cumin: The Need for Multiplex Methods.
abstract: Beginning in the autumn of 2014, millions of dollars of food and over 675 products were recalled in the United States due to the presence of undeclared peanut, attributed to cumin used in the manufacture of the products. Initial analyses also indicated the presence of almond. Subsequent research showed that the presence of peanut and almond did not fully explain the analytical results for the cumin samples. Using a combination of mass spectrometry, DNA-based methods (i.e., PCR and Sanger DNA Sequencing), microscopy, and antibody-based technologies (i.e., ELISA, Western blot analysis, and a novel xMAP multiplex assay) the presence of peanut was confirmed. Screening for secondary sources of adulteration (e.g., tree nuts, mahleb, peach, and cherry) supported the assessment that the cumin contained multiple contaminants. These results demonstrate the limitations of single analyte-specific assays and the need for orthogonal multiplex methods to detect food allergens irrespective of varietal or other differences.
authors.affiliation: Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration , College Park, Maryland 20740, United States.
authors.forename: Eric A E
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Garber
authors.affiliation: Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration , College Park, Maryland 20740, United States.
authors.forename: Christine H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration , College Park, Maryland 20740, United States.
authors.forename: Sara M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Handy
authors.affiliation: Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration , College Park, Maryland 20740, United States.
authors.forename: Chung Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration , College Park, Maryland 20740, United States.
authors.forename: Rakhi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Panda
authors.affiliation: IEH Laboratories and Consulting Group, Inc. , Lake Forest Park, Washington 98155, United States.
authors.forename: Mansour
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samadpour
authors.affiliation: AuthenTechnologies LLC , Richmond, California 94806, United States.
authors.forename: Danica H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Reynaud
authors.affiliation: Office of Food Safety, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration , College Park, Maryland 20740, United States.
authors.forename: George C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Ziobro
mesh_terms: D052179:Antigens, Plant / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D028527:Cuminum / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D052179:Antigens, Plant
keywords: cumin; food allergen detection; peanut