Targeted proteomics: Current status and future perspectives for quantification of food allergens.
Allergen levels in fresh and processed foods can vary dynamically. As different sources of foods can cause different types of allergic reactions, the food industry and regulatory bodies urgently require reliable detection and absolute quantitation methods for allergen detection in complex food products to effectively safeguard the food-allergic population. Recent advances of targeted proteomic technologies namely multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mass spectrometry (MS) coupled with isotope-labeled internal standard, also known as AQUA peptides offers absolute quantitation of food allergens even at 10ppb level in a multiplex fashion. However, development of successful AQUA-MRM assay relies on a number of pre and post MS criteria. In this review, we briefly describe how allergen levels could potentially change in plant and animal based foods, necessitating the development of a high throughput multiplexed allergen quantification methodology for successful AQUA-MRM assay. We also propose some future strategies that could provide better management of food allergy.



Given the rapid increases of food allergenicity, it has become imperative to know absolute allergen levels in foods. This essential information could be the most effective means of protecting humans suffering from allergies. In this review, we emphasize the significance of the absolute quantitation of food allergens using AQUA-MRM approach and discuss the likely critical steps for successful assay development.
Division of Biology and Medicine, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA; Center for Cancer Research and Development, Proteomics Core Facility, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI 02903, USA. Electronic address: nagib_ahsan@brown.edu.
Nagib
N
Ahsan
Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Division, Yenepoya Research Center, Yenepoya University, Mangalore 575018, India.
R Shyama Prasad
RSP
Rao
Department of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
Philip A
PA
Gruppuso
Division of Biology and Medicine, Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA; Center for Cancer Research and Development, Proteomics Core Facility, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
Bharat
B
Ramratnam
Center for Cancer Research and Development, Proteomics Core Facility, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI 02903, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
Arthur R
AR
Salomon
D000485:Allergens / Q000032:analysis*; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007553:Isotope Labeling; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods*
D000485:Allergens
Absolute quantitation; Animal-based allergen; MRM; Mass spectrometry; Plant-based allergen; Tolerance index