title: Hen egg white lysozyme is a hidden allergen in Italian commercial ciders.
abstract: Hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) is an enzyme used in alcoholic fermentation for its ability to control the growth of Gram-positive and spoilage bacteria, without inhibiting yeast growth, and it allows a reduction in the use of sulphur dioxide. Nevertheless, considering the potential allergenicity of this protein, the presence of HEWL should be declared on the label of the final product. In this work, we analysed 18 commercial Italian ciders by LC-MS/MS and found traces of HEWL in 12 samples without label declaration. We used Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to verify the immunological activity of HEWL, and to quantify its content in the ciders. Two out of 18 samples were found to be positive both by immunoblot and ELISA. The results indicate the requirement of a more stringent control of commercial ciders and the need of label declaration for ciders treated with such compounds.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Agronomy Food Natural Resources Animals and Environment , University of Padua , Legnaro (PD) , Italy.|b Department of Biotechnology , University of Verona , Verona , Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mainente
authors.affiliation: b Department of Biotechnology , University of Verona , Verona , Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Simonato
authors.affiliation: a Department of Agronomy Food Natural Resources Animals and Environment , University of Padua , Legnaro (PD) , Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pasini
authors.affiliation: c Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Padua , Padua , Italy.|d Proteomics Center of Padua University and Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova , Padua , Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Franchin
authors.affiliation: c Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Padua , Padua , Italy.|d Proteomics Center of Padua University and Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova , Padua , Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arrigoni
authors.affiliation: b Department of Biotechnology , University of Verona , Verona , Italy.
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rizzi
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D001628:Beverages / Q000032:analysis*; D002645:Chickens; D004529:Egg White / Q000737:chemistry*; D007558:Italy; D009113:Muramidase / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; C421864:hen egg lysozyme; D009113:Muramidase
keywords: Cider; ELISA; European Union Regulation; LC-MS/MS; Western blot; hidden allergens; lysozyme