Detection and Quantitation of Selected Food Allergens by Liquid Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry: First Action 2017.17.

Background: In response to a need for accurate and reliable methods for food allergen regulatory compliance, a method for the detection and quantitation of whole egg, whole milk, peanut, and hazelnut in eight food matrices was developed and evaluated in a single-laboratory validation. The matrices include cookies, cookie dough, bread, breakfast cereal, salad dressing, ice cream, and red wine.

Objective: The method was compared with Standard Method Performance Requirements (SMPR) 2016.002 established by the AOAC Stakeholder Panel on Strategic Food Analytical Methods.

Methods: The method involves tryptic digestion of allergen proteins in food matrices incurred or spiked with allergen standards [reference materials (RMs), Standard RMs (SRMs), or in-house prepared standard] and uses labeled peptide internal standards. LC-tandem MS analysis of the signature tryptic peptides of the four allergens is performed using multiple reaction monitoring.

Results: For 10 allergen/matrix combinations, the method demonstrated adequate sensitivity with a minimum quantitation limit of 3 mg/kg for whole egg and 10 mg/kg for milk, peanut, and hazelnut allergens. Repeatability precision across 3 days of analyses was <17% with analytical range of 10-1000 mg/kg. Recovery from incurred and spiked matrix-matched standards varied from 60 to 118%.

Conclusions: The method met the minimum performance requirements of SMPR 2016.002 for whole egg in cookies, bread, cookie dough, and salad dressing; whole milk in cookies and red wine; peanut in breakfast cereal; and hazelnut in cookies.

Highlights: The ERP determined that the data presented met the SMPR and accordingly recommended the method to be granted First Action status. In September 2017, the Official Methods Board approved the method as First Action.