Investigation of Lupine Allergen Presence in Some Food Products by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

Lupine is a legume and important hidden food allergen. In the present study, our aim was to investigate the presence of lupine in some foodstuffs including 90 packaged food samples (breakfast cereals, oatmeals, biscuits, and chocolate) belonging to different firms in Turkey. Extraction and determination of lupine in all samples were made by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. The presence of lupine was detected in 11 (12.22%) of 90 food samples. Lupine was not detected in the samples of breakfast cereal and oatmeal. The mean levels (±S.E) of positive lupine of biscuits and chocolate samples were found to be 1.53±0.18 mg kg-1 and 2.04±0.16 mg kg-1, respectively. It was declared on the labels of some of the analyzed products that they may contain traces of lupine. Lupine was detected in only one of these samples. There was no information about the presence of lupine on the labels of other lupine detected samples. As a result, the importance of the detection of allergen substances in terms of food safety, food quality, and public health and the importance of food labeling are emphasized in this study. Analytical methods for monitoring allergens in risky foods are important.