Lupin-based products such as flours and pastes are increasingly being used in baked goods and vegetarian dishes because they are high in protein, GM-free and can introduce a desirable yellow colour
On the 19 July 2006 the European Community's Standing Committee, Food Chain and Animal Health (Scofcah) met to discuss a draft Directive to amend Annex IIIA of Directive 2000/13/EC, which lists the allergenic foods that have to be labelled whenever they are used in pre-packed foods.
The draft directive sought to add lupin and molluscs to the list in Annex IIIA for mandatory allergen ingredient labelling.
The draft directive was agreed at the meeting and enters into force 20 days after publication in the EC's Official Journal, expected in the autumn of 2006.
Lupin-based products such as flours and pastes are increasingly being used in, eg, baked goods and vegetarian dishes because they are high in protein, GM-free and can introduce a desirable yellow colour.
Most edible or 'sweet' lupin products are derived from three species: Lupinus angustifolius, albus and luteus.
However, for a small percentage of people lupin is a potent allergen and a significant proportion of peanut allergy sufferers are clinically cross-reactive to lupin proteins; it also may be an inhalant allergen.
To help food manufacturers comply with this new legislation and provide food analysis laboratories with a detection method for lupin residues in food, Hallmark Analytical Ventures has developed a novel, laboratory test kit that detects very low levels - down to one part per million (ppm) or less - of lupin residues in food and its raw material commodities.
The Haven Lupin Elisa kit is designed to be used in analytical laboratories that need to perform analyses to confirm or exclude the presence of allergen traces in foodstuffs.
The assay detects the protein fraction of lupin flour as a marker of total lupin flour content within a range of one to 16ppm or above (limit of detection <0.25ppm).
Originally developed by the National Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway the kits were commercialised and are now manufactured by Hallmark Analytical Ventures under license.
