Detection of celery and mustard food allergens in foods of animal origin in Serbia for the period 2021-2023

Vesna V. Janković; Branko Velebit; Radmila Mitrović; Brankica Lakićević; Lazar Milojević; Dunja Mišić; Slaven Grbić

doi:10.18485/meattech.2024.65.2.1

Vesna V. Janković Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5388-9593
Branko Velebit Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7577-8074
Radmila Mitrović Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2912-2784
Brankica Lakićević Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0175-5830
Lazar Milojević Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6901-6033
Dunja Mišić Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2213-2612
Slaven Grbić Slaven doo https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8486-5720

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18485/meattech.2024.65.2.1

Keywords: celery, mustard, Real time PCR, Food allergen, Food safety

Abstract

Food Allergy is a growing global public health concern. The presence of undeclared allergenic ingredients or the presence of traces of allergens due to contamination during food processing poses a great health risk to sensitised individuals. Celery and mustard belong to the group of 14 basic food allergens, and thus, they are potentially hazardous. Therefore, the objective of this mini-review is to evaluate the presence of celery and mustard in foods of animal origin in Serbia for the period 2021-2023. The present study provides a summary of qualitative detection of specific DNA sequences by real time PCR techniques conducted on 179 retail products of animal origin, i.e., coarse-ground cooked sausages, cooked sausages with meat pieces, fermented sausages, smoked products, chicken meat, dairy and meat alternatives, quick-frozen dough products and snacks. Celery DNA (the mannitol dehydrogenase gene region was used for specific celery identification in samples) was detected in 15 samples, while mustard DNA was detected in 14 samples.