If you are in the agricultural or food production business, you might have heard about allergen testing for food products. These processes ensure various ingredients used are safe for food processing. Since some consumers are allergic to certain food products, conducting allergen tests on your food products can help alleviate adverse allergic reactions. That's why the accuracy of any allergen test is paramount during harvesting, food production and packaging. 

Strict quality assurance assessments must be observed during food production processes. That includes ensuring the quality of raw agricultural produce and all equipment used. Furthermore, preventing accidental contact between allergenic substances and foodstuffs is imperative to ensure that the allergen status of final products is safe. 

By implementing allergen testing, agricultural businesses can confirm the allergen types in food products and whether they contain acceptable allergen levels. Typical food allergens in raw unprocessed food products include histamine, lupin, coconut, soy, and pecan, among many others. There are a couple of ways you can test for allergens, including the following.

Gluten Analysis 

Gluten is a popular protein typically found in farm produce like barley, wheat and rye. Generally, consumers with celiac disease have challenges processing gluten in their digestive system. After ingesting gluten-based products, they can experience diarrhoea or vomiting symptoms. Therefore, agricultural producers and manufacturers must analyse the quantities of gluten in their food products to know how much should be eliminated before approval for public consumption. 

Food Chemistry Analysis

This type of allergen testing includes the identification and quantification of all food ingredients and their by-products. After food chemistry analysis, laboratories can determine the allergen level in food products and whether they are within acceptable tolerance limits. If any problem is identified, the allergen testing process must be performed again. 

In a nutshell, this type of testing allows food production and manufacturing companies to determine the number of allergens in a standard serving size of a particular food product. After determination, they must stick this information on product labels to help consumers understand its composition. That's essential to help consumers who are allergic to certain foods avoid products containing particular allergens. Furthermore, they can understand how much of the allergenic ingredients would be safer for consumption. 

Final Thoughts 

Indeed, food safety management systems are crucial in the agricultural and food production sectors. They help avert the risks of food contamination due to allergenic substances. Processes like gluten analysis and food chemistry analysis are primary allergenic tests that help identify various food allergens. Therefore, it's imperative to work with reputable companies offering food allergen testing to produce allergen-free food products that comply with health regulations. 

For more information on allergen testing, contact a professional near you.