Development and Validation of ElisaSystems' Buckwheat Assay

Mike Ryan

ELISA SYSTEMS Pty Ltd, 10/121 Newmarket Road,Windsor, Queensland, 4030, Australia

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) has been recognized as a common food allergen in Japan and Korea and may become an emerging issue in other countries. There is a growing interest in Buckwheat products as a health food and as a substitute for wheat flour in gluten-allergenic persons in Western countries.

To comply with food allergen labelling issues in countries where Buckwheat is a declared food allergen, a rapid and reliable assay is required to test for the presence of Buckwheat material. This will help in avoiding issues of mislabelling, cross contact, or accidental inclusion into a food product.

ELISA SYSTEMS has developed a Buckwheat Protein Residue assay (ELISA) that may be used to screen appropriate food products for the presence of Buckwheat protein material. This presentation will discuss the commodities validated for use on this assay.