Hunting Hidden Allergens in Food: Extraction and Immunochemical Detection of Peanut and Milk Proteins

Masked allergens in processed foods pose serious risks to sensitized individuals. This paper evaluates various protein extraction protocols and ELISA-based immunochemical assays for the detection of peanut and milk proteins in complex food matrices, highlighting how matrix composition and extraction conditions influence allergen recovery. New extraction approaches and refined ELISA reagents are proposed to enhance peanut detection. Additionally, an original ELISA was developed to specifically identify caprine and ovine milk proteins without cross-reactivity to cow’s milk, offering improved management of goat’s and sheep’s milk allergy in patients tolerant to cow’s milk.