Pistachio ELISA

Enzyme immunoassay for the quantitative determination of Pistachio in food.

Background: Pistachio (Pistacia vera) belongs to the family of Anacardiaceae. With about 21% the fraction of proteins in pistachio seed is very high. Some of these proteins, like the 2S albumin Pis v 1, the 11S globulin Pis v 2 or the 7S vicillin Pis v 3 are known for being allergenic. Many of them are heat resistant making them stable to different production processes. For this reason, pistachio represents an important food allergen. For pistachio-allergic persons hidden pistachio allergens in food are a critical problem. Already very low amounts of pistachio can cause allergic reactions, which may lead to anaphylactic shock in severe cases. Because of this, pistachio-allergic persons must strictly avoid the consumption of pistachio containing food. Cross-contamination, mostly in consequence of the production process, is often noticed. This explains why in many cases the existence of pistachio residues in food cannot be excluded. For this reason, sensitive detection systems for pistachio residues in foodstuffs are required. Pistachio ELISA represents a highly sensitive detection system and is particularly capable of the quantification of pistachio residues in cookies, ice cream, sweets, chocolate, spices and food supplements. Furthermore, it is validated for rinse water/ CIPs and swab samples.

Description: The Pistachio quantitative test is based on the principle of the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. An antibody directed against pistachio proteins is bound on the surface of a microtiter plate. Pistachio containing samples or standards are given into the wells of the microtiter plate. After 20 minutes incubation at room temperature, the wells are washed with diluted washing solution to remove unbound material. A peroxidase conjugated second antibody directed against pistachio proteins is given into the wells and after 20 minutes of incubation the plate is washed again. A substrate solution is added and incubated for 20 minutes, resulting in the development of a blue colour. The colour development is inhibited by the addition of a stop solution, and the colour turns yellow. The yellow colour is measured photometrically at 450 nm. The concentration of pistachio is directly proportional to the colour intensity of the test sample.

Product Features:
- The kit contains reagents for 96 determinations;
- Microtiter plate consisting of 12 strips with 8 breakable wells;
- Pistachio Standards: 0, 1, 4, 10, 40 ppm;
- ELISA reader at 450 nm;
- Standard range: 1 - 40 ppm;
- Sensitivity analytical: 0.13 ppm.