Plant-based products such as plant-based meat substitutes or plant-based protein powders are often enriched with additional proteins, such as pea protein, soy protein, or rice protein, to boost their protein content. Especially pea protein-based products are gaining increasingly popularity, as these are not (so far) considered allergens and are thus not subject to compulsory allergen labeling. However, the increased use of pea protein could make allergies to peas more common, and the often high protein content in vegan substitute products can cause allergic reactions to be severe.

In addition, since the origin of the protein in this form is no longer easily identifiable, it may be necessary to test the food to determine whether it contains peas, beans or other legumes. The 4plex legume PCR test is suitable for this purpose.

Possible products of interest:

SureFood® 4plex LEGUMES, Art. No. S7008

Analyzing vitamins to ensure accurate nutritional content claims. Plant-based products can be fortified with various nutrients during production to enhance their nutritional value and mimic the nutrient profiles of animal-derived products. Vitamins like Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) are often added to plant-based products. Vitamin B12, in particular, is commonly fortified in plant-based foods as it is primarily found in animal-derived sources. It’s important to note that fortification practices vary depending on the product and regional regulations.

Possible products of interest:

VitaFast® Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin), Art. No. P1002

Learn more about Vitamin analysis

Plant-based food alternatives often contain near-neutral pH and high protein and moisture content, making them susceptible to microbial growth and spoilage. Detecting food pathogens is therefore of great importance to ensure plant-based products are safe for consumption. Contamination may occur via contact with contaminated sources of animal manure, water, or other foods for example.

Possible product of interest:

SureFast® Salmonella ONE, Art. No. F5211

Learn more about food pathogen detection

Food products that advertise being vegan must be checked for this during or after production. Cross-contamination from animal ingredients to plant-based foods is one of the challenges, which have to be considered across the whole supply chain. This risk is particularly high at manufacturing facilities that handle animal-derived allergenic ingredients such as milk, gluten or eggs. The European V-label defines in its guidelines for unintentional traces of animal residues a limit of less than 0.1% (1 g/kg) of animal ingredients.

The SureFast® VEGAN kit can be used for the reliable detection of animal DNA traces in both raw and processed food samples. The kit provides a sensitivity down to 0.01% of animal DNA to support vegan label claims. The included positive control, which comprises 0.1% of bovine DNA, can be used as a reference to set the detection threshold.

Possible product of interest:

SureFast® VEGAN, Art. No. F4055

Learn more about Animal DNA detection

Food containing genetically modified organisms must be labeled in the EU. In addition, there are seals such as “V-Label”, “GMO-free” or “VLOG tested”, which have even stricter specifications and allow consumers even more transparency with regard to the origin and production of the food. To ensure the necessary transparency, i.a. the European Council Regulation (EC) (No. 834/2007) on organic production was implemented. This regulation regulates the use and labeling of genetically modified plants in food and feed (European labeling requirements 1829/2003 and 1830/2003).

Possible product of interest:

SureFood® GMO SCREEN 4plex, Art. No. S2126

Learn more about GMO testing