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Intended use

The Lateral Flow Casein (Milk) (Art. No. BLH714-15), with included hook line from bioavid, is an immunochromatographic test for the sensitive and qualitative detection of casein residues on surfaces (e.g. swab test for the hygiene control in food production lines), in cleaning / process water (CIP water) and food samples. The integrated hook line prevents false negative interpretation of high positive samples.

The test kits contain everything necessary for the analysis. Only for food sample preparation, additional materials (mixer and centrifuge/filters) are required.

General Information

Cow’s milk allergy is the most common food allergy in infants and young children. Even though most children eventually outgrow their allergy to milk, milk allergy is also among the most common food allergies in adults. Cow’s milk contains several proteins that have an allergic potential. The most important ones are casein and ß-lactoglobulin. Cow’s milk contains 3.2 % proteins, which consist of approx. 10 % ß-lactoglobulin (leading protein of whey), approx. 80 % caseins and approx. 10 % other proteins.

It is important to note that milk allergy is not the same as lactose intolerance. The cause of lactose intolerance is a deficiency of an enzyme that degrades lactose (milk sugar). Milk allergy, on the other hand, is a true food allergy, which is caused by allergenic constituents of milk proteins. Milk is consumed directly, as a drink, or as a processed product such as cream, butter, yogurt or cheese. Cow’s milk powder is widely used in baked goods, sauces and dessert. Casein can be present as an ingredient or as a contaminant in raw and processed food products. Skim milk powder or caseins/caseinates are often added to food products (e.g. in sausages) to increase the protein content or as thickening agent. Until now, there is no cure for food allergies. The only effective treatment is a diet with strict avoidance of foods containing milk. Therefore, it is even more important to avoid cross contamination, which can lead to accidental consumption by allergic patients. According to the regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011, milk and products thereof must be declared on food labels. Similar regulations exist e.g. in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

To avoid allergic reactions, the safety of foods is ensured by the labeling of allergenic ingredients. Nevertheless, a high risk is still an unintended presence of allergens by cross-contamination due to the food process. It is therefore important to avoid and detect cross-contamination (e.g. due to residues on production lines). The bioavid rapid tests can be used for various applications to detect cross-contamination. For example, incoming raw materials or the effectiveness of the cleaning of production facilities can be checked.

An important challenge with the safe and fast LFD analysis are false negative results due to very high allergen concentrations in the test sample. The so-called “high dose hook effect” (or “overload effect”; Standard EN 15633-1. 2019) is observed when a very high amount of an analyte is present in the sample. In this case, the development of the test line can be inhibited and there is a risk that the test result will be falsely evaluated as negative (or analyte undetectable). The hook line on the test strip makes this effect visible. A missing hook line indicates a high allergen content in the sample and can no longer be evaluated as negative. The evaluation card for the bioavid test strips with hook line can be downloaded here.

The bioavid dip sticks are an easy-to-use method and enable a quick and reliable analysis. The application is very simple and can also be carried out by personnel without laboratory education. The processing of all bioavid parameters is identical and can be downloaded here as a flyer. All test kits can be stored at room temperature and are therefore an ideal tool for direct testing in the field, in production facilities or for rapid food testing.

Strongly colored (e.g. coffee, tea, spices, wine), polyphenol / tannin containing, oily or acidic / alkaline samples (e.g. juices) should be extracted with the Absorbent Buffer (Art. No. BS810-15). The buffer decolorizes or neutralizes solutions to avoid false positive results and minimize matrix effects.

For the analysis of non-validated samples, the document “SOP Verification Solid Sample Test” (standard operating procedure) can be used. We also offer a paid service for the verification of non-validated matrices.

Benefits:

• Better safe than sorry: Included hook line for safe identification of high positive samples
• Uniform procedure for all bioavid parameter
• Easy documentation with RIDA®SMART APP Allergen (more information)
• Versatile: applicable for surface-testing, CIP water and food samples (raw and processed)

Accessories

• bioavid Absorbent Buffer