Results of an International Interlaboratory Trial to Determine Twelve Allergens Using Real-time PCR- and ELISA-based Assays

Abstract

To elucidate the capability of laboratories to determine allergen contents, an international interlaboratory trial was conducted using meat products spiked with 12 allergens. The measurement uncertainty was calculated independent of the applied method simulating realistic situations when comparing analysis certificates from different laboratories. The measurement uncertainty was revealed to be in the best cases +/–100%, in the worst cases quantification exhibited a measurement uncertainty of higher than 200% making quantitative analysis impossible. The measurement uncertainty seemed to depend on the analyte and assays used.