For the detection of sesame content in foods

Intended Use:

The first commercial test of its kind, the BIOKITS Sesame protein Test Kit is an ELISA based on specific antibodies to sesame storage proteins. The test is intended to be used for the detection of sesame content in a wide range of raw and cooked foodstuffs.

Sesamum indicum, a cultured species, is the major commercial source of sesame. Sesame is utilised as the seed, which contains 45-65% edible oil and 16-32% protein. Although long regarded as a health food, more recently sesame has been prominently reported as a cause of food allergy. This is probably due to increased consumption of regional dishes. Most commonly, roasted sesame is added to various baked wheat flour products but is increasingly being added to ready-made meals and snacks. Sesame is now classed as one of the top nine allergens that are considered by the EC to pose a serious health threat to individuals “at risk”. Given that it is not always identified on product labels, sesame can be considered to be a ‘masked’ allergen, causing reactions that range from mild skin rashes to anaphylactic shock.

Suitable for Testing:

detects low (ppm) levels of sesame content in raw, cooked and processed foods.

 

 

The kit utilises antibodies to sesame proteins, coated onto micro-wells, in a non-competitive, sandwich type ELISA. Sesame, from a sample extract, binds to the antibody coated wells. Biotinylated anti-sesame antibody then binds to the captured sesame from the samples, to complete the ‘sandwich’. The presence of the biotinylated anti-sesame antibody is then determined using avidin peroxidase (HRP) reagent and TMB substrate. The BIOKITS Sesame Protein Test Kit is a sensitive and specific quantitative test for sesame content in the presence of other food proteins.