Hen egg white lysozyme is a hidden allergen in Italian commercial ciders

ABSTRACT

Hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) is an enzyme used in alcoholic fermentation for its ability to control the growth of Gram-positive and spoilage bacteria, without inhibiting yeast growth, and it allows a reduction in the use of sulphur dioxide. Nevertheless, considering the potential allergenicity of this protein, the presence of HEWL should be declared on the label of the final product. In this work, we analysed 18 commercial Italian ciders by LC-MS/MS and found traces of HEWL in 12 samples without label declaration. We used Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to verify the immunological activity of HEWL, and to quantify its content in the ciders. Two out of 18 samples were found to be positive both by immunoblot and ELISA. The results indicate the requirement of a more stringent control of commercial ciders and the need of label declaration for ciders treated with such compounds.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Cider
• LC-MS/MS
• ELISA
• Western blot
• lysozyme
• hidden allergens
• European Union Regulation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Padua [grant numbers CPDA148173 and 60A08-1950/15]. The authors thank the Cassa di risparmio di Padova e Rovigo (Cariparo) holding for funding the acquisition of the LTQ-Orbitrap XL mass spectrometer.