Food allergy is an issue of increasing concern and according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), food allergies in children have increased by approximately 50% over the past decade. In the European Union, the presence of allergens must be declared on the label of food products whenever they are used as ingredients, as required by Directive 2006/142/EC: Cereals that contain gluten, Crustaceans, Eggs, Fish, Peanuts, Soybeans, Milk, Celery, Mustard, Sesame, Lupin and products thereof, Mollusks and products thereof.

ALScreen Allergen Detection is a premium quality molecular biology solution to provide the general laboratory and research personnel an easy and ready-to-use kit for the detection of specific allergen species. It provides a Real-Time PCR method for detecting target species DNA in food, feed and environmental samples. The kits were designed to allow the simultaneous amplification (in multiplex) of the target allergen and an Internal Amplification Control (IAC) to exclude false negatives due to PCR inhibition. The duplex detection system helps maximize the amplification accuracy and simplify the reaction set-up. Under optimal conditions, these kits provide remarkable sensitivity, granting the detection of at least 15 pg DNA (<10 mg/kg with respect to reference material).