Evaluation of almond and hazelnut reference materials for standardizing allergenic protein detection and quantification

Published

July 24, 2026

Author(s)

Lisa Kilpatrick, David Bunk, Karen Phinney

Abstract

Almonds and hazelnuts are widely consumed tree nuts; nevertheless, they are recognized by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and regulatory agencies in other countries as a potential allergen requiring clear labeling on foods to protect consumers. While detecting these allergens during food production is essential, protein-based assays currently used to detect cross contact during food manufacturing often have variable results due to extraction efficiency, antibody specificity, matrix interference, or processing effects. To address these challenges, NIST Reference Materials (RMs) 8404 Almond Nut Flour for Allergen Detection and 8405 Hazelnut Flour for Allergen Detection were developed to harmonize detection methods. In this work, Dumas total protein assay and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were used to characterize the protein composition of the NIST RMs. The RMs, along with other sources of nut flours, were then evaluated using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) to demonstrate their utility as potential reference materials for standardizing detection and quantification of almond and hazelnut protein. The findings from these experiments provide a framework for reporting total allergenic protein mass, enabling more reliable and standardized allergen risk management.

Citation

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

reference material, 8404, 8405, almond, hazelnut, ELISA, LC-MS/MS

Citation

Kilpatrick, L. , Bunk, D. and Phinney, K. (2026), Evaluation of almond and hazelnut reference materials for standardizing allergenic protein detection and quantification, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=961961 (Accessed August 20, 2026)

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