Research progress on detection methods for food allergens

Food allergy has become an important food safety and public health problem worldwide, for which no specific treatment is available and avoidance of allergenic food is the most effective preventive measure. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to carry out efficient and sensitive allergenic food testing to obtain accurate food composition information. In this paper, we reviewed the major methods currently used for allergenic food testing, including protein-based, nucleic acid-based and biosensor-based methods. We summarised and compared the advantages and limitations of each detection method and reviewed the efforts made by researchers to overcome these limitations. In addition, the paper reviewed the practical application potential of each detection method in terms of sensitivity, detection cost, detection time and portability. Finally, the future of testing methods for allergenic food is envisioned with a view to providing new ideas for research in this field. •This review focuses on methods for the detection of allergens in foods.•Principles and applications of detection methods for allergens in foods are introduced.•The advantages and limitations of present analytical techniques are summarised.•The future development of detection methods for allergens is prospected.