MoniQA’s first food allergen QC materials, MoniQA SMP (skim milk powder, MQA 092014) and MoniQA BLANK (gluten-free cookie, MQA 082015) have recently undergone a first testing trial with some 40 laboratories involved worldwide. Most of the anticipated results have been collected and are currently evaluated. In a next step the completed materials of dried skim milk incurred in gluten-free cookies at various concentrations shall become available in summer 2016.
The materials are a result of an initiative that met in 2013 in Washington, MO, USA, which progressed into a MoniQA Task Force on the development of reference materials for food allergen and gluten-free analysis.
The Task Force is an international group comprised of several SDOs (Standardisation Organisations), industry representatives, policy makers, test kit providers and method developers, analytical companies, as well as representatives from various universities. This international group has been working towards consensus on the specific requirements and the design of globally acceptable reference/testing materials for allergen and gluten-free analysis. For this purpose MoniQA has liaised with the EU funded project iFAAM, the Prolamin Working Group, Health Canada, FARRP, Australia’s Allergen Bureau (Vital), and others.