Food allergy
Food allergies affect many people, have an enormous impact on quality of life and can cause life-threatening reactions. In the Netherlands, an estimated half a million people are food allergic. TNO is...
Food-safety testing is often time-consuming and uncertain. TNO develops advanced methods that provide fast, accurate information on allergenicity and on the microbiological and toxicological safety of foods and food-production chains. We offer a unique approach for the timely detection of food incidents, evaluating the effect of changes in products and product chains, and assessing the effects of hygiene measures.
Manufacturers and public-sector bodies do not always have the appropriate means for efficiently assessing and safeguarding foods and food production in terms of safety and risks. Products contain an ever-increasing number of components, some of them in large concentrations. For many substances, information on toxicological risk and the likelihood that they could cause an allergic reaction is still lacking. A growing world population, decreasing space for food production, and a rising demand for natural ingredients are leading to new ways of producing food. Examples are the recovery of by-products from food-processing streams and the discovery of new protein sources. These new production methods involve new risks, however.
In addition, it is also difficult to gather information in the event of actual or potential incidents in food production. It is vital that information is available without delay so that risks can be assessed realistically and decisions (e.g. a recall) made promptly.
TNO is a leading independent party in safety assessment (including food safety) and risk management. Within open innovation programmes we develop methods that enable manufacturers and public-sector bodies to quickly and accurately assess the microbiological and toxicological safety of complex products. In addition, we have a unique risk-assessment method for allergens in food and we are developing methods for predicting the allergenicity of proteins and peptides. We are doing this in cooperation with other leaders in the field, such as Utrecht University, the University Medical Center Utrecht and the University of Nebraska. As a partner in various programmes for open innovation, TNO is also developing instruments for the early detection of public health risks and potential food incidents.
We are working on internationally recognised testing methods that speed up product and policy development and enable more decisive responses to potential food incidents.
TNO invests in four research lines:
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