Prevalence and risk analysis of food allergens in the Middle-East region - A sesame pilot study
- Period: 2017-04-04 2022-12-31
Ownership
Overview
Sesame allergy is a public health problem in many countries of the world. It causes symptoms of varying severity up to anaphylactic shock. In Lebanon, all the data and information collected highlight a real health risk concerning sesame. Irani & Maalouly 2015 reported signs of anaphylaxis in 10.8% of cases. In another study, reactions to sesame seeds were severe and anaphylaxis was the only clinical manifestation. Sesame often appears unintentionally in food products, when the production lines used are the same for sesame and non-sesame foods. These findings, suggest that sesame is an almost neglected food allergen in the quality management processes of foods manufactured in Lebanon and may thus lead to negative health and economic impacts, hence the following hypothesis:
A comparative risk analysis approach associated with a risk assessment of foods in the Lebanese and Quebec markets will allow to qualify the extent of cross-contamination associated with sesame in foods and to outline intervention paths.
Additional information
This work was supported through funding from the Food Regulatory Platform Fund, part of the Trust fund of Laval University, and specifically through contributions and donations provided by R-biopharm inc. to the trust fund. The authors would like to thank Dr Michel Afram (Director General of the Lebanese Agriculture Research Institute) for his support and Dominique Fournier for the English correction.
