Cashew ELISA Kit

The Cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) belongs to the family of Anacardiaceae. With about 18% the fraction of proteins in cashew seed is very high. Some of these proteins, like the vicilin Ana o 1, the legumin Ana o 2 or the albumin Ana o 3 are known for being allergenic. Many of them are heat resistant making them stable to different production processes. For this reason cashew represents an important food allergen. For cashew-allergic persons hidden cashew allergens in food are a critical problem. Already very low amounts of cashew can cause allergic reactions, which may lead to anaphylactic shock in severe cases. Because of this, cashew-allergic per­sons must strictly avoid the consumption of cashew containing food. Cross-contamination, most­ly in consequence of the production pro­cess, is often noticed. This explains why in many cases the existence of cashew residues in food cannot be excluded. For this reason sensitive detection systems for cashew residues in food­stuffs are required. The Cashew ELISA represents a highly sensitive detection system for cashew and is particularly capable of the quantification of residues in cookies, cereals, ice-cream and chocolate.