Although we strive to answer as many questions as possible here on our site, please feel free to contact us if we have not answered your specific question!
Emport, LLC specializes in easy, accurate, on-site tests for food safety. We offer test kits for gluten and allergens, for general cleanliness, and for food fraud and quality. Since 2011, we have been working to match industry, laboratory, and consumer customers with the products that are best-suited to their particular needs. Our product offerings include GlutenTox, AlerTox, AllerSnap, Pro-Clean, OnSite Allergen, Proficiency Testing, Reference Materials, and more.
Purchases from our website are restricted to the United States, however some of our products can be shipped internationally and we welcome your request. If we are unable to ship to your location we will happily connect you with the appropriate resources. Additionally, our sales agents in Canada can be reached at glutentox.net.
Sorry, no. Emport, LLC is not equipped to perform in-house analysis of samples, nor can we issue certifications about the gluten content of your items. We are, however, happy to suggest alternatives. Kindly contact us for more information.
We strive to be as helpful as possible, and are happy to share resources that can be helpful in developing a safe manufacturing plan. However, Emport LLC itself is not a food safety consultant. Emport LLC cannot certify your products as gluten-free or allergen-free, or assist with the creation of your HACCP, HARCP, or Allergen Control Plan — but we can introduce you to people who can. Simply contact us and we’ll be happy to connect you to our network of food safety experts.
GlutenTox tests are user-friendly lateral flow tests that use the G12 antibody to detect gluten contamination in foods and liquids, and on surfaces. There are GlutenTox kits for every need, from home users to commercial manufacturers.
Lateral Flow Devices (or LFDs) refer to a category of test designed to detect the presence or absence of a particular substance, without the need for sophisticated lab equipment. Through capillary action, the sample is brought along the length of the test and – if the substance in question is detected – will cause a visible signal to appear. The most commonly-seen type of LFD test on the market today is the over-the-counter pregnancy test.
All GlutenTox tests have a flexible LOD for food testing, and the sensitivity of each test can be set by the person performing the analysis. GlutenTox Home can be set to 5ppm or 20ppm; GlutenTox Pro can be set to 5, 10, 20, or 40ppm, and GlutenTox Sticks can be set to a variety of thresholds as low as 3ppm and as high as 100ppm. Surface testing is a qualitative yes/no result.
According to the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the FDA and Health Canada, food can be considered “gluten-free” if it is made without gluten-containing ingredients and the amount of gluten present due to cross-contamination does not exceed 20 parts per million (ppm).
The G12 antibody was created to target the 33-mer peptide of the alpha-gliadin molecule. Studies show that this peptide is the primary cause of the auto-immune response in celiac patients. This leads to a high correlation between positive test results and samples that are toxic for people with celiac disease. If a food or beverage sample contains this toxic peptide in sufficient quantity, it will trigger a positive response from GlutenTox.
G12 is able to recognize gluten in wheat, barley, rye and certain strains of oat (for more on oat toxicity, see question below). It is also uniquely well-suited to detecting gluten in hydrolyzed, fermented, or otherwise processed foods. In addition, the G12 antibody shows no cross-reactivity with soy or any other gluten-free matrices.
Emport is pleased to share some details about the G12 antibody, specifically developed to identify the 33-mer peptide of α- gliadin. Read more in our News post on the G12 antibody.
Choosing GlutenTox: which kit is right for me?
There are several positive evaluations for the GlutenTox test kits and in-house gluten testing. These include: AOAC-RI has awarded GlutenTox Pro PTM status for testing both foods and surfaces; AESAN (The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition) has positively evaluated the GlutenTox Lateral Flow Devices as an accurate method for gluten detection in any types of food; GlutenTox Sticks have passed the FAPAS proficiency tests, an international standard based in the UK.
Yes, there are ELISA tests in both Sandwich and Competitive formats that contain the G12 antibody. Emport, LLC does not normally stock them, but if you are interested in running ELISA tests in your lab we will happily connect you with the proper contacts.
Over the years many students have enjoyed using GlutenTox to explain gluten-free foods to their classmates. If you are considering using GlutenTox as part of your project, we encourage you to contact us first so that we can offer pointers on popular experiment designs. We also have posted articles about Science Fair projects.
My kit has arrived! Now what?
Expiration dates are clearly printed on each kit, but are generally at least six months from the ship date. You will know if you are using a test that has expired because the blue control line will not appear.
All kits can be stored at 35°F – 85°F. We do not suggest storing kits in the refrigerator, as excess moisture can damage the test strips.
All components of the kit are non-toxic and therefore fully disposable in ordinary trash. They can be recycled where appropriate according to the material.
Surface testing is possible with both GlutenTox Pro and GlutenTox Sticks kits, and results will simple and qualitative: positive indicates the presence of gluten, negative indicates the absence of gluten at a level of 10ng/cm2.
Although it’s tempting to assign a ppm value for surface testing, this is technically impossible: after all, no one is eating the counter tops! Instead, surface gluten is measured in nanograms per square centimeter. The ppm value of a food that comes into contact with the surface would vary based on variables like volume (a little ball of dough or a big one?) and texture (dough vs an already-baked cookie?)
With GlutenTox, a negative surface test indicates that if a kilogram of absolutely gluten-free dough were kneaded on the surface, the dough would have
Click here for instructions, or scroll up one question. The instructions for testing surfaces for gluten begin at 2:59 on the video.
- Antioxidants, polyphenols, and tannins: Gluten found in matrices that are high in antioxidants, polyphenols, or tannins (for example cocoa or tea) can be difficult to extract. For this reason, it is possible that the amount of gluten present in these samples can be underestimated. If using GlutenTox Sticks, a separate polyphenol additive is available that can appropriately extract gluten from these matrices. Please note a positive result will always indicate the presence of gluten in the sample.
- Maggi – Seasoning – Arôme (liquid sauce): This seasoning sauce contains gluten as described by the manufacturer in its ingredients list. Note that its manufacturing process and other active ingredients are not suitable for GlutenTox Home. Consider this food as containing gluten.
- Soy Sauce: Naturally brewed soy sauce undergoes a fermentation process that often breaks down gluten to level close or below the detectable limit.
- Highly processed and complex matrices: Although GlutenTox Home and Pro tests have been successfully tested against a wide variety of highly-processed matrices, there may be some cases in which a more thorough extraction process is required to identify traces of gluten (for example, the multi-step extraction options available via GlutenTox Sticks). If you are planning to test a vitamin, supplement, medication, or other products that you feel may be highly processed, please contact us with more information about the specific item — we may recommend various modifications. In all cases, a positive test result always indicates the presence of gluten: to date no false positives have been found with G12.
- Items that are very high in silica: Large amounts silica can cause the extraction solution to “gel” in a way that can create challenges for the sample preparation process. These items often require special analysis in a laboratory setting. If you would like to test these items with GlutenTox, we suggest using half the amount of sample and double the number of drops as recommended in the manual.
- GlutenTox has been validated against some but not all personal care products. Because of the wide range of formulations and ingredients within personal care products, we recommend additional caution when testing shampoos, lotions, cosmetics, and other non-food items. While a positive result does always indicate the presence of gluten, false negatives are possible.
The short answer is that while you can certainly trust that any positive test results with GlutenTox are indeed positive for gluten, the possibility for false negatives is also real. All lateral flow kits for gluten face the same challenge when it comes to heavy hydrolyzation, malting, or fermenting – there is a small gray area where it’s possible for beers (or soy sauce, etc) to have their proteins broken-apart enough that they don’t register on tests, but still intact enough to possibly trigger a celiac response.
Below you’ll find some information relating to gluten detection in beers, including so-called ‘gluten-removed’ beers that use enzymes to degrade the malted barley.
- When it comes to testing for gluten in beer, antibody-based testing is currently the gold standard. An antibody is developed that looks for specific, short chains of amino acids that are unique to gluten (ie, not cross-reactive or found in other, safe foods). These short chains are called epitopes.
- Lateral flow / rapid kits require two copies of the chain – two epitopes – to “catch” the gluten molecule. For the G12 antibody, the epitope is found three times on the 33-mer peptide, which is known to be highly immunotoxic. So as long as the peptide is 2/3 intact, it should be identifiable.
- The most common type of lab test, a Sandwich ELISA, also requires two epitopes in order to identify gluten. There is a type of ELISA called a Direct or Competitive ELISA that only requires one epitope, but very few labs are trained to do these. They’re quite delicate and have not been validated as thoroughly as Sandwich ELISAs.
- There are situations where a beer could have small fragments of gluten in it that are too small for rapid tests to pick up (but that a Competitive ELISA could quantify). It’s generally accepted that these beers would not be celiac-safe.
- There are also situations where a beer could have small fragments of gluten that are too small for even a Competitive ELISA to pick up – and there is no consensus within the communities about whether or not these beers would be celiac-safe.
Troubleshooting
The test results should be read at 10 minutes (not before and not after). Any faint lines that appear after this time limit are not valid and do not indicate the presence of gluten in the sample. Conversely, positive results may fade in intensity after 10 minutes. If the test shows a pink line and a blue line at 10 minutes, it’s positive. If the test shows only a blue line at 10 minutes, it’s negative.
There aren’t any easy one-size-fits-all solutions to effectively control hazard points in the manufacturing process. Minimizing hazard points and identifying best practices takes experience and expertise. Emport does have some Best Practices Guides that you might find helpful. You can download Best Practices Guides for when to test effectively and how to sample your materials.
You can also reference Emport’s article Best Practices for Gluten-Free Manufacturers, which provides a fuller explanation of some of the key concepts in creating a hazard plan.
If your results are unexpected, please email us with more information about your test. We’ll work with you until your questions are resolved.
AlerTox Sticks kits are designed to help food manufacturers monitor levels of common allergenic proteins at every step of production and in a variety of matrices.
- Almond
- Crustacean
- Egg
- Fish
- Hazelnut
- Milk
- Mustard
- Peanut
- Sesame
- Soy
- Walnut
Interested in learning more about allergens and controlling in a manufacturing setting? Please refer to the articles on AlerTox in our collection.
Yes, there are ELISA tests available on special order for all AlerTox Sticks allergens and many others including sesame, walnut, and coconut. Contact us for details.
Although we cannot offer help for developing your specific plan, we’ve collected some links we feel may be of interest. The FDA provides guidance documents that cover basic questions about compliance to FDA legislation. You can also check our blog for some practical applications for allergen control.
Within the United States, FALCPA regulations cover the production and labeling of foods containing any of the eight currently listed major food allergens: soy, peanut, tree nut, wheat, egg, milk, crustacean/shellfish, and fish. Requirements in Canada can be found on Health Canada’s Food Allergen Labeling page. FARE, or Food Allergy Research and Education, also has detailed guidance documents for manufacturers of allergen-free foods.
Usually no, but some kits do require cotton swabs or cotton balls for surface testing.
Test results are available in less than 12 minutes.
Each AlerTox Sticks test kit has a slightly different LOD, but most can detect a minimum amount of allergen ranging from 1-10 ppm.
AlerTox Sticks kits do not hold any external validation. However, no regulating body has established validations for any testing procedure for the allergens addressed by the suite of AlerTox Sticks kits. Please contact us if you are interested in receiving the validation reports.
The kits are designed to detect traces of allergen, and therefore samples that are very high in allergenic proteins (eg more than 5,000-10,000 ppm) may incur a false negative in the form of a hook effect. Matrices that contain a very high amount of the allergen can override the test. If you suspect this to be the case, an option is to dilute the sample (1 part sample to 3 parts water, for example) and re-test. You can always contact us with questions.
Lateral flow kits like AlerTox can have trouble with foods that have been fermented, hydrolyzed, malted, cured or otherwise very highly processed to the point where their proteins start to break down. The antibody in the test kit is looking for a very small sequence of amino acids, and it needs to have this sequence repeated at least 2x/molecule to catch and count the molecule in its search for the PPM value.
As food processing breaks the proteins apart, there is a phase where they could be too small to get “caught” by the test but still big enough to cause damage to someone with an allergy.
It is impossible to manufacture a single kit that can recognize all species of fish, or all manufacturing conditions (boiled, in oil, in vinegar, dried etc). Although AlerTox Sticks Fish can recognize between 30-50 types of bony fish, some show a reduced response in certain manufacturing processes. Canned tuna and surimi, or crab stick, are particularly difficult to detect. Please contact us with information about the matrices you are testing. We’ll be able to help determine whether or not the kit will fit your needs.
Yes, rinse water can be tested following the general instructions for testing liquids.
Yes, the directions for testing surfaces is included in the manuals.
The AlerTox Sticks Crustacean test is applicable for qualitative detection of target antigens in the samples of complex foods and surface swabs. The sensitivity of the test may decrease in case of heat-processed food or fat-rich samples (e.g. in presence of oil or cream). Some fish processing technologies, eg preparation of surimi, selectively deplete the antigen (tropomyosin), sometimes resulting in weak positive or even false negatives.
The AlerTox Sticks Egg kit recognizes Ovalbumin, which is a glycoprotein that comprises 54% of the total proteins of egg white. AlerTox Sticks Egg will not detect the allergen presence in samples that have been exposed to high heat for an extended period. (higher than 212°F for more than 30 minutes.)
It is impossible to manufacture a single kit that can recognize all species of fish, or all manufacturing conditions (boiled, in oil, in vinegar, dried etc). Although AlerTox Sticks Fish can recognize between 30-50 types of bony fish, some show a reduced response in certain manufacturing processes. Canned tuna and surimi, or crab stick, are particularly difficult to detect. Please contact us with information about the matrices you are testing. We’ll be able to help determine whether or not the kit will fit your needs.
AlerTox Sticks Mustard tests can detect mustard content of 1ppm, measured as ground raw unprocessed mustard seed. The test kit will detect the presence of all related plants, but will not detect the presence of mustard greens.
AlerTox Sticks Almond, Hazelnut, Walnut and Peanut
The sensitivity of all of the nut detection tests decrease in an environment rich in fats (for example, in the presence of oil or creams).
- AlerTox Sticks Almond shows a considerable cross-reactivity in pit extracts of the fruits of Prunus and related genuses: peach, plum and apricot. If these pits are crushed during industrial processing of fruit masses (for example, in the production of jam), the resulting material may show false positivity with AlerTox Sticks Almond.
- AlerTox Sticks Hazelnut does not detect hydrolyzed, low molecular weight fragments of the target protein and therefore it could show a false negative result with fermented hazelnut milk. The sensitivity of the test decreases in an environment rich in fats (for example, in the presence of oil or creams).
- AlerTox Sticks Peanut is not recommended for use with samples containing Brazil nut, buckwheat, or walnut. These ingredients can trigger a false positive. Additionally, samples containing more than 2% of the following ingredients require the use of skim milk powder and additional waiting time to ensure against false positives: cocoa, barley, rye, oat, lima bean, pumpkin seed, sesame, almond, coconut, hazelnut, macadamia, pistachio, pecan, pine nut, paprika, and lemon juice
AlerTox Sticks Sesame The sensitivity of the AlerTox Sticks Sesame test decreases in an environment rich in fats (for example, in the presence of oil or creams). The kit should not be used to detect sesame oil.
AlerTox Sticks Soy senses the presence of trypsin inhibitor from soybeans (STI) with a sensitivity of 100 ng / g (0.1 ppm). This inhibitor is denatured only in presence of high temperatures. There is no process to remove 100% of STI, although UHT processes significantly reduce the amounts of STI, making it undetectable to the kit. The kit should not be used to detect soy lecithin or soy oil.
OnSite® Allergen test kits are rapid tests for food production facilities, commercial kitchens, and food safety labs. OnSite® Allergen Multiplex Tree Nut detects traces of protein residue from almond, cashew, hazelnut, pecan, pistachio, walnut (and to a lesser degree, coconut).
OnSite® III Allergen LFD kits
Contact us for CoAs, SDS and validation sheets. Search our Document Library for Manuals, IFUs and more. Contact us for details.
The OnSite® III Allergen Accessory Kit (PA-46) is required for all surface testing and sold separately. Kit includes:
- 10 single-use breakaway swabs
- 10 single-use extraction vials
Accessory Kit can be used for all OnSite® III Allergen test kits that use the OnSite® III Allergen LFD Buffer A. Use one swab to test for multiple allergens, saving time and reducing single-use plastics.
Testing Surfaces for Multiple Tree Nuts?
Consider OnSite Allergen Multiplex Tree Nut. Kit contains everything you need to simultaneously test for 6 common tree nuts (almond, cashew, hazelnut, pecan, pistachio, and walnut) on working surfaces.
Incorporating proficiency testing into your food safety plan is a great way to boost customer confidence, and can help maintain SQF compliance. And while it’s very possible to design a PT program in-house, using an accredited provider has advantages.
You can order gluten and allergen proficiency tests directly through our website.
For other schemes, please Contact Emport. The full list of proficiency testing schemes dozens of food microbiology and food chemistry concerns, including salmonella, listeria and e.coli, as well as indicator organisms, pesticides, proximates and elements, and heavy metals.
Each set of materials will be connected to one published report. Provided that the materials are supplied in sufficient quantity, facilities may use the materials to run multiple tests. There will be room on the sample submission portal to detail these results and all will be published on the same report.
Some proficiency testing schemes, including most surface analysis schemes, are suitable for only one set of results.
When you open the box, you will find some paperwork along with the kit components. Most importantly, you should keep track of two very important pieces of paper:
1. Instructions for Use
- This sheet will cover study number. If you are participating in a scheduled study, the date when your results will need to be submitted will be included. (Not applicable to all studies.) An express study will not have a printed date, but generally must be submitted within 45 days.
- Sample Description. Covers what is included in the kit as well as storage guidelines. In some cases, sample disposal guidelines will also be included.
- Preparation and Analysis Information. How to handle the test materials and report parameters.
2. Submission and Report Retrieval Guidelines
- This sheet has your Labcode, Password and Study Number. Keep track of this information since you will need it to submit your test findings and retrieve your pass/fail results.
- Sign in with your credentials to the PT Datalink.
- Fill in the form completely, and make sure that you click Finished Entering Results when you have completed the form.
- You will receive an email when the results are available. Please sign in with the credentials that you received with your order.
- Print and review your completed online report.
We’re always ready to assist if you have questions, or problems retrieving your information. You can also contact the lab directly with questions.
In a word: no.
While Emport LLC offers a variety of test kits that are suitable for use with many of these proficiency test schemes, you may use whichever test kits you prfer.
A successful round of PT Testing can be completed with a wide variety of commercially available test kits.
Test materials for allergens are shelf stable, but some tests may require special handling and/or refrigeration.
Information about storage will be packed with your testing materials.
Proficiency tests for all categories take place four times each year. You’ll receive the test materials at the beginning of the study or — if you order mid-study — when your order is placed. Be sure to submit your results to the datalink portal before the end of the study, as late submissions are not accepted. Study results will be provided 3-4 weeks after the close of the study, or within a week of results submisison for express PT.
Contact Emport LLC for specific scheduling details.
Orders may take up to 10 days to prepare and ship. If expedited delivery service is required, please contact us to confirm availability.
All sales are final. For more information, please see our Terms & Conditions.
