Additives and processing aids used in grape products : a new approach to protect allergic subjects

Since the prevalence of food allergy and intolerance is increasing in the world, several Food Safety Authorities asked to improve the labeling to protect consumers suffering from these diseases. New international Directives include alcoholic beverages making mandatory, also for this category, the labeling of all ingredients with allergenic effects. At present, there is no recognized protocol to perform studies capable to ensure the safety of treated wines for allergic subjects. Between processing aids and additives used in enology, egg and milk proteins are the most dangerous since the percentage of adults suffering from these allergies cannot be ignored (more or less 0.3 % for both allergens). Moreover, other categories, such as patients suffering from celiac disease, must be protected by negative effects of toxic cereal derivatives. On these bases, the aim of this research was the identification of the most suitable approach to evaluate the safety of wines treated with allergenic proteins, considering different possible combinations with secondary fining agents.