Assessment of allergenic peanut residue in commercial baby biscuits: implications for food safety and consumer protection

Abstract

Peanuts are among the most clinically important food allergens and may cause severe reactions even at very low exposure levels. This study investigated the presence of peanut residues in packaged baby biscuits marketed on the European side of Istanbul without peanut-containing ingredient declarations. A total of 100 packaged baby biscuit samples labelled as not containing peanut ingredients were collected from retail outlets in Basaksehir (n = 35), Eyup (n = 33), and Avc & imath;lar (n = 32) between January and June 2022 and analysed using a commercial ELISA kit (RIDASCREEN (R) FAST Peanut; analytical range 3.3-20 mg/kg, with a limit of detection of 3.3 mg/kg). The products consisted of plain, whole grain, goat's milk-based, vegetable-based, butter-based, apple-flavoured, and gluten-free baby biscuits. Peanut residues above the kit threshold (3.30 mg/kg) were detected in 15 samples (15%), with quantified values ranging from 3.94 to 4.93 mg/kg, while the remaining 85 samples (85%) were below the detection limit. No statistically significant association was found between product type and the presence of peanut residues. These findings demonstrate a potential risk of unintentional peanut presence in baby biscuits and highlight the need for strengthened allergen management, validated cleaning procedures, and accurate allergen labelling to protect sensitive consumer groups, particularly infants and young children.