Learn About Common Food Allergens

Although ingredients are now labeled on packaged products in a number of countries across the globe, there is limited information available about nutrition and ingredients for menu items in restaurants and other eating establishments worldwide.

Therefore, the best way to expand your knowledge of allergens for both inside and outside the home is to learn about the specific allergens and understand their various derivatives.

The allergens defined below include: corn, dairy, eggs, fish, gluten/wheat, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy and tree nuts. Each allergen description outlines summary information, alternative names and derivatives – excerpted from the Let’s Eat Out! series with the exception of sesame.

Corn
Corn, in its natural form, can be easily detected as an ingredient in many products and dishes. In some parts of the world, it is referred to as maize. Additionally, hominy is a term for corn primarily found in North America.

Dairy
Dairy products are commonly used in many ethnic cuisines and have many forms. In the case of product labels, dairy products can be represented using alternative names such as casein, caseinates, ghee, hydrolysates, lactalbumin, lactoglobulin, lactose and whey.

Milk Allergen PDF – Anaphylaxis Australia  

Eggs
Eggs are used in most ethic cuisines and are commonly found in commercially made food products. In the case of product labels, products derived from eggs can be represented using alternative names such as albumin (albumen), conalbumin, globulin, lecithin (from egg), livetin, lysozyme, ovalbumin, ovamucin, ovoglobulin, ovolactohydrolyze proteins, ovomacroglobulin, ovomucoid, ovotransferrin, ovovitellin, silco-albuminate and vitellin.

Egg Allergen PDF – Anaphylaxis Australia

Fish
Fish is  used primarily as a main ingredient in most dishes. There are also some commercially produced fish products such as fish sauces, fish oil, agar, alginic acid, disodium ionsinate, surimi, caviar and roe.

Some common fish names are: anchovy, bass, bluefish, bream, carp, catfish (channel cat, mudcat) char, chub, cisco, cod, eel, flounder, grouper, haddock, hake, halibut, herring, mackerel, mahi-mahi, marlin, monkfish (angler fish, lotte) and orange roughy.

Additional common fish name include: perch, pickerel (dore, walleye), pike, plaice, pollock, pompano, porgy, rockfish, salmon, sardine, shark, smelt, snapper, sole, sturgeon, swordfish, tilapia (St. Peter’s fish) trout, tuna (albacore, bonito), turbot, white fish and whiting.

Fish Allergen PDF – Anaphylaxis Australia

Gluten/Wheat
Gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye and barley. It is a composite name representing gliadin in wheat, hordein in barley and secalin in rye. Gluten can also be the name given for avenin, a slightly different protein found in oats.

It should be noted that oats without measurable contamination from wheat, rye and barley may be referred to as certified gluten-free oats in some parts of the world.  Individuals that experience a reaction to pure uncontaminated oats are reacting to the oat avenin.

Individuals can also have allergies, intolerances or sensitivities to wheat without having the dietary concerns for other grains that contain gluten.  For gluten-free & wheat-free grains.

Wheat Allergen PDF – Anaphylaxis Australia

List of Gluten & Wheat Free Grains

Peanuts

Peanuts are legumes like peas or beans and are used frequently in Asian, Central and South American cuisines as well as various products.  Peanut oil, also known as arachis oil in Europe, is commonly used for frying in Asian, Indian, French and French-influenced cuisines.

Other names for peanuts include: beer nuts, cacahouéte, cacahouette, cacahuéte, earth nuts, goober nuts, ground nuts, mandelonas and valencias.

Special Diet Needs: Peanut Allergy

Peanut Allergen PDF – Anaphylaxis Australia

Sesame
It should be noted that sesame is identified on all product labels in the European Union, Australia and New Zealand. However, the United States does not require sesame to be declared on product ingredient lists at the present time.

Other names for sesame seeds and dishes that may contain sesame include: benne (benne seed, benniseed), gingelly (gingilly oil), gomashio, halvah, hummus, seeds, sesamol (sesamolina), sesamum indicum, sim sim, tahina, tahini, til and vegetable oil.

Sesame Allergen PDF – Anaphylaxis Australia

Shellfish
Shellfish are divided into two categories, crustaceans and mollusks. Some crustaceans include copepods, crab, crayfish, lobster, prawns and shrimp. Mollusks include abalone, clam, conch, escargot (snails), limpets, mussels, octopus, oysters, scallops, squid (calamari) and whelks.

Shellfish Allergen PDF – Anaphylaxis Australia

Soy / Soya
Soy is a legume like peas or beans and is used frequently in Asian cuisines.  In some parts of the world it is referred to as soya or soja. Other names for soy include: edamame, miso, natto, okara, shoyu, tamari, tempeh, tofu (soybean curds) and yuba. Its derivatives are contained in many commercially produced products.

Soy Allergen PDF – Anaphylaxis Australia

Tree Nuts
Tree nuts are considered “true nuts” and are used in many ethnic cuisines and products. Various tree nuts from around the world include: almonds (marzipan, amaretti or almondine), beechnuts, Brazil nuts (cream nuts or para nuts), cashews, chestnuts, gevuina nut, gianduja, hazlenuts (filberts), hickory nuts, macadamia nuts (Australian nuts or Queensland nuts), pecans, pine nuts (pignoli, pinon, pinyon, Indian nuts or stone nuts), pistachios, pralines and walnuts (butternuts).

Tree Nut Allergen PDF – Anaphylaxis Australia

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