Quality Control System for Beer Developed with Monoclonal Antibodies Specific to Barley Lipid Transfer Protein

Non-specific lipid transfer protein (LTP) in barley grain reacted with the IgE in 26 sera drawn from food allergy patients. A sandwich-type of enzyme-linked immunosorbent 27 assay (ELISA) was developed with mouse monoclonal antibodies raised against LTP 28 purified with barley flour. This ELISA showed a practical working range of 0.3–3 ng/mL 29 and no cross-reactivity with wheat, adlay and rye. Using this ELISA, LTP was determined 30 in several types of barley-foods, including fermented foods such as malt vinegar, barley31 malt miso and beer. LTP content in beer of the same kind was approximately constant, 32 even if manufacturing factory and production days were different. Not only as a factor of 33 foam formation and stability but also as an allergen, controlling and monitoring of LTP in 34 beer should be considered. Taken together, our LTP-detecting ELISA can be proposed as 35 an appropriate system for the quality control of beer. 36