By Elizabeth Osayande

A chemical food safety researcher at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Food Allergy Research and Resource Programme FARRP, Jerry Kahu, with over a decade of experience in advanced food safety detection and multiple scientific publications, is developing groundbreaking methods that could transform how we protect people with food allergies worldwide.

In an exclusive chat with Vanguard, Kahu discusses his innovative work in revolutionizing food allergen detection.

Your journey has taken you from plant biochemistry to food safety and food allergen research in the United States. Could you tell us about yourself and this evolution?

My name is Jerry Kahu, and I am currently with the Food Allergy Research and Resource Programme, FARRP at the Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the U.S. My scientific journey reflects a consistent focus on advancing analytical methods in food science. At Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in Nigeria, my undergraduate research established tissue culture techniques for the induction and enhancement of alkaloid synthesis, a bioactive compound in plants with significant nutraceutical and pharmaceutical potentials. My findings suggested that optimized tissue culture growth conditions can enhance alkaloid accumulation, offering a sustainable and scalable alternative to traditional plant extraction methods.
Through my advanced degree and professional endeavours, I transitioned into chemical food safety, focusing on food toxins, toxicants and contaminants to help protect public health. I have published seven peer-reviewed papers on food quality and safety, with my leading paper on exploring organic fertilizer use on growth, chemical, and toxicological properties in different amaranth species. These papers, published in international journals such as the American Journal of Food and Nutrition and the Asian Journal of Advances in Agricultural Research, have been cited by scientists worldwide, demonstrating their impact on food science. This early work laid the groundwork for what would become my career-long commitment to food safety analysis.

Your regulatory experience sets you apart in the research field. How has this shaped your scientific contributions?

During my 12 years at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, the regulatory authority in Nigeria responsible for regulating food quality and safety of manufactured, imported, and exported food products, I rose to the position of Principal Regulatory Officer. In this role, I led a team of scientists in actively investigating the physicochemical and toxicological components of a diverse range of finished food products and agricultural raw materials using standardized analytical methods and other in-house methods I developed that are now used within our laboratory. Our analytical focus was on assessing food additives and food contaminants, including pesticide residues, mycotoxins, preservatives, and vitamins, to ensure compliance with national and international safety standards. This vast regulatory and analytical experience has led me to be involved in numerous training programs, conferences and workshops as a facilitator, presenter and participant. My excellent achievements in the laboratory earned me the ISO 17025 accreditation analyst award from the ANSI National Accreditation Board, ANAB, in 2017 and two outstanding technician grants from the Royal Society of Chemistry, RSC UK, in 2020. Additionally, my expertise in food contaminant analysis led to my nomination and participation in a funded programme on the enhancement of African food safety laboratory capacity to evaluate and improve methods for the analysis of food contaminants such as pesticide residues and mycotoxins through rapid screening and confirmatory techniques, specifically mass spectrometry.
Throughout my career, I have trained over 20 laboratory analysts and 300 student interns, who now lead private and public laboratories across Nigeria and the globe. My professional background and food safety expertise have fueled my passion for innovative research and its practical applications in food safety.

Your current research is breaking new ground in food allergen analysis. Could you explain the innovative aspects of your research and how it is influencing international food safety standards?

We are pioneering a multi-allergen mass spectrometry method that represents a significant advancement in food allergen analysis. My current research focuses on developing a novel multi-target mass spectrometry method that can simultaneously detect and quantify multiple tree nut allergens in incurred food matrices. The traditional immunoassay methods, while valuable, have limitations that lead to false negative results. For instance, when nuts are roasted or baked into products like cookies, the proteins can become modified, making them harder to detect accurately using this method. The mass spectrometry approach addresses these challenges by identifying specific peptide markers that remain stable regardless of whether the nuts are raw or processed.
While single-target analysis methods exist, our approach is novel because it moves beyond traditional single-target methods to establish a comprehensive solution that can quantify multiple allergens in a single analysis. By using a bottom-up proteomics workflow, we are selecting tree nut-specific peptides that maintain consistent abundance across different thermal processing conditions and several food matrices. Another approach to our method is that the allergens are incurred into the food as an ingredient before processing instead of spiking an allergen extract into the sample. This means we can achieve highly accurate and reliable detection even in complex processed foods. For food manufacturers and regulatory agencies, this could translate into more confident allergen control programs and, ultimately, better protection for allergic consumers.
My research is bridging crucial gaps between food safety testing capabilities around the world. While we are still in the development phase, our mass spectrometry method addresses some fundamental challenges in allergen analysis that have long concerned both regulatory authorities and food manufacturers. Our goal is to provide the food industry with a more reliable analytical tool for allergen detection and quantification that can handle the real-world challenges of food manufacturing environments. At the same time, it provides regulatory bodies with better tools to establish and enforce evidence-based safety standards.

Can you break down the technical challenges your research is addressing?

Our research is addressing critical technical challenges in allergen analysis, particularly in processed foods. One key issue is food matrix complexity and processing methods. The food matrices contain other substances that can interfere with food allergen detection when using immunoassay. Sometimes processing of the food can lead to protein modifications which limit detectability. Think of it like trying to find a specific fish in murky water, the environment makes it harder to see what you are looking for. Our method overcomes these issues by targeting specific peptide markers that remain stable and detectable even in processed foods.
Another major challenge is sensitivity. Allergen traces in food, which may be due to unavoidable cross-contact during production, can trigger severe reactions in susceptible individuals, and yet some testing methods lack the sensitivity to detect these trace amounts. Mass spectrometry offers high sensitivity and accuracy, ensuring that even minute allergen traces are identified. Furthermore, our method is not only considering single allergen sources, but we are looking towards simultaneous detection and quantification of multiple tree nuts in a single run. This makes the research particularly challenging because each nut type has its unique protein profiles. It is like monitoring several conversations in a crowded room at once. Therefore, we need a very accurate, sensitive and robust method to analyze these allergens.

How does this technical innovation translate to practical impact?

Our research has very direct practical applications for both the food industry and consumers with food allergies. Our work addresses a critical gap in food safety that affects about 33 million Americans and countless more globally. Current methods can miss allergens after severe heating and in complex matrices, putting lives at risk. Our multi-target mass spectrometry method would allow food manufacturers and regulatory agencies to conduct more comprehensive allergen testing efficiently. We are collaborating with major food manufacturers in the U.S. to implement this technology.
For testing laboratories, our method would streamline allergen analysis by detecting and quantifying multiple allergens in a single test, reducing time and costs. For consumers, this means more accurate food labelling and fewer instances of undeclared allergens, ultimately improving food safety. What is particularly exciting is that while we are currently focusing on tree nuts, the principles of our method could potentially be adapted for other food allergens in the future. This could create an even broader impact on food safety and prevent many of the 3.4 million annual emergency room visits caused by food allergic reactions in the U.S. alone.

How is your current research transforming food industry practices globally?

The potential global industry impact of our current research is remarkable. Our mass spectrometry method addresses a significant pain point in food manufacturing, the need for reliable, multi-target allergen testing for processed foods. By developing a method that can simultaneously detect and quantify several tree nut allergens, we are potentially offering a more efficient approach to allergen control.
However, I think it is important to note that transforming industry practices is a gradual process that requires extensive validation, regulatory acceptance, and industry adoption. While we are excited about the potential of our work, we are currently focused on ensuring our method is robust and reliable enough to meet global testing requirements. Our immediate objective is to provide the food industry with better tools for allergen control, which could ultimately lead to more efficient testing protocols and better protection for allergic consumers.

How does your research address public health challenges across different global contexts?

Public health is a fundamental human right, and our research aims to contribute significantly to ensuring consumer safety. Our research addresses critical public health issues related to food allergy in the U.S. and globally. With tree nut allergies affecting about 1% of the U.S. population and approximately 3% of the world’s population, the need for reliable testing methods crosses geographical boundaries and cannot be overemphasized. Processed foods make up a huge portion of our diet and can pose potential food safety risks, particularly the possibility of cross-contact during manufacturing processes. Considering there is currently no known cure for food allergies, allergenic persons are advised to avoid these allergens as even small levels can trigger severe reactions. Therefore, only accurate and sensitive methods can help to circumvent these risk factors. The traditional methods come with limitations that can sometimes struggle with processed foods, leading to either over-cautious labelling or potential risks from undeclared allergens. Our multi-target mass spectrometry method can offer a potential solution.
However, I want to be realistic about the current scope of our work. While we are developing this method with global applications in mind, implementation would require consideration of local regulatory frameworks, laboratory capabilities, and specific regional needs. The goal is to provide a scientifically robust method that can be adapted to different contexts while maintaining its reliability and accuracy. Ultimately, our research can lead to healthcare cost reductions in the U.S. health sector.

You mentioned your research has implications for healthcare costs. Could you elaborate on this aspect?

Absolutely. Food allergy reactions account for approximately 3.4 million emergency room visits annually in the U.S. alone. In a mind-blowing context, that is about one emergency room visit every 10 seconds. Each severe allergic reaction can cost thousands in medical bills, not to mention the emotional trauma. By improving allergen analysis and prevention, we could significantly reduce these healthcare costs.
Our research has several potential implications for healthcare costs in the U.S., both directly and indirectly. There is the preventive aspect, by developing reliable methods, we can help reduce the risk of accidental exposures that lead to allergic reactions. Each avoided emergency room visit represents significant cost savings, not just in terms of immediate medical expenses, but also in terms of lost workdays and follow-up care. When you consider that tree nut allergies affect approximately 1% of the population in the U.S., as mentioned earlier, the cumulative healthcare savings could be substantial.
We want to contribute to a more comprehensive food safety system that helps prevent allergic reactions before they occur, potentially reducing the burden on our healthcare system while improving the quality of life for individuals with food allergies.

Looking ahead, how do you see your research shaping the future of food safety and bridging multiple aspects of food safety?

While our current focus is on tree nuts, we are establishing a framework that could revolutionize all food allergen testing. Our multi-target mass spectrometry method could help establish a new standard for allergen detection and quantification. Thus, by simultaneously quantifying multiple tree nut allergens with high accuracy, even in processed foods like cookies and chocolate, we are moving toward more reliable food safety testing. This could lead to a future where food manufacturers can implement more targeted and effective allergen control programs. In addition, the methods and tools we are developing could also pave the way for broader applications in food safety testing.
Furthermore, our research might help inform more evidence-based regulatory standards. Currently, some food safety standards must account for the limitations of existing detection methods. As we develop more accurate quantification techniques, it could enable regulators to establish more precise threshold levels for allergen labelling and control. However, we need to know that food safety advances require careful validation and systematic implementation.
My unique background in both regulatory affairs and advanced research has allowed me to address food safety challenges comprehensively. We are not just developing new methods; we are creating solutions that work across different regulatory frameworks and manufacturing environments. Our research has implications for everything from improving analytical methods to informing food processing strategies.

Finally, what drives your continued innovation in this field?

What really drives me is the direct impact of our research on people’s lives. Understanding the health implications of food allergens on children and adults, we realize that we are not only working on something that could help protect millions of people but also knowing that somewhere, a parent of a child or even adult with food allergies might one day feel more confident about the food they are buying because of our methods.
It is this combination of scientific innovation and practical impact that makes this work so compelling and worthwhile. Every advancement we make in the laboratory represents potential protection for millions of people with food allergies. We are not just pushing the boundaries of analytical science; we are creating practical solutions that save lives and improve food safety globally.

Jerry Kahu continues his innovative research at the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His unique combination of international regulatory experience and cutting-edge research expertise has established him as a leading figure in chemical food safety. His work and expertise internationally are transforming how we protect millions of people affected by food allergies worldwide.