If you change over lines between allergen and non-allergen products, the riskiest moment isn’t on paper—it’s on stainless steel. That’s why quick, on-site surface checks are gold. Lab2GO bundles Zeulab’s Proteon Express lateral-flow tests into a portable briefcase so any operator can verify cleaning effectiveness in about 10 minutes, with no extra equipment. Think of it as an allergen “lab” you can carry to the line between runs.
Why this matters in Australia—right now
Australia’s Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL) requirements tightened how allergens must be declared on labels from 25 February 2024. Robust allergen management and verification underpin compliant labels and consumer safety—especially when you rely on shared lines and quick turnarounds.
Beyond labels, Australia/NZ industry best practice (e.g., the Allergen Bureau’s guidance and VITAL® framework) stresses validated cleaning plus routine verification to reduce cross-contact risk and to support consistent precautionary statements only when appropriate. Fast, surface-specific checks help you prove cleaning worked before you restart production—without waiting on a central lab.
What is Lab2GO?
Lab2GO is a ready-to-go briefcase pre-loaded with Proteon Express strips and everything needed for surface testing. You can customise the kit to the allergens that matter for your site, then carry it to the exact point of need. The process is simple: swab the surface, extract, insert the strip, wait 10 minutes, and read the result visually.
Under the hood: Proteon Express uses immunochromatographic (lateral-flow) sandwich assays—antibody-based tests designed to detect specific allergenic proteins on work surfaces. Lateral-flow devices are widely used to verify cleaning efficacy because they’re fast, simple, and operator-friendly.
Sensitivities you can plan around
On surfaces (typically ~100 cm² swab areas), Lab2GO’s Proteon Express strips detect down to the following limits of detection (LOD):
Milk (β-lactoglobulin & casein): 0.7 µg
Egg: 0.25 µg
Gluten: 1 µg
Soy: 0.7 µg
Fish: 0.25 µg
Crustaceans: 4 µg
Almond: 0.9 µg
Hazelnut: 1 µg
All with ~10-minute assay time and visual readout. (Different product variants exist for some analytes; your Vendart rep can help match the right strip to your matrices and processing conditions.)
Tip: Many programs swab at least 100 cm² per location as a practical minimum for environmental allergen checks, consistent with European industry guidance often referenced for surface sampling.
Where Lab2GO slots into your allergen program
1) Between-batch release
- Verify that post-cleaning allergen residues are below LOD before the next product runs.
- Document results with lot/line/time to support release decisions and audits.
2) CAPA & hotspot control
- Rapidly re-check hard-to-clean areas (dead-legs, gaskets, conveyors, utensils) and update SSOPs where residues persist.
3) External audits & consultancy
- Consultants and auditors can carry the briefcase and validate a site’s cleaning effectiveness on the spot—no lab booking needed.
4) Foodservice & catering (“restoration”)
- Kitchens that handle allergen-heavy prep can verify cleaning on benches and tools before service and during menu changeovers.
Why not just protein swabs?
Total-protein swabs are great hygiene indicators, but they’re non-specific—they can light up for any protein, not necessarily the allergen you care about. Allergen-specific lateral-flow strips confirm the presence/absence of the actual allergenic protein (e.g., β-lactoglobulin, ovalbumin), delivering higher decision confidence at changeover. Many teams use both: protein for broad hygiene trending, and allergen-specific strips for release decisions.
Please remove this section since we also sell protein detection kits – INDIPRO.
A quick, practical workflow (that operators will actually use)
Plan the swabs: map high-risk sites (pre- and post-clean) in your SSOP.
Swab ~100 cm² per site after cleaning.
Run the strip: extract → insert strip → read at ~10 min.
Decide: if non-detect, proceed; if detectable, re-clean and re-test.
Record: log lot/line/operator/time and retain results for audit traceability.
Data that helps you move faster
Because results are ready in minutes and strips are tuned to low surface LODs (down to 0.25–1 µg for many allergens), you can shorten changeover downtime without compromising safety. And since the briefcase doesn’t require extra hardware or power, you can test right where decisions are made—on the floor.
Who benefits most?
Food & beverage manufacturers under BRCGS/FSANZ oversight wanting faster, defensible release decisions.
Consultants & auditors who need portable, validated tools.
Laboratories covering gaps when instruments or staff are tied up.
Foodservice teams managing frequent allergen changeovers.
Ready to tighten your allergen changeovers?
Vendart can help you configure a Lab2GO briefcase to your site’s exact allergen risks (milk, egg, gluten, soy, fish, crustaceans, nuts) and build a sampling plan that fits your HACCP and label-claim strategy. Contact us to discuss your allergen testing requirements and put a portable, 10-minute verification step between you and a recall.
For Further Enquiry Contact: sales@vendart.com.au
