Sesame in Lebanese foods and allergy risk in children
What it found
Sesame proteins turned up in many Lebanese food products that did not list sesame as an ingredient, and a computer model predicted allergic reactions in children and adolescents, especially from a cake called sfouf.
What they found
Sesame in food samples
Of 1270 food samples analysed, 34% contained sesame proteins, at levels from 0.44 to 3392 mg per kg.
Sesame in unlabeled bulk
Sesame was detected in 47% of unlabeled bulk samples.
Sesame and PAL labels
Sesame was found in 43% of samples with a precautionary allergen label and 27% of samples without one.
Sfouf levels and exposure
Sfouf had the highest concentration of sesame proteins (mean 549 mg per kg) and the highest mean exposure per eating occasion: 78 mg for children and 103 mg for adolescents.
Predicted reaction risk
Sfouf posed the highest predicted risk per eating occasion (over 20%) and per week (over 13% of individuals in the simulation were predicted to have at least 1 reaction).
What the authors conclude
“Bakery products (notably "sfouf") may pose a serious risk to sesame-allergic children and adolescents in Lebanon.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say bakery products, notably sfouf, may pose a serious risk to sesame-allergic children and adolescents in Lebanon.
- They call for enhanced guidance on the use of PAL to better protect allergic consumers.
How it was done
Sesame is used heavily in Middle Eastern diets, but studies on this allergen in the region are lacking.
The researchers surveyed sesame occurrence in Lebanese food products, ran a food consumption survey in Beirut schools, and used the most recent sesame eliciting dose estimates to build a risk assessment model. The model estimated sesame-induced allergic reactions per eating occasion and per week in Lebanese children and adolescents.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- The risk estimates come from a computer model, not from watching real people have reactions.
- The model used sesame eliciting dose estimates from other sources, so the predictions depend on those inputs.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Université Laval, Canada; Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, Lebanon; University of Nebraska, USA
The paper
- Title
- Sesame as an allergen in Lebanese food products: Occurrence, consumption and quantitative risk assessment
- Type
- Study
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Touma J, Dominguez S, La Vieille S, et al (2021). Sesame as an allergen in Lebanese food products: Occurrence, consumption and quantitative risk assessment. Food and chemical toxicology. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2021.112511PubMed 34391860DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error