Herring (Clupea harengus L.) is a valuable commercial fish widely used in various processed forms: salted, pickled, smoked, and canned. It is rich in vitamin D, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, and calcium. The main fishing areas are the northeastern and northwestern Atlantic, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, and coastal waters of Canada, the United Kingdom, Iceland, and Norway.
The prevalence of fish allergy, particularly to herring, is higher in countries with intensive fish consumption and fish processing industries. Allergy manifests upon oral ingestion, exposure to vapors during processing, and skin contact. Symptoms include oral reactions, respiratory symptoms (asthma, sneezing, shortness of breath, runny nose), and contact dermatitis. The main allergen is Clu h1 (beta-parvalbumin), a heat-stable calcium-binding protein. Herring may cross-react with anchovies, sardines, Pacific herring, as well as parvalbumins from salmon, pollock, wolf fish, Baltic and Atlantic cod.
FEIA (Fluorescence Enzyme Immunoassay), ImmunoCAP (Solid-phase Immunofluorescence) – quantitative determination.
Please note that the research method and reference values may vary depending on the equipment and test systems used.