title: Wild buckwheat is unlikely to pose a risk to buckwheat-allergic individuals.
abstract: Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is a commonly allergenic food especially in Asia where buckwheat is more commonly consumed. Wild buckwheat (Polygonum convolvulus, recently changed to Fallopia convolvulus) is an annual weed prevalent in grain-growing areas of the United States. Wild buckwheat is not closely related to edible buckwheat although the seeds do have some physical resemblance. A large shipment of wheat into Japan was halted by the discovery of the adventitious presence of wild buckwheat seeds over possible concerns for buckwheat-allergic consumers. However, IgE-binding was not observed to an extract of wild buckwheat using sera from 3 buckwheat-allergic individuals either by radio-allergosorbent test inhibition or by immunoblotting after protein separation by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Furthermore, the extract of wild buckwheat was not detected in a buckwheat enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay developed with antisera against common buckwheat. Thus, wild buckwheat is highly unlikely to pose any risk to buckwheat-allergic individuals. The common names of plants should not be a factor in the risk assessment for possible cross-allergenicity.
authors.affiliation: Food Allergy Research & Resource Program, Dept. of Food Science & Technol., Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0919, USA.
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Nordlee
authors.forename: Rakhi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Panda
authors.forename: Joseph L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Baumert
authors.forename: Richard E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: Steve L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D019612:Fagopyrum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007564:Japan; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D012307:Risk Factors; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D010940:Plant Proteins; D007073:Immunoglobulin E