title: Enzymatic treatment of peanut kernels to reduce allergen levels.
abstract: This study investigated the use of enzymatic treatment to reduce peanut allergens in peanut kernels as affected by processing conditions. Two major peanut allergens, Ara h 1 and Ara h 2, were used as indicators of process effectiveness. Enzymatic treatment effectively reduced Ara h 1 and Ara h 2 in roasted peanut kernels by up to 100% under optimal conditions. For instance, treatment of roasted peanut kernels with α-chymotrypsin and trypsin for 1-3h significantly increased the solubility of peanut protein while reducing Ara h 1 and Ara h 2 in peanut kernel extracts by 100% and 98%, respectively, based on ELISA readings. Ara h 1 and Ara h 2 levels in peanut protein extracts were inversely correlated with protein solubility in roasted peanut. Blanching of kernels enhanced the effectiveness of enzyme treatment in roasted peanuts but not in raw peanuts. The optimal concentration of enzyme was determined by response surface to be in the range of 0.1-0.2%. No consistent results were obtained for raw peanut kernels since Ara h 1 and Ara h 2 increased in peanut protein extracts under some treatment conditions and decreased in others.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Jianmei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Center for Excellence in Post-Harvest Technologies, The North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, NC 28081, USA. Electronic address: ahmedna@ncat.edu.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahmedna
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Ipek
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goktepe
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Southern Regional Research Center (USDA-ARS-SRRC), New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Hsiaopo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Southern Regional Research Center (USDA-ARS-SRRC), New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Soheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maleki
keywords: Ara h 1; Ara h 2; Blanching; Enzymatic degradation; Peanut allergens; Roasting