title: Food processing and allergenicity.
abstract: Food processing can have many beneficial effects. However, processing may also alter the allergenic properties of food proteins. A wide variety of processing methods is available and their use depends largely on the food to be processed. In this review the impact of processing (heat and non-heat treatment) on the allergenic potential of proteins, and on the antigenic (IgG-binding) and allergenic (IgE-binding) properties of proteins has been considered. A variety of allergenic foods (peanuts, tree nuts, cows' milk, hens' eggs, soy, wheat and mustard) have been reviewed. The overall conclusion drawn is that processing does not completely abolish the allergenic potential of allergens. Currently, only fermentation and hydrolysis may have potential to reduce allergenicity to such an extent that symptoms will not be elicited, while other methods might be promising but need more data. Literature on the effect of processing on allergenic potential and the ability to induce sensitisation is scarce. This is an important issue since processing may impact on the ability of proteins to cause the acquisition of allergic sensitisation, and the subject should be a focus of future research. Also, there remains a need to develop robust and integrated methods for the risk assessment of food allergenicity.
authors.affiliation: TNO, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Kitty C M
authors.initials: KCM
authors.lastname: Verhoeckx
authors.affiliation: Nestlé Research Center, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Yvonne M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Vissers
authors.affiliation: University of Nebraska, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Baumert
authors.affiliation: International Life Sciences Institute-ILSI Europe, Belgium. Electronic address: publications@ilsieurope.be.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Faludi
authors.affiliation: Tereos Syral, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feys
authors.affiliation: Reading Science Centre, Mondelez International, UK.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Flanagan
authors.affiliation: Bayer S.A.S., France.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herouet-Guicheney
authors.affiliation: Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Holzhauser
authors.affiliation: Kikkoman Europe R&D Laboratory, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shimojo
authors.affiliation: Wageningen University and Research Centre, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nieke
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: van der Bolt
authors.affiliation: Wageningen University and Research Centre, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wichers
authors.affiliation: University of Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kimber
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000737:chemistry*; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D011506:Proteins
keywords: Allergenicity; Allergic sensitisation; Food allergy; Food processing; IgE antibody