title: Food Allergy.
abstract: Food allergy is receiving increased attention in recent years. Because there is currently no known cure for food allergy, avoiding the offending food is the best defense for sensitive individuals. Type I food allergy is mediated by food proteins, and thus, theoretically, any food protein is a potential allergen. Variability of an individual's immune system further complicates attempts to understand allergen-antibody interaction. In this article, we briefly review food allergy occurrence, prevalence, mechanisms, and detection. Efforts aimed at reducing/eliminating allergens through food processing are discussed. Future research needs are addressed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 30306-1493; email: ssathe@fsu.edu.
authors.forename: Shridhar K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sathe
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 30306-1493; email: ssathe@fsu.edu.
authors.forename: Changqi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 30306-1493; email: ssathe@fsu.edu.
authors.forename: Valerie D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Zaffran
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D004063:Digestion; D005511:Food Handling; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D007073:Immunoglobulin E
keywords: allergy; epitope; food; processing; protein