During the 248 th national meeting of theAmerican Chemical Society (August 10-14, 2014), researchers fromUS Agricultural Department presented their work on cashew nut, aiming to minimize its allergenic nature.
“The most accepted practice for preventing food allergy consists of completely eliminating certain foods, notes Chris Mattison, biologist co-author of the study. Clinical studies to test immunotherapy treatment are underway, but we approach food allergy through agriculture rather than medicine. Can we change the food, rather than treating the patient, so as to eliminate or reduce allergic reactions ? “
So Mattison’s team is looking for a way to modify the proteins of nuts cashews, which elicit an immune response in allergy sufferers. This response is induced by immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, which recognize and bind to allergenic proteins. Mattison then explains that a change in the shape of the protein would complicate the work of IgE.
Until then, such studies had taken place with aggressive chemical compounds. But this time, the researchers worked with substances authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), suitable for food and pharmaceuticals.
“We found that sodium sulfite could indeed disrupt the structure of two cashew allergens, Mattison announces, and we carried out different tests to show that we had reduced the binding of IgE to proteins, when they were treated with sodium sulfite. “
Scientists now plan to experiment with all kinds of nuts, and test the modified proteins in cell models, to study the response. They are also interested in enzymes, which have the ability to cut proteins, and which would make good candidates against allergens.
This work is all the more important since in the United States, every 3 minutes, a person goes to the emergency room because of an allergic reaction, which represents the equivalent of 200,000 visits per year.
In France, the National Health Nutrition Program considers that food allergies affect 3 to 4% of adults and 6 to 8% of children.
Source:
Making cashews safer for those with allergies, http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-08/acs-mcs071614.php