Location: Food Processing and Sensory Quality Research
Project Number: 6054-30600-006-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Jul 28, 2025
End Date: Jul 27, 2030
Objective:
Objective 1: Develop innovative purification and characterization techniques for new and existing native and recombinant allergens, with the aim of creating improved allergen detection and characterization tools.
Objective 2: Investigate the contribution of linear and conformational IgE and IgG4 binding sites on peanut and tree nut allergens to their allergenic potential and identify biomarkers for the development of enhanced diagnostics and therapeutic food.
Objective 3: Monitor and characterize allergen sequence diversity, gene expression, protein level, and modification during commercial tree nut development and processing to guide the rational design of hypoallergenic or therapeutic food.
Approach:
Food allergy is a complex immunological disorder mediated by IgE antibodies reacting with allergenic proteins, triggering potentially life-threatening reactions. The economic impact of food allergy is estimated at 24.8 billion annually and allergens are the primary reason for FDA food recalls. Up to 50% of individuals with food allergy are allergic to more than one food. One third of peanut and tree nut allergic individuals have IgE-mediated cross reactions to other nuts, indicating common features among allergenic proteins. This causes inaccuracy in diagnostic tests and results in needless, lifelong avoidance of all nuts by allergic individuals. This indicates the need for more accurate diagnostic tests. Through a better understanding of molecular allergen-antibody interactions and processing induced changes, as well as how allergens accumulate during plant development, we can develop more effective tools for diagnosing, detecting and managing allergens in nuts and nut-containing foods.
Peanut and tree nut allergies are rarely outgrown, on the rise, and a major public health concern. Our objective is to mitigate the incidence of peanut and tree nut allergies, minimize accidental exposure instances, and alleviate the severity of allergic reactions through a multifaceted approach. This approach involves examining the allergenic properties of these foods by identifying the shared proteins, structural features, and peptide compositions responsible for allergy induction and cross-reactivity with other nuts and pollen. Such insights are crucial for enhancing detection accuracy and diagnostic methodologies. This research also investigates variations in allergen modification and accumulation during processing or plant growth, enabling the development of hypoallergenic and prophylactic foods. We aim to elucidate the intricate genetic variations underpinning allergen variation, analyze allergen expression profiles, and pinpoint the factors dictating allergen accumulation during plant maturation in a representative tree nut species. These endeavors are geared towards fostering the production of hypoallergenic nut variants in the future.