15A-19 |
Comparison of allergen content of 34 commercial peanut germplasm |
H. W. DODO, Dept. of Food & Animal Sciences, Alabama A&M Univ., Food Biotechnology Lab., PO Box 1628, Normal, AL 35762 In spite of its high nutritional value and popularity worldwide, peanut is one of the most allergenic food affecting both children and adults and responsible for acute, severe, and life threatening allergic reactions. A trace of peanut can provoke an abnormal immunoglobulin E (IgE)–mediated immunological reaction ranging from nausea, drowsiness, abdominal cramps to anaphylactic shock and death. There is no safe way to treat or prevent peanut allergy and reports of its’ accidental ingestion in unsuspected food is increasing. Information on the allergen content of peanut germplasm grown commercially and used in the food and confectionery industry will be critical in designing a strategy for safer allergen-free peanuts. The objective of this project was to screen a diverse source of peanut germplasm grown commercially to identify naturally occurring allergen-free and/or hypoallergenic peanuts plants. Peanut seeds were defatted and proteins extracted. A basic ELISA protocol was utilized to detect specific antibodies in a pool of human sera from patients with documented history of peanut allergy. A pool of sera from individual with no known allergies to peanut was included as a control. A wide amount of variation was observed in the allergen content of the 34 commercial peanut germplasm tested. A wide amount of variation was found in the allergen content expressed as ELISA value. No naturally occurring allergen-free peanut was identified. A hypoallergenic germplasm was identified as a Valencia plant type: PI 261942. Its ELISA value (0.02) was significantly lower (p< 0.05) than that of PI 119880 another Valencia type with the highest allergen content (0.55). A positive relation was observed between ELISA and protein content and a negative one between protein and fat content. Peanut plant type was not an important factor for allergen content. However there was a significant regional effect in the allergen content of the various countries of origin.
Session 15A, Biotechnology
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