Prevalence of food allergens sensitization and food allergies in a group of allergic Honduran children

Food allergies and allergen management are important problems of the public health and food industry. The idea of determining allergen concentrations in food ingredients and food products that are capable of causing severe allergic reactions is of great interest for regulatory bodies as well as consumer associations and the industry all over the world. In this connection, scientists proposed different approaches to determining the basis for assessment of severity of risks of food allergens for health of patients suffering from food allergy similar to methods of risk assessment for other hazards associated with food products (for example, chemical, microbiological). To assess risk of allergens, three different approaches were proposed: i) traditional risk assessment using the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL)) and uncertainty factors; (ii) approach based on the benchmark dose (BMD)) and margin of exposure (MoE)); and (iii) probability models. These approaches can be used in risk management in food production and in the development of warning marking about the presence of allergens. The reliability of risk assessment will depend on a type, quality and quantity of data used for determining both population threshold levels (or threshold distributions) and an impact of an allergenic product/ingredient on a particular individual.

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A Review on Identified Major Food Allergens: Characteristics and Role in Food Allergy

The Indian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics ◽

10.21048/ijnd.2017.54.3.11626 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 54 (3) ◽

pp. 346

Author(s):

Chhavi Arya ◽

Chetna Jantwal

Keyword(s):

Food Allergy ◽

Food Allergies ◽

Allergic Reactions ◽

Food Allergens ◽

Food Groups ◽

Consumer Protection Act ◽

Major Food ◽

Life Threatening ◽

Major Allergens ◽

Allergen Labeling

Food allergens are the substances present in food that cause food allergy. Human body reactions to food allergens range from mild to severe life threatening anaphylactic shock. At least seventy different foods have been reported to cause allergic reactions and several other foods have been identified which have the potential to provoke allergic reactions. Majority of the identified food allergens are proteins. The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) identifies eight major food groups i.e. milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans as major allergy causing foods. These eight foods are believed to account for 90 per cent of food allergies and are responsible for most serious reactions to foods. Several studies have been done which identify the major allergens in various foods. The present paper attempts to review the major allergens present in various food.

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Hazardous Medications in Children with Egg, Red Meat, Gelatin, Fish, and Cow’s Milk Allergy

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina55080501 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 55 (8) ◽

pp. 501 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Caglayan-Sozmen ◽

Santoro ◽

Cipriani ◽

Mastrorilli ◽

Ricci ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Elimination Diet ◽

Red Meat ◽

Food Allergies ◽

Allergic Reactions ◽

Milk Allergy ◽

Food Allergens ◽

Food Ingestion ◽

Severe Anaphylaxis

Childhood food allergies are a growing public health problem. Once the offending food allergens have been identified, a strict elimination diet is necessary in treatment or prevention of most of the allergic reactions. Accidental food ingestion can lead to severe anaphylaxis. Food- derived substances can be used in medications at various stages of the manufacturing process. In this review, the possible roles of medications which may contain egg, red meat, gelatin, and fish allergens on allergic reactions in children with food allergy were evaluated.

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Chitinases as Food Allergens

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules24112087 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (11) ◽

pp. 2087 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Claudia Leoni ◽

Mariateresa Volpicella ◽

Maria C.G. Dileo ◽

Bruno A.R. Gattulli ◽

Luigi R. Ceci

Keyword(s):

Structural Characteristics ◽

Cutting Edge ◽

Food Allergies ◽

Recombinant Allergens ◽

Edible Insects ◽

Food Allergens ◽

Immune Reactions ◽

Common Allergen ◽

Severe Anaphylaxis ◽

Food Components

Food allergies originate from adverse immune reactions to some food components. Ingestion of food allergens can cause effects of varying severity, from mild itching to severe anaphylaxis reactions. Currently there are no clues to predict the allergenic potency of a molecule, nor are cures for food allergies available. Cutting-edge research on allergens is aimed at increasing information on their diffusion and understanding structure-allergenicity relationships. In this context, purified recombinant allergens are valuable tools for advances in the diagnostic and immunotherapeutic fields. Chitinases are a group of allergens often found in plant fruits, but also identified in edible insects. They are classified into different families and classes for which structural analyses and identification of epitopes have been only partially carried out. Moreover, also their presence in common allergen databases is not complete. In this review we provide a summary of the identified food allergenic chitinases, their main structural characteristics, and a clear division in the different classes.

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Study of the Prevalence of Food Allergens in Patients with Allergies Admitted to Mofid Children’s Hospital During 2010 to 2016

Internal Medicine And Medical Investigation Journal ◽

10.24200/imminv.v3i2.116 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 57

Author(s):

Fereshte Dehghan Banadaki ◽

Mahboubeh Mansouri ◽

Reza Shekarriz-Foumani

Keyword(s):

Racial Differences ◽

Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽

Allergic Diseases ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Food Allergies ◽

Food Allergens ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Wide Range ◽

Significant Difference ◽

And Gender

Introduction: Allergic diseases include a wide range of symptoms such as asthma, rhinitis, urticaria, eczema, and gastrointestinal symptoms that are becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s world. Exposure to food allergens is one of the contributing factors for allergic diseases in humans. The identification of susceptibility to food allergens plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases.Materials and Methods: After the clinical diagnosis of allergic diseases, patients were examined using the skin prick test.The method of collecting data was observational. All data were entered in SPSS software version 21 and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: A total of 466 patients with a mean age of years were studied, of which 58.6% were boys and 41.4% were girls. A total of 44.2% patients had asthma, 21.7% had allergic rhinitis, 2.1% had allergic sinusitis, 1.7% had conjunctivitis, 1.1% had angioedema, 11.6% had urticaria, 19.7% had eczema, and 26.8% had gastrointestinal allergic symptoms. A total of 114 patients (24.5%) had food allergies, of which 43.9% were girls and 56.1% were boys. In terms of the age and gender of patients, no statistically significant difference was observed between different food allergens (P<.05). The most common allergens in patients under study were peanuts (7.9%), milk (7.3%), almond (6.6%), freshwater fish (6.6%), and walnuts (6.4%).Conclusion: The findings revealed that allergen prevalence in each region is influenced by its climatic conditions, people’s food habits, their racial differences, and their lifestyles.

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“How can you be allergic to peas?” – A qualitative study to explore food handler’s knowledge, attitudes and understanding of food allergens

Sanitarno inženirstvo International Journal of Sanitary Engineering Research ◽

10.2478/ijser-2019-0003 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 12-24

Author(s):

David Allen ◽

Graeme Mitchell ◽

Michael Pascucilla

Keyword(s):

Learning Styles ◽

Significant Risk ◽

Food Allergies ◽

Food Allergens ◽

The European Union ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

North West ◽

The North ◽

Training Programmes ◽

The Uk

AbstractIt is clear that there is an increasing proportion of the United Kingdom (UK) population who are suffering with food allergies and this combined with an increase in the frequency of eating away from home (where there is less control over the content of food) poses a significant risk. In December 2014, the European Union (EU) introduced legislation which aimed to ensure that customers with food allergens could make informed choices and safely consume food, without the risk of a potentially life-threatening reaction. The research used semi-structured interviews with staff from a BCB, located in the North West of the UK, as the aim of the research was to explore food handlers’ knowledge, attitudes and understanding of food allergens. The findings of the semi-structured interviews identified five themes: E-learning training programmes: the staff felt that these were ineffective and did not take into account individual learning styles. Responsibility: there is a lack of clarity as to who is responsible, with staff believing the key responsibility lies with the customer. Communication: similarly, communication, both within the kitchen and within the company was not clear and likely to give rise to confusion. Need to make a profit: the staff felt that the drive for profit meant that customer safety was being compromised, especially when staff numbers were reduced. Staff awareness: the staff felt confident in their own ability to prepare a safe meal but indicated that staff may be dismissive towards claims of allergen sufferers. In conclusion, these themes illustrate that a significant risk exists for allergen suffers, who rely upon the knowledge, attitudes and understanding of BCB staff to ensure their meals are safely prepared.

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Rapid and accurate electrochemical sensor for food allergen detection in complex foods

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-00241-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Madanodaya Sundhoro ◽

Srikanth R. Agnihotra ◽

Nazir D. Khan ◽

Abigail Barnes ◽

Joseph BelBruno ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers ◽

Rapid Detection ◽

Food Allergies ◽

Processing Conditions ◽

Food Allergens ◽

Molecularly Imprinted ◽

Allergen Detection ◽

Wide Range ◽

Confirmatory Analysis ◽

Food Matrices

AbstractFood allergies are estimated to affect about 2–5% of adults and 6–8% of children, globally. Currently, the most effective strategy for food allergy management is stringent avoidance of the offending allergen. Unlike other major food allergens, soy is uniquely challenging to avoid due to its prevalence and insidiousness in a wide variety of foods, such as infant formulas. Recently, we demonstrated a simple, accurate, and consumer-friendly sensor using molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for rapid detection of soy allergenic tracers in complex food matrices at clinically relevant levels. In this work, we build on these findings by subjecting MIP-based soy allergen sensors to test trials in 42 different food products, representing over 300 ingredients. Foods were selected based on their compositional complexity to capture a wide range of preparatory methods and processing conditions. In each case, the Allergy Amulet correctly reported on the presence or absence of soy allergen tracer in investigated samples and were subjected to immunoassay confirmatory analysis. The outcome of this research will help resolve persistent difficulties with commercial technologies in detecting allergenic tracers with minimal cross-interference in foods, and will give those with soy allergies the ability to easily, rapidly, and accurately identify and avoid foods with soy allergens.

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Immune status markers dynamics during rotational diet therapy in obesity

Annals of the Russian academy of medical sciences ◽

10.15690/vramn1052 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 74 (6) ◽

pp. 423-429

Author(s):

Camilat M. Gapparova ◽

Yulia G. Chekhonina ◽

Tatyana B. Sentsova ◽

Ilya V. Vorozhko ◽

Irina A. Lapik

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Markers ◽

Immune Status ◽

Comparison Group ◽

Diet Therapy ◽

Main Group ◽

Food Intolerance ◽

Food Allergies ◽

Food Allergens ◽

Specific Igg ◽

Immune Inflammation

BACKGROUND: Сhronic immune inflammation in obesity is pathogenetically associated with the development insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. However, there are a number of works devoted to the relationship of obesity and allergic diseases, in which data were obtained on models of bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis. In obesity against a background of chronic immune inflammation, a more severe course of concomitant allergic disease is observed, accompanied by an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. In this regard, obesity and food allergies should be considered from the standpoint of comorbidity, and the study of immune status markers dynamics in obese patients with concomitant food allergies at the background of diet therapy will create prerequisites for determining the criteria of the effectiveness of the treatment. AIM: To study the of immune status markers dynamics on the background of rotational diet therapy for obesity. METHODS: A single-site, randomized controlled trial was conducted. The duration of observation of the patients was 14 days. There were 68 patients with obesity, aged 47.4 5.4 years, randomly divided into 2 homogeneous groups. Levels of allergen-specific IgG to 90 food allergens were measured to all patients of the main group by enzyme immunoassay method. The comparison group received a standard low-calorie diet. In both groups, the levels of pro-inflammatory markers (IL-1, TNF, IL-6) were determined using commercial Biosource kits (Belgium). RESULTS: In evaluating of the cytokine status and the level of non-specific markers of inflammation at the initial stage of the study, patients with a body mass index above 35 showed a significant increase in concentrations of C-reactive protein, IL-1, and IL-6. Analysis of allergen-specific IgG to 90 food allergens showed that food intolerance was found often to milk, dairy products, gluten. Analyzing the dynamics of the level of pro-inflammatory markers during treatment, a significant decrease in the level of CRP, IL-6, IL-1 was detected in the main group 15 % (p 0.05), 14 % (p 0.05), 10 % respectively, while in the comparison group the decrease in the level of IL-6 was 9 %, IL-1 by 6 %,CRP by 10 % (p 0.05). CONCLUSION: In patients with obesity with concomitant food intolerance there are changes in the immune status in the form of increased levels of pro-inflammatory markers. During the observation a more significant decrease was found in the studied parameters in the main group was detected at the background of rotational diet therapy in relation to the comparison group. The decrease in the concentrations of the studied markers in the serum during the study is an indicator of the effectiveness of rotational diet therapy.

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Authentication of food allergens

Journal of the Serbian Chemical Society ◽

10.2298/jsc121022002h ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 78 (3) ◽

pp. 315-320 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Karin Hoffmann-Sommergruber

Keyword(s):

Quality Criteria ◽

Food Allergies ◽

Proof Of Concept ◽

Food Allergens ◽

Allergen Detection ◽

Close Cooperation ◽

Cooperation Partners ◽

Personalized Diagnosis ◽

Eu Project ◽

The Eu

Pure allergen batches are required for precise personalized diagnosis of food allergies. Furthermore, they can be used to develop sensitive allergen detection assays in foods and are valuable tools to develop novel immunotherapies. However, these reagents have to be well characterized and have to meet certain quality criteria. Within the EU-Project EuroPrevall the concept of an allergen library comprising the most important food allergens from animal and plant derived foods was developed together with a catalogue of physicochemical and immunological properties, that had to be investigated. In close cooperation partners from academia and biotech industry applied well established lab techniques as well as novel high throughput assays to analyze the most important features of the final protein batches. It is expected that this proof of concept will contribute to improved authentication of allergens for both, routine application in allergy diagnosis and treatment and risk assessment in food production.

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The management of peanut allergy

Archives of Disease in Childhood ◽

10.1136/archdischild-2014-306152 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 100 (1) ◽

pp. 68-72 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Katherine Anagnostou ◽

Andrew Clark

Keyword(s):

Peanut Allergy ◽

Active Form ◽

Food Allergies ◽

Food Allergens ◽

Current Management ◽

Emergency Medication ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Pregnancy And Lactation ◽

Life Threatening

Peanut allergy is common and can be a cause of severe, life-threatening reactions. It is rarely outgrown like other food allergies such as egg and milk. Measures aiming to reduce its prevalence via maternal avoidance during pregnancy and lactation, or delayed introduction into the diet, have failed to show any benefit. Peanut allergy has a significant effect on the quality of life of sufferers and their families due to dietary and social restrictions, but mainly stemming from fear of accidental peanut ingestion. The current management consists of strict avoidance, education and provision of emergency medication. Families find avoidance challenging as peanut is hidden in various food products. Despite the fact that food labelling has improved, with a legal obligation to declare certain food allergens (including nuts) in prepacked products, it still causes confusion and does not extend to cross-contamination. In an effort to address issues of safety at school, a lot of work has been undertaken to better care for peanut-allergic children in that environment. This includes training of school staff on how to recognise and treat allergic reactions promptly. Recent developments in the management of peanut allergy, such as immunotherapy, have shown some promise as an active form of treatment, but larger studies are required to further investigate safety and efficacy.

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