CONTROLLED ENZYMATIC TREATMENT OF WHEAT PROTEINS FOR PRODUCTION OF HYPOALLERGENIC FLOUR

Both salt-soluble and salt-insoluble fractions of wheat hour have alle rgenicity, but their treatment with actinase, collagenase, and transgl utaminase produced hypoallergenic flour. In detail, hard flour and sof t flour were mixed with water containing either of these enzymes and t hen incubated at 20 degrees C to obtain hypoallergenic flour products. Minimum amounts of the enzymes necessary to minimize the allergenicit y were lower in soft flour than in hard flour, and in this sense the f ormer was the best material. The product resulting from the treatment with collagenase or transglutaminase retained some high-molecular-weig ht proteinaceous components, suggesting that for food processing these may be preferable to the product resulting from the treatment with ac tinase.