Decreased IgE-binding with wheat gluten by deamidation

The major wheat allergens contain a number of glutamine residues, suggestin g that deamidation would be a promising method to produce hypoallergenic wh eat proteins. Gluten was deamidated by acid under various conditions. The 3 0%-, 50%- and 90%-deamidated glutens were reacted with sera of patients all ergic to wheat proteins. The results indicate that the reactivity was drama tically decreased according to the degree of deamidation.