Allergenicity of Maillard reaction products from peanut proteins

It is known that peanut allergy is caused by peanut proteins. However, litt le is known about the impact of roasting on the allergenicity of peanuts. D uring roasting, proteins react with sugars to form Maillard reaction produc ts, which could affect allergenicity. To determine if the Maillard reaction could convert a nonallergenic peanut protein into a potentially allergenic product, nonallergenic lectin was reacted with glucose or fructose at 50 d egrees C for 28 days. Browning products from heat-treated peanuts were also examined. The products were analyzed in immunoblot and competitive assays, using a pooled serum (i.e., IgE antibodies) from patients with peanut anap hylaxis. Results showed that the products were recognized by IgE and had an inhibitory effect on IgE binding to a peanut allergen. Thus, the findings suggest that these Maillard reaction products are potentially allergenic an d indicate the need to verify whether the Maillard reaction products formed in peanuts during roasting increase their allergenicity.