Advances in the combined application of enzymatic and physical treatments for reducing food allergenicity

Enzymatic hydrolysis of allergenic food proteins (betalactoglobulin, ovalbu min) was carried out during treatment at different combinations of time, pr essure and temperature, with the aim of hydrolyzing the protein conformers transiently formed in the course of physical treatment in conditions where no irreversible modification of the target protein occurs. The amount of re sidual intact betalactoglobulin after 10 min at 600 MPa in the presence of trypsin or chymotrypsin was found to decrease markedly with increasing temp erature (30-44 degreesC). The temperature sensitivity of the enzymatic hydr olysis of ovalbumin during similar treatments was much less pronounced than that of betalactoglobulin. The effects of temperature on the accessibility of betalactoglobulin conformers to proteases were studied at higher temper atures (55-65 degreesC), and indicated that complete hydrolysis of betalact oglobulin cannot be achieved in a short time in the absence of a pressure t reatment. None of the hydrolysis products of either protein was immunoreact ive in Western-blot immunoassays.