Food allergies represent a biomedical risk, with increasing prevalence mainly in industrialised countries. About 90% of food allergies are specifically attributed to 8 groups of foods (tree nuts, peanuts, soybean, cereals containing gluten, eggs, milk, crustaceans and fish), but in theory any food is susceptible of triggering an allergic reaction in sensitised individuals. Particularly, emerging alternative protein sources, such as the insects, are considered novel foods that may cause allergic reactions either by de novo sensitisation or by cross-reactivity and need to be evaluated. Among other issues, the rising consumption of highly processed foods and the new processing technologies might promote the increase of allergies. So, understanding their impact on molecular structure and allergenic potential is crucial for managing allergen risks in the food chain. However, our current knowledge on the effect of food processing on allergen structure indicates that there are no clear rules regarding how allergens respond to distinct treatments and how different allergenic proteins interact with other food components (matrix effect). For this purpose, plant and animal allergenic foods as affected by classical (heat treatments) and new processing technologies (modulated electric fields ? ohmic treatment, and high-pressure processing ? HPP) will be investigated.
The innovative nature and originality of this project relies on the study of the properties of potentially allergenic proteins towards exposure to new and current food processing technologies and in vitro digestibility. Therefore, the aim of this project consists of a comprehensive and systematic approach to evaluate the induced changes of food allergens from their origin (farm or sea) to the ?fork? and along the human gut. To accomplish this goal, this project gathers a multidisciplinary team and know-how from food allergen analysis, biochemical/chemical characterisation, technological processing and in vitro digestibility.
In summary, with this project we expect to:
-Explore the allergenic potential of novel protein sources (insects as case study)
-Increase the knowledge regarding the induced protein changes from novel food technologies, simulated in vivo digestibility, and the combination of both;
-Propose new insights on structural characterisation of proteins and the most adequate and innovative methods for allergen analysis according to food matrix and processing;
-Give basis to understand and predict the allergenicity of foods, protecting the health of food allergic consumers;
-Contribute economically in the interest of food manufacturers by providing them with fast and friendly-use tools to improve the management of food allergens;
-Contribute to a more sustainable environment by the development of alternative methods using fewer reagents.