Tracking the fate of allergens using novel detection and food processing approaches

了解食品加工和食品结构对致敏潜力的影响是管理食物链中过敏原风险的核心。加工对过敏原结构和致敏潜力的影响的调查仍处于起步阶段，但仍被忽视的两个领域是食品加工程序对致敏潜力的影响，以及它可能改变致敏个体过敏反应诱发阈值的方式。加工或食品结构如何改变能够引起过敏反应的过敏原的阈值剂量的知识对于在工厂环境中管理过敏原是高度相关的，特别是关于交叉接触过敏原。这些信息对于通知危险控制程序是必要的，因为它可能影响到必须清理共同加工线的程度。更好地了解加工如何影响过敏原结构，因此过敏原筛选测定，将有助于支持免疫测定结果的解释，特别是当用于监测高度加工的成分。 该行业相关项目的总体目标是研究新型食品加工对选定食物过敏原命运的影响，并开发适当的检测和表征方法。这源于以下假设：i）食品加工和食品基质可以影响过敏原的类型和性质及其活性。ii）食品加工可以引发许多化学变化，这些化学变化可以改变过敏原特异性，iii）耐热过敏原即使在一些热加工之后也保持其结构和过敏原活性，iv）热处理可以减少某些食品中的过敏原并诱导早期耐受性，v）可以优化食品加工技术以最小化或消除过敏原活性，vi）可用的过敏原检测方法缺乏灵敏度，和vii）现在可以改进/发展检测方法。该项目旨在解决与工业有关的问题，这将有利于赞助工业和加拿大食品工业作为一个整体，也旨在培训高素质的专业人员。

Understanding the impact of food processing and food structure on allergenic potential is central to managing allergen risks in the food chain. Investigations into the effect of processing on allergen structure and allergenic potential are still in their infancy, but two areas that remain neglected are the impact that food processing procedures have on sensitization potential and the way in which it may alter thresholds for elicitation of allergic reactions in sensitized individuals. A knowledge of how processing or food structure may alter threshold doses of allergens able to elicit an allergic reaction is highly relevant for managing allergens in a factory environment, particularly in relation to cross-contact allergens. Such information is necessary to inform hazard control procedures as it may affect the extent to which it is necessary to clean-down common processing lines. A better understanding of how processing affects allergen structure, and hence allergen screening assays, would help support interpretation of immuno-assay results especially when used to monitor highly processed ingredients. The overall objective of this industry related project is to study the impact of novel food processing on the fate of selected food allergens and to develop appropriate methods for their detection and characterization. This arises from the following hypothesis: i) Food processing and food matrix can affect the type and nature of allergens and their activity. ii) Food processing can trigger many chemical changes that can alter the allergen specificity, iii) Heat resistant allergens retain their structure and allergenic activity even after some thermal processing, iv) Thermal treatments can reduce allergens in certain foods and induce early tolerance, v) Food processing technologies can be to optimized to minimize or eliminate allergen activity, vi) Available detection methods for allergens lack sensitivity, and vii) It is now possible to refine/develop detection methods.The project is oriented at solving the industry related problem which would be beneficial to the sponsoring industry and Canadian food industry as a whole is also aimed at training of highly qualified professional.