Induction of Oral Tolerance by Gamma-Irradiated Ovalbumin Administration

Allergenicity, assembly and applications of ovalbumin in egg white: a review

Ovalbumin (OVA), the most abundant protein in egg whites, has been widely used in various industries. Currently, the structure of OVA has been clearly established, and the extraction of high-purified OVA has become feasible. However, the allergenicity of OVA is still a serious problem because it can cause severe allergic reactions and may even be life-threatening. The structure and allergenicity of the OVA can be altered by many processing methods. In this article, a detailed description on the structure and a comprehensive overview on the extraction protocols and the allergenicity of OVA was documented. Additionally, the information on assembly and potential applications of OVA was summarized and discussed in detail. Physical treatment, chemical modification, and microbial processing can be applied to alter the IgE-binding capacity of OVA by changing its structure and linear/sequential epitopes. Furthermore, research indicated that OVA could assemble with itself or other biomolecules into various forms (particles, fibers, gels, and nanosheets), which expanded its application in the food field. OVA also shows excellent application prospects, including food preservation, functional food ingredients and nutrient delivery. Therefore, OVA demonstrates significant investigation value as a food grade ingredient.

Irradiation technology: An effective and promising strategy for eliminating food allergens

Food allergies are one of the major health concerns worldwide and have been increasing at an alarming rate in recent times. The elimination of food allergenicity has been an important issue in current research on food. Irradiation is a typical nonthermal treatment technology that can effectively reduce the allergenicity of food, showing great application prospects in improving the quality and safety of foods. In this review, the mechanism and remarkable features of irradiation in the elimination of food allergens are mainly introduced, and the research progress on reducing the allergenicity of animal foods (milk, egg, fish and shrimp) and plant foods (soybean, peanut, wheat and nuts) using irradiation is summarized. Furthermore, the influencing factors for irradiation in the elimination of food allergens are analyzed and further research directions of irradiation desensitization technology are also discussed. This article aims to provide a reference for promoting the application of irradiation technology in improving the safety of foods.

Food irradiation: a promising technology to produce hypoallergenic food with high quality

The increasing incidence of food allergy cases is a public health problem of global concern. Producing hypoallergenic foods with high quality, low cost, and eco-friendly is a new trend for the food industry in the coming decades. Food irradiation, a non-thermal food processing technology, is a powerful tool to reduce the allergenicity with the above advantages. This review presents a summary of recent studies about food irradiation to reduce the allergenicity of food, including shellfish, soy, peanut, milk, tree nut, egg, wheat and fish. Principles of food irradiation, including mechanisms of allergenicity-reduction, irradiation types and characteristics, are discussed. Specific effects of food irradiation are also evaluated, involving microbial decontamination, improvement or preservation of nutritional value, harmful substances reduction of food products. Furthermore, the advantages, disadvantages and limitations of food irradiation are analyzed. It is concluded that food irradiation is a safety tool to reduce the allergenicity of food effectively, with high nutritional value and long shelf-life, making it a competitive alternative technology to traditional techniques such as heating treatments. Of note, a combination of irradiation with additional processing may be a trend for food irradiation.