Impact of Heat and Pressure Processing Treatments on the Digestibility of Peanut, Hazelnut, Pistachio and Cashew Allergens

Food processing can alter protein biochemical properties, impacting immunoreactivity and allergenicity. A key feature of food allergens is their resistance to enzymatic digestion, particularly by pepsin and trypsin. This study compares the digestomes of raw and heat- and/or pressure-treated peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachios and cashews using the INFOGEST harmonized digestion protocol and analyzing their IgE-binding capacity […]

Air pollution is associated with persistent peanut allergy in the first 10 years

Background: The role of air pollution in eczema and food allergy development remains understudied. Objective: We aimed to assess whether exposure to air pollution is associated with eczema and food allergies in the first 10 years of life. Methods: HealthNuts recruited a population-based sample of 1-year-old infants who were followed up at ages 4, 6, […]

New Meta-Analysis Strengthens Evidence That Nuts May Lower Cardiovascular Risk

The findings refute a study questioning the benefits of nut consumption A systematic review and meta-analysis funded by the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council (INC) has just been published in the prestigious scientific journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.[1] The study showed that current evidence provides a good indication that consuming nuts may advantageously […]

Peanut allergen characterization and allergenicity throughout development

Introduction: Peanut allergy (PA) in children is a major concern. There is a need for better biological material for both diagnosis and oral immunotherapy (OIT) treatments. The unique state of seeds at early reproductive stages may affect the allergenicity of storage proteins, and impact clinical diagnostic and OIT protocols. The objective of this study was […]

Epicutaneous immunotherapy for the treatment of peanut allergy

Peanut allergy treatment options remain limited, but novel approaches are being studied, including epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT). EPIT uses the cutaneous immune system to promote tolerance to food allergens. Viaskin™ Peanut, an approach to EPIT in late-stage clinical development uses an occlusive patch with a condensation chamber that enables natural epidermal water loss to solubilize dry […]