Microbiological Quality and Risk Assessment for Aflatoxins in Groundnuts and Roasted Cashew Nuts Meant for Human Consumption.

Nuts are one of the commonly consumed snacks but poor handling and storage practices can make them prone to foodborne infections. The study aimed at assessing the microbiological quality and risk assessment for aflatoxins in groundnuts and cashew nuts consumed in selected locations in Nigeria. The moisture content, colony counts, incidence of pathogenic bacteria, aflatoxin contamination, and […]

Comparison of cold-pressing and soxhlet extraction systems for bioactive compounds, antioxidant properties, polyphenols, fatty acids and tocopherols in eight nut oils.

Antioxidant activities of different nut oils ranged from 11.43 (peanut) to 65.58% (pistachio) in cold pressed oils whereas in case of soxhlet extracted oils they were in the range of 11.32 (hazelnut) to 51.28% (pistachio). β-Carotene contents of oils obtained by cold pressing and soxhlet extraction changed between 7.53 (almond) and 13.58 µg/100 g (pistachio). The highest […]

Quantitative Risk Reduction Through Peanut Immunotherapy: Safety Benefits of an Increased Threshold in Europe.

BACKGROUND: The clinical relevance of increasing an allergic individual's peanut sensitivity threshold by immunotherapy, i.e., eliciting dose (ED) to 300 or 1000 mg peanut protein, has not been previously characterized in a European population. In this study, we quantify the clinical benefits of an increased threshold of reaction following immunotherapy for the peanut-allergic individual. METHODS: […]

Development and Evaluation of a Real-Time PCR Multiplex Assay for the Detection of Allergenic Peanut Using Chloroplast DNA Markers.

Peanut is one of the most commonly consumed allergy-causing foods in the United States. Prevention of accidental consumption by allergic individuals is assisted by methods that effectively identify the presence of peanut in food, even at trace levels. This study presents a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay that uses chloroplast markers (matK, rpl16, and trnH-psbA) to […]

Dietary Supplementation with Non‐Digestible Oligosaccharides Reduces Allergic Symptoms and Supports Low Dose Oral Immunotherapy in a Peanut Allergy Mouse Model.

SCOPE: A major downside of oral immunotherapy (OIT) for food allergy is the risk of severe side-effects. Non-digestible short- and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS/lcFOS), reduced allergy development in murine models. We therefor hypothesized that scFOS/lcFOS can also support the efficacy of OIT in a peanut allergy model. METHODS AND RESULTS: After sensitization to peanut extract (PE) […]

Allergy and Asthma: Food Allergies.

Food allergies are immune-mediated allergic adverse reactions that occur after exposure to specific foods. The most commonly recognized food allergies are immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated reactions (eg, urticaria, angioedema, anaphylaxis) that result from exposure to milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, wheat, or soy. However, other foods can cause food allergies. Oral allergy syndrome is a common […]

Retrospective definition of reaction risk in Italian children with peanut, hazelnut and walnut allergy through component-resolved diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: Serum IgE evaluation of peanut, hazelnut and walnut allergens through the use of component-resolved diagnosis (CRD) can be more accurate than IgE against whole food to associate with severe or mild reactions. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to retrospectively define the level of reaction risk in children with peanut, hazelnut and walnut […]

Asian children living in Australia have a different profile of allergy and anaphylaxis than Australian‐born children: a State‐wide survey.

BACKGROUND: Asian children born in Australia have higher rates of eczema and nut allergy than non-Asian children. However, it is not known whether this country of birth differential exists for other allergies or anaphylaxis risk. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the influence of maternal and child's country of birth on the prevalence of parent-reported eczema, asthma, food […]

Peanut Allergy: Changes in Dogma and Past, Present, and Future Directions.

The prevalence of food allergy in the pediatric population, specifically to peanuts, has been rising. Accidental exposure to peanuts in a person who is allergic may have life-threatening consequences. Previous recommendations regarding peanut allergy included a delay in introduction of peanut to infants. However, more recent studies have provided sufficient contrary evidence supporting early introduction of peanuts for prevention of […]