A recent study published online ahead of print in the Journal of Food Science examined the effects of germination under certain major environmental conditions on the allergenicity of peanut proteins and found that there is potential for controlling biological methods to reduce peanut allergenicity.
Allergenic proteins in peanuts are degraded during seed germination, and the authors surmised that by altering that natural process by controlling certain environmental factors, peanut allergenicity could be reduced. The study specifically looked at temperature and light effects on Ara h1, a previously identified peanut allergen. The results showed that the 40- and 65-kDa proteins in peanut seeds degraded rapidly, beginning at 60 (at 25°C) and 108 hr (at 20°C), and the corresponding immunoreactivity of Ara h1 decreased approximately one-third after 5–7 days of germination. More light and a higher temperature increased the seed germination rate, but both affected sprout quality; 25°C and dark surroundings were determined to be suitable for germination.
“Short-term germination could be an easy way to produce hypoallergenic peanut food,” the authors conclude, though they note that “further studies are needed to assess the effects of germination on other major peanut allergens and the clinical relevance of the study.”
