Scientific Study

BACKGROUND: Peanut allergy appears to be less prevalent in other parts of the world than North America and several European countries, and it has been proposed difference in cooking practices may be responsible. In this study, the boiling and roasting processes were investigated to find a potential method to enhanced or reduce the allergenicity. METHODS: The allergenicity of different peanut products, as reflected by changes in ethology (diarrhea and weight loss) and pathology (splenomegaly and jejunum breakage) were observed, and relevant serological indexes were determined after feeding different peanut products. Different peanut proteins were used to analyze the ability to resistance digestion in simulated gastric fluid (SGF). Ultraviolet spectrum and CD spectra were used to analyze structure changes of Ara h 2 in roasting and boiling treatment. RESULTS: In the detection of the corresponding serological indicators, boiled peanuts show a lower sensitization than roasted and raw peanuts. SGF experiments demonstrated an increased resistance of roasted peanut protein to digestion. The results of ultraviolet spectrum and CD spectra showed that the roasting and boiling causes altered structures of the Ara h 2 peanut allergens. CONCLUSIONS: The summary show that different thermal processing may affect the structure and immunoreactivity, and the sensitization of roasted or boiled peanuts will be enhanced or reduced.