New flour may reduce food allergies.

Gluten free was not a term that was in common use either in spoken language or on food packaging even five years ago, now it is so common that everyone knows at least one person who is eating only gluten free food.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, oats, barley and rye, and every food that contains any of these grains. It can cause major health issues for some people and therefore food free of gluten is now considered to be mainstream in the food industry.

Gluten is only one of the recognised food allergens. These are also proteins found in different foods that can cause significant reactions in some people, to the point of anaphylaxis and potential death. The recognised food allergens are different in different countries, but gluten is universal.

Those that have a food allergy spend much of their time trying to ensure that the food they are eating does not contain the food that is involved in that allergy. Food businesses also spend an enormous amount of time and money ensuring that unintentional food allergens are not present in any of their products. It is a major issue for both the food industry and for those with the food allergies.

There has been a huge amount of research at both ends of the food chain to try and reduce the impact of the food allergens. Researchers have been working on vaccines to help those who have food allergies and other researchers have been developing foods that do not contain the specific proteins that cause the allergic reactions.

Scientists at the University of a North Carolina have been experimenting with a special type of flour that may eventually help people improve their tolerance of the food allergens. Peanuts are recognised as causing some of the worst food allergic reactions, so the researchers started with the proteins from peanuts in this special flour. They believe that the same process can be adapted to the proteins of the other food allergens.

The research was published in April 2014 in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The findings show that allergic reactions could be reduced by plant polyphenols. The researchers bound polypenols from cranberries with the allergy causing proteins from peanuts into a special flour. It is expected that this flour will de-sensitise those with the food allergy and reduce their allergic reaction. So it could be used in food based therapies to reduce the food allergy in people.

At this point, whatever can be developed or done to reduce the huge issue that is food allergens will be truly appreciated not only by those suffering the allergies but by all of those in the food industry as well.

Written by Rachelle Williams – the Green Food Safety Coach