Author(s) :

Elizabeth Pak.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

A food allergy is a medical condition in which the body’s immune system overreacts to a specific protein in an ingested allergen. When the allergen is ingested and the protein is released in the blood, the protein binds to antibody Immunoglobulin E (IgE), causing a wide array of uncomfortable and painful symptoms. Food allergies can be treated in a variety of ways, including the administration of antihistamines and, most recently, immunotherapy. Immunotherapy relies on exposing the patient to slightly growing increments of an allergen over time to build immunological tolerance against the allergen. Despite certain successes, neither antihistamines nor immunotherapy are foolproof treatments. Food processing, including thermal and chemical treatments, is now considered a safer new approach to overcome food allergies. These treatments reduce the allergenicity of some food, but did not render the food entirely non-allergic. Food treatment, combined with other approaches of treatment, opens a new avenue for safer, more convenient, and more efficient food allergy handling. In this review, we will discuss the available methods of food treatment and how this affects the nature of the allergens in the food.