Evaluating Digestion Assays for Food Allergens
Author Information
Author(s): Santiago Schnell, Herman Rod A
Primary Institution: University of Michigan Medical School
Hypothesis
Can digestion assays accurately predict the allergenic potential of novel food proteins?
Conclusion
The study concludes that current digestion assays are not reliable predictors of the allergenic potential of food proteins.
Supporting Evidence
- Food allergies affect 3-4% of adults and up to 8% of children in developed countries.
- Current digestion assays do not accurately predict the allergenic potential of food proteins.
- Resistance to digestion in simulated gastric fluid is not a sufficient criterion for evaluating allergenicity.
Takeaway
This study looks at how well digestion tests can tell if new food proteins might cause allergies, and finds they don't work very well.
Methodology
The study reviews existing literature on simulated gastric fluid digestion assays and their correlation with allergenic potential.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to reliance on in vitro models that may not accurately reflect in vivo conditions.
Limitations
The predictive power of digestion assays is uncertain and may not account for food matrix effects.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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