New applications of advanced instrumental techniques for the characterization of food allergenic proteins

Abstract

Current approaches based on electrophoretic, chromatographic or immunochemical principles have allowed characterizing multiple allergens, mapping their epitopes, studying their mechanisms of action, developing detection and diagnostic methods and therapeutic strategies for the food and pharmaceutical industry. However, some of the common structural features related to the allergenic potential of food proteins remain unknown, or the pathological mechanism of food allergy is not yet fully understood. In addition, it is also necessary to evaluate new allergens from novel protein sources that may pose a new risk for consumers. Technological development has allowed the expansion of advanced technologies for which their whole potential has not been entirely exploited and could provide novel contributions to still unexplored molecular traits underlying both the structure of food allergens and the mechanisms through which they sensitize or elicit adverse responses in human subjects, as well as improving analytical techniques for their detection. This review presents cutting-edge instrumental techniques recently applied when studying structural and functional aspects of proteins, mechanism of action and interaction between biomolecules. We also exemplify their role in the food allergy research and discuss their new possible applications in several areas of the food allergy field.

Keywords:

• Food allergens
• X-ray free-electron lasers crystallography
• solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance
• cryo-electron microscopy
• bioactive thermal proteome profiling
• mass spectrometry
• surface plasmon resonance
• microfluidics
• cytometry by time-of-flight
• RNA sequencing

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interests.

Additional information

Funding

This review is based upon work from COST Action FA1402, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology, www.cost.eu). S. B. acknowledges financial support from the Juan de la Cierva Program (MICIU, Spain). S. B. and E. M. acknowledge the financial support of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (AGL2017-88964R). MGA received fund support from Allerscreening Project (H2020-NMBP-X-KET-2017. 768641 - AllerScreening). J. C., C. V. and I. M. acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia under the Partnership Agreement UIDB 50006/2020 and by the projects AlleRiskAssess - PTDC/BAA-AGR/31720/2017. J. C. acknowledges FCT for the research contract (SFRH/BPD/102404/2014). T.C.V. acknowledge support from Belgian Special Research Fund BOF StG No. 01N01718, Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia, through Contract number: 451-03-68/2020-14/200168; Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts GA No. F-26, and the European Commission, under the Horizon2020, FoodEnTwin project, GA No.810752. C. V. is grateful to FCT grant PD/BD/114576/2016 financed by POPH-QREN (subsidized by FSE and MCTES).