Recent advances in alleviating food allergenicity through fermentation

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of food allergies is a significant challenge to global food health and safety. Various strategies have been deployed to decrease the allergenicity of food for preventing and reducing related disorders. Compared to other methods, fermentation has unique advantages in reducing the allergenicity of food and may represent a new trend in preventing food-induced allergies. This review introduces the characteristics of allergens in various foods, including shellfish, soy, peanut, milk, tree nut, egg, wheat, and fish. The mechanism and pathological symptoms of allergic reactions are then summarized. Furthermore, the advantages of fermentation for reducing the allergenicity of these foods and preventing allergies are evaluated. Fermentation is an efficient approach for reducing or eliminating food allergenicity. Simultaneously, it improved the nutritional value and physicochemical properties of food materials. It is conceivable that a combination of mixed strain fermentation with additional processing, such as heat treatment, pulsed light, and ultrasonication, will efficiently reduce the allergenicity of various foods and preserve their unique taste and nutritional components, providing significance for patients with allergies.

Keywords:

• Food allergy
• fermentation
• food allergens
• allergenicity

Acknowledgements

This article commemorates the four years of life with my girlfriend Minghui Li.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Authors’ contributions

Xiaowen Pi designed the manuscript, performed preliminary data analysis, and wrote the initial review. Professor Yili Yang proofread of the manuscripts, including grammar and content. Professor Yuxue Sun discussed with “Xiaowen Pi” and helped “Xiaowen Pi” to modify manuscripts. Professor Xibo Wang, Yin Wan, Guiming Fu, Hongbing Chen suggested some amendments to the initial review. Professor Jianjun Cheng supervised the project and edited the final version of the manuscript.