Wheat protein hydrolysates and IgE reactivity in wheat allergy
What it found
In lab tests using blood serum from 5 people allergic to wheat, acid-treated wheat protein hydrolysates barely blocked wheat-specific IgE, while some enzyme-treated hydrolysates did.
This suggests enzyme-treated hydrolysates may still trigger allergic reactions in wheat-allergic people.
What they found
Studies in people
Acid hydrolysates and IgE
The acid-treated wheat protein hydrolysates hardly stopped IgE from the 5 wheat-allergic patients binding to wheat proteins.
Enzyme hydrolysates and IgE
Some enzyme-treated wheat protein hydrolysates did stop IgE from the patients binding to wheat proteins.
Other findings
Peptide sizes differ
Enzyme-treated wheat protein hydrolysates had high levels of peptides larger than 1,050 Da. Acid-treated hydrolysates had very low levels of peptides larger than 1,050 Da.
What the authors conclude
“These results suggested that the uptake of wheat protein enzymatic hydrolysates might still have the possibility of causing food allergic reactions in patients allergic to wheat and the processed foods containing them.”
Also in their conclusions
- They suggest that taking in enzyme-treated wheat protein hydrolysates might still cause food allergic reactions in people allergic to wheat.
- They also suggest that processed foods containing these hydrolysates might still cause reactions.
How it was done
Wheat protein hydrolysates are used as food additives and in cooking worldwide, but little is known about how their peptide size relates to their ability to trigger IgE reactions.
The researchers analysed the peptide profiles of commercial wheat protein hydrolysates made by enzyme or acid hydrolysis, using size exclusion chromatography. They then tested how well these hydrolysates blocked IgE binding to wheat proteins, using an inhibition ELISA and serum from 5 patients sensitive to wheat.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This was a lab test using blood serum from 5 people, not a study of what happens when people actually eat these hydrolysates.
- It cannot show whether enzyme-treated hydrolysates would cause allergic symptoms in real life.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- National Institute of Health Sciences, Japan
The paper
- Title
- Profile analysis and immunoglobulin E reactivity of wheat protein hydrolysates
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Akiyama H, Sakata K, Yoshioka Y, et al (2006). Profile analysis and immunoglobulin E reactivity of wheat protein hydrolysates. International archives of allergy and immunology. doi:10.1159/000092000PubMed 16534217DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error