Gelatine allergy testing in adults with red meat allergy
What it found
Most adults allergic to red meat also reacted to gelatine on skin tests, and some had allergic reactions after eating it.
The sugar alpha-Gal was found in bovine gelatine products.
What they found
Studies in people
Gelatine and red meat allergy
Out of 40 adults diagnosed with red meat allergy, 30 showed a positive skin test reaction to gelatine. Twelve of those 30 reported having allergic reactions after eating gelatine without eating meat.
Linked test results
Blood tests for alpha-Gal antibodies and skin tests for gelatine gave matching results in most cases. Twenty out of 22 patients with positive gelatine skin tests also had positive alpha-Gal blood tests.
Reactions during challenges
Four patients with unexplained severe allergies tolerated eating 10 grams of gelatine under supervision. However, all four developed hives and breathing problems when given gelatine through a drip at doses between 0.024 and 4.1 grams.
Animal and lab studies
Alpha-Gal in gelatine
Lab tests detected the sugar alpha-Gal in two bovine gelatine products used medically. The amounts found were 0.44 and 0.52 micrograms per gram of gelatine.
Other findings
Gelatine in everyday foods
Gelatine is used as a thickener or stabiliser in sweets, dips, glazes, yoghurt, mayonnaise, ice cream, sausage coatings and tinned meats. It can also be used to clear fruit juice and wine.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that most patients allergic to red meat are also sensitised to gelatine, and a smaller group will have clinical reactions to it.
- They suggest that the presence of alpha-Gal in gelatine might explain why people react to both substances.
- They advise that patients who react to either red meat or gelatine should be tested for sensitivity to both.
How it was done
The authors noticed patients who were clinically allergic to both red meat and gelatine. They wanted to see how often gelatine sensitization occurs alongside red meat allergy and whether a specific sugar called alpha-Gal links the two.
They tested 1335 adults at an Australian allergy clinic between 1997 and 2011 using skin prick and injection tests with gelatine. They also measured antibodies to alpha-Gal in blood samples and checked bovine gelatine products for the presence of alpha-Gal.
What it can’t tell you
- This study only looked at adults, so the findings might not apply to children.
- Because the researchers followed patients over time rather than randomly assigning exposures, they can show links but cannot prove that one thing causes another.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by NIAID NIH HHS (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- John James Medical Centre, Australia; Australian National University, Australia
The paper
- Title
- Relationship between red meat allergy and sensitization to gelatin and galactose-α-1,3-galactose
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Mullins RJ, James H, Platts-Mills TA, Commins S (2012). Relationship between red meat allergy and sensitization to gelatin and galactose-α-1,3-galactose. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2012.02.038Free full textPubMed 22480538DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error