Mustard allergens found in Canadian mustard varieties
What it found
In lab tests, Canadian yellow and brown mustard seeds contained known allergens plus several new proteins that reacted with IgE antibodies from mustard-allergic people.
The authors say these new proteins need more study.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Known allergens confirmed
The known mustard allergens Sin a 1, Bra j 1 and Sin a 2 were confirmed in the seeds. The 2S albumins Sin a 1 and Bra j 1 bound IgE strongly under non-reducing conditions but weakly under reducing conditions.
New IgE-binding proteins
In addition to the known allergens, lab tests found other proteins that bound IgE from allergic people. These were identified as oleosin, beta-glucosidase, enolase and glutathione-S transferase.
Variety differences
The two mustard types, Sinapis alba and Brassica juncea, showed differences in their protein and IgE-binding patterns. Varieties within the same type showed no major differences.
Other findings
Cross-reactivity potential
A computer comparison of protein sequences suggested that mustard 11S globulin could cross-react with similar proteins from tree nuts and wheat. Mustard oleosins showed strong similarity to oleosins from hazelnut, peanut and sesame.
Extraction buffer effect
Carbonate buffer extracted more mustard proteins than phosphate or borate buffers. Some IgE-reactive protein bands appeared only in extracts made with carbonate or borate buffer, not phosphate.
What the authors conclude
“The new putative mustard allergens revealed in this study would request further biological and structural characterization.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that carbonate buffer is an efficient non-denaturing buffer for extracting mustard seed proteins.
- They report for the first time new mustard IgE-binding proteins identified as oleosins and enolase from Brassica juncea.
- They say the new putative mustard allergens need further biological and structural characterization.
How it was done
Information on the allergens in different mustard varieties is scarce, which makes it hard to manage risk and develop diagnostic tools and treatments for mustard allergy.
The researchers extracted proteins from seven Canadian mustard varieties, two Sinapis alba and five Brassica juncea, and tested how these proteins bound to IgE antibodies in blood sera from three mustard-allergic or mustard-sensitized people.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a lab study using blood sera from only three allergic people, so it cannot show how common these reactions are in the wider population.
- The new proteins were identified by lab tests only. The authors say future studies are needed to prove their biological activity and allergenicity in people.
- The suggested cross-reactivity with tree nuts, wheat, peanut and sesame comes from computer sequence comparisons, not from tests in people.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Saint-Hyacinthe Research and Development Centre, Canada
The paper
- Title
- Detection and identification of allergens from Canadian mustard varieties of Sinapis alba and Brassica juncea
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- L'Hocine L, Pitre M, Achouri A (2019). Detection and identification of allergens from Canadian mustard varieties of Sinapis alba and Brassica juncea . Biomolecules. doi:10.3390/biom9090489Free full textPubMed 31540036DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error