Quinoa proteins and allergy in Brown Norway rats
What it found
In Brown Norway rats, quinoa proteins triggered a medium to high immune response, higher than spinach but lower than peanut.
The authors say this should be further investigated in human studies.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Immune response in rats
Quinoa proteins caused the rats to make specific IgG1 and IgE antibodies. Levels were higher than with spinach but lower than with peanut.
Clinical reaction in rats
In an ear swelling test, the three highest doses of quinoa caused reactions similar to peanut. This suggests the antibodies could trigger a real allergic response.
Digestion in the lab
In simulated stomach and gut digestion, many quinoa proteins stayed intact. The digested proteins still bound to quinoa-specific antibodies, though less strongly than undigested proteins.
Cross-reactivity with other allergens
Quinoa proteins shared sequence similarities and antibody binding with peanut, tree nuts, and other allergens. The strongest cross-reactions were with peanut, hazelnut, almond, and Brazil nut.
Main reactive protein
A protein around 25 kDa, likely the basic subunit of 11S globulin, was the main one that antibodies from quinoa-immunised rats recognised.
What the authors conclude
“Present study suggests that quinoa pose a medium to high level of allergenicity that should be further investigated in human studies.”
Also in their conclusions
- They suggest that quinoa poses a medium to high level of allergenicity.
- They say this should be further investigated in human studies.
How it was done
Quinoa has become popular as a gluten-free, high-protein food, and eating new proteins may introduce new allergies. The authors wanted to assess the allergy-causing potential of quinoa proteins.
Groups of 6 to 8 Brown Norway rats were given five weekly injections of quinoa, peanut, or spinach proteins at doses from 12.5 to 500 micrograms. The rats were then tested for ear swelling, and their blood was checked for antibodies. The authors also ran lab tests to see how quinoa proteins break down and whether they cross-react with other allergens.
What it can’t tell you
- These are animal studies. They can't show what happens in people.
- The study used injections, not eating, so it doesn't show what happens when quinoa is eaten.
- The cross-reactivity was tested with rat antibodies, not with blood from people with allergies.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: NPHK and SG are employees at ALK. KLB has ongoing collaboration with ALK. Authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
- Authors work at
- Technical University of Denmark, Denmark; University of Leeds, UK; Aalborg University, Denmark
The paper
- Title
- Allergenicity evaluation of quinoa proteins - A study in Brown Norway rats
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Ballegaard AR, Sancho AI, Zhou C, et al (2023). Allergenicity evaluation of quinoa proteins - A study in Brown Norway rats. Food and chemical toxicology. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2023.114118Free full textPubMed 37863384DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error