Pru p 3 acts as a strong sensitizer for peanut allergy in Spain

Pru p 3 has been suggested to be the primary sensitizing allergen in patients with peanut allergy in the Mediterranean area. We aimed to confirm this hypothesis, studying 79 subjects.

Mechanical properties of peanut varieties

On the efforts for rationalizing the production of peanuts in Spain, one of the objectives was to obtain a well adapted variety, suitable for mechanization. We tried to get information on the characteristics that would condition the suitability of a variety to mechanized production, principally mechanical harvesting. All the characters studied would then be taken into account in a breeding program.

Application of Improved Direct Calibration for Hyperspectral image processing: Detecting peanut traces in wheat flour.

NIR Hyperspectral imaging (1000-2500 nm) combined with IDC allowed the detection of peanut traces down to adulteration percentages 0.01% Contrary to PLSR, IDC does not require a calibration set, but uses both expert and experimental information and suitable for quantification of an interest compound in complex matrices. The obtained results shows the feasibility of using HSI systems for the detection of peanut traces in conjunction with chemical procedures, such as RT-PCR and ELISA

Detection of peanut traces in wheat flour through NIR hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy

- NIR Hyperspectral images (1000-2200 nm) allowed the detection of peanut traces down to adulteration percentages 0.01 % - Determination coefficient of R2= 0.946 was found for the quantification of peanut adulteration from 10% to 0.1%. - The obtained results shows the feasibility of using HSI systems for the detection of peanut traces in conjuction with chemical procedures, such as RT-PCR and ELISA to facilitate quality control surveyance on food product processing lines.

Hyperspectral to multispectral imaging for detection of tree nuts and peanut traces in wheat flour

In current industrial environments there is an increasing need for practical and inexpensive quality control systems to detect the foreign food materials in powder food processing lines. This demand is especially important for the detection of product adulteration with traces of highly allergenic products, such as peanuts and tree nuts. Manufacturing industries dealing with the processing of multiple powder food products present a substantial risk for the contamination of powder foods with traces of tree nuts and other adulterants, which might result in unintentional ingestion of nuts by the sensitised population. Hence, the need for an in-line system to detect nut traces at the early stages of food manufacturing is of crucial importance. In this present work, a feasibility study of a spectral index for revealing adulteration of tree nut and peanut traces in wheat flour samples with hyperspectral images is reported. The main nuts responsible for allergenic reactions considered in this work were peanut, hazelnut and walnut. Enhanced contrast between nuts and wheat flour was obtained after the application of the index. Furthermore, the segmentation of these images by selecting different thresholds for different nut and flour mixtures allowed the identification of nut traces in the samples. Pixels identified as nuts were counted and compared with the actual percentage of peanut adulteration. As a result, the multispectral system was able to detect and provide good visualisation of tree nut and peanut trace levels down to 0.01% by weight. In this context, multispectral imaging could operate in conjuction with chemical procedures, such as Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay to save time, money and skilled labour on product quality control. This approach could enable not only a few selected samples to be assessed but also to extensively incorporate quality control surveyance on product processing lines.

Detection and quantification of peanut traces in wheat flour by near infrared hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy using principal-component analysis

The use of a common environment for processing different powder foods in the industry has increased the risk of finding peanut traces in powder foods. The analytical methods commonly used for detection of peanut such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) represent high specificity and sensitivity but are destructive and time-consuming, and require highly skilled experimenters. The feasibility of NIR hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is studied for the detection of peanut traces down to 0.01% by weight. A principal-component analysis (PCA) was carried out on a dataset of peanut and flour spectra. The obtained loadings were applied to the HSI images of adulterated wheat flour samples with peanut traces. As a result, HSI images were reduced to score images with enhanced contrast between peanut and flour particles. Finally, a threshold was fixed in score images to obtain a binary classification image, and the percentage of peanut adulteration was compared with the percentage of pixels identified as peanut particles. This study allowed the detection of traces of peanut down to 0.01% and quantification of peanut adulteration from 10% to 0.1% with a coefficient of determination (r2) of 0.946. These results show the feasibility of using HSI systems for the detection of peanut traces in conjunction with chemical procedures, such as RT-PCR and ELISA to facilitate enhanced quality-control surveillance on food-product processing lines.

Hyperspectral to multispectral imaging for detection of tree nuts and peanut traces in wheat flour.

In current industrial environments there is an increasing need for practical and inexpensive quality control systems to detect the foreign food materials in powder food processing lines. This demand is especially important for the detection of product adulteration with traces of highly allergenic products, such as peanuts and tree nuts. Manufacturing industries dealing with the processing of multiple powder food products present a substantial risk for the contamination of powder foods with traces of tree nuts and other adulterants, which might result in unintentional ingestion of nuts by the sensitised population. Hence, the need for an in-line system to detect nut traces at the early stages of food manufacturing is of crucial importance. In this present work, a feasibility study of a spectral index for revealing adulteration of tree nut and peanut traces in wheat flour samples with hyperspectral images is reported. The main nuts responsible for allergenic reactions considered in this work were peanut, hazelnut and walnut. Enhanced contrast between nuts and wheat flour was obtained after the application of the index. Furthermore, the segmentation of these images by selecting different thresholds for different nut and flour mixtures allowed the identification of nut traces in the samples. Pixels identified as nuts were counted and with the actual percentage of peanut adulteration. As a result, the multispectral system was able to detect and provide good visualisation of tree nut and peanut trace levels down to 0.01% by weight. In this context, multispectral imaging could operate in conjuction with chemical procedures, such as Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay to save time, money and skilled labour on product quality control. This approach could enable not only a few selected samples to be assessed but also to extensively incorporate quality control surveyance on product processing lines.

VIS/NIR spectral signature for the identification of peanut contamination of powder foods

Visible-near infrared reflectance spectra are proposed for the characterization of IRMM 481 peanuts variety in comparison to powder food materials: wheat flour, milk and cocoa. Multidimensional analysis of reflectance spectra of powder samples shows a specific NIR band centred at 1200 nm that identifies peanut compared to the rest of food ingredients, regardless compaction level and temperature. Spectral range of 400-1000 nm is not robust for identification of blanched peanut. The visible range has shown to be reliable for the identification of pre-treatment and processing of unknown commercial peanut samples. A spectral index is proposed based on the combination of three wavelengths around 1200 nm that is 100% robust against pre-treatment (raw or blanched) and roasting (various temperatures and treatment duration).

Is Microarray Analysis Really Useful and Sufficient to Diagnose Nut Allergy in the Mediterranean Area?

Background: Component-based diagnosis on multiplex platforms is widely used in food allergy but its clinical performance has not been evaluated in nut allergy. Objective: To assess the diagnostic performance of a commercial protein microarray in the determination of specific IgE (sIgE) in peanut, hazelnut, and walnut allergy. Methods: sIgE was measured in 36 peanut-allergic, 36 hazelnut-allergic, and 44 walnut-allergic patients by ISAC 112, and subsequently, sIgE against available components was determined by ImmunoCAP in patients with negative ISAC results. ImmunoCAP was also used to measure sIgE to Ara h 9, Cor a 8, and Jug r 3 in a subgroup of lipid transfer protein (LTP)-sensitized nut-allergic patients (positive skin prick test to LTP-enriched extract). sIgE levels by ImmunoCAP were compared with ISAC ranges. Results: Most peanut-, hazelnut-, and walnut-allergic patients were sensitized to the corresponding nut LTP (Ara h 9, 66.7%; Cor a 8, 80.5%; Jug r 3, 84% respectively). However, ISAC did not detect sIgE in 33.3% of peanut-allergic patients, 13.9% of hazelnut-allergic patients, or 13.6% of walnut-allergic patients. sIgE determination by ImmunoCAP detected sensitization to Ara h 9, Cor a 8, and Jug r 3 in, respectively, 61.5% of peanut-allergic patients, 60% of hazelnut-allergic patients, and 88.3% of walnut-allergic patients with negative ISAC results. In the subgroup of peach LTP?sensitized patients, Ara h 9 sIgE was detected in more cases by ImmunoCAP than by ISAC (94.4% vs 72.2%, P<.05). Similar rates of Cor a 8 and Jug r 3 sensitization were detected by both techniques. Conclusions: The diagnostic performance of ISAC was adequate for hazelnut and walnut allergy but not for peanut allergy. sIgE sensitivity against Ara h 9 in ISAC needs to be improved.

A Recombinant Sal k 1 Isoform as an Alternative to the Polymorphic Allergen from Salsola kali Pollen for Allergy Diagnosis

The incidence of Amaranthaceae pollen allergy has increased due to the desertification occurring in many countries. In some regions of Spain, Salsola kali is the main cause of pollinosis, at almost the same level as olive and grass pollen. Sal k 1 - the sensitization marker of S. kali pollinosis - is used in clinical diagnosis, but is purified at a low yield from pollen. We aimed to produce a recombinant (r)Sal k 1 able to span the structural and immunological properties of the natural isoforms from pollen, and validate its potential use for diagnosis. METHODS: Specific cDNA was amplified by PCR, cloned into the pET41b vector and used to transform BL21 (DE3) Escherichia coli cells. Immunoblotting, ELISA, basophil activation and skin-prick tests were used to validate the recombinant protein against Sal k 1 isolated from pollen. Sera and blood cells from S. kali pollen-sensitized patients and specific monoclonal and polyclonal antisera were used. RESULTS: rSal k 1 was produced in bacteria with a yield of 7.5 mg/l of cell culture. The protein was purified to homogeneity and structural and immunologically validated against the natural form. rSal k 1 exhibited a higher IgE cross-reactivity with plant-derived food extracts such as peanut, almond or tomato than with pollen sources such as Platanus acerifolia and Oleaceae members. CONCLUSIONS: rSal k 1 expressed in bacteria retains intact structural and immunological properties in comparison to the pollen-derived allergen. It spans the immunological properties of most of the isoforms found in pollen, and it might substitute natural Sal k 1 in clinical diagnosis.