Eggs and their derived products are common foods that can induce food allergic reaction, especially in children. The reported incidence of egg allergy is 1% to 2%, and its prevalence has rapidly increased in recent years. Currently, there is no approved treatment for it. The clinical guidance for this adverse food reaction is the complete elimination of egg (and their derived products) from diet, which is difficult due to the wide use of egg ingredients in food industry. Food processing methods can affect the conformational and/or linear epitopes of allergens and may change the allergenicity of egg. Thermal treatment and various other processing methods based on the enzymatic hydrolysis and irradiation have been found useful in reducing allergenicity of certain egg allergens. However, processed egg proteins can also show an increased allergenicity after treatment and the correct pattern to follow for the generation of hypoallergenic products remains unclear. This review explores the influence of processing methods on egg allergenicity and reports the best options for the generation of hypoallergenic egg products to date.
The prevalence of food allergy (FA) is increasing, and there is an urgent need to take effective measures against it. One important measure is the avoidance diet, which shows a disadvantage, especially in case of accidental exposure. Oral tolerance restoration sheds new light on the control of FA. Oral tolerance is naturally a state of systemic unresponsiveness of the gastrointestinal tract to food antigens and its restoration can be a clinical therapy for FA. Its immune basis lies on the intestinal mucosal immune system and factors, such as gut microbiota and food processing methods, are also important. This review presents recent advances in oral tolerance and its closely related factors.
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