A protocol for a systematic review to identify allergenic tree nuts and the molecules responsible for their allergenic properties

Abstract

Food regulations require that tree nuts and derived ingredients are included on food labels in order to help individuals with IgE-mediated allergies to avoid them. However, there is no consensus regarding which tree nut species should be included in this definition and specified on food labels. Allergen detection methods used for monitoring foods target allergen molecules, but it not clear which are the most relevant molecules to choose. A modified population-exposure-comparators-outcome (PECO) approach has been developed to systematically review the evidence regarding (1) which allergenic tree nuts should be included in food allergen labelling lists and (2) which are the clinically relevant allergens which should be used as analytical targets. A search strategy and criteria against which the evidence will be evaluated have been developed. The resulting evidence will be used to rank tree nuts with regards their ability to cause IgE-mediated allergies, and allergen molecules regarding their capacity to elicit an allergic reaction. The results of the systematic review will enable risk assessors and managers to identify tree nut species that should be included in food allergen labelling lists and ensure analytical methods for determination of allergens in foods are targeting appropriate molecules.

Food Allergen Epitope Mapping

“…Among the many possible adverse reactions, food allergy appears to be of recent concern. The estimation of food allergy prevalence is difficult and has been suggested to be in the range from 3–6 to <10 and >10% in some regions. − According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) expert panel, food allergy is defined as “an adverse health effect arising from a specific immune response that occurs reproducibly on exposure to a given food”. The adverse reaction to a food by the affected human involves complex chemistry.…”

A novel model of dermatomyositis induced by membrane antigen and calciphylaxis in rats

“…In the present study, autoimmune injury was induced with plasma membrane antigen that extracted from the skeletal muscle and its nearby cutaneous tissues. Autoimmune injury consists of tissue damage resulting from immunological mechanisms; the four types of hypersensitivity always play roles in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders: i) Type I-immunoglobulin (Ig) E and mast cells; ii) type II-IgM, IgG and complement; iii) type III-IgG immunocomplexes; and type IV T lymphocytes and macrophages (34)(35)(36). In the present study, 14 days after membrane antigen stimulation, positive precipitation lines were observed in agar immunodiffusion assays carried out in randomly selected rats.…”

Effect of processing treatments on the allergenicity of nuts and legumes: A meta‐analysis

“…We used the list of tree nuts and legumes adapted from Javed et al. (2017) and Semba et al. (2021), so there were 30 keywords in each database as terms without further restrictions applied to the search (Table 1).…”

“…To provide a global assessment, we also searched the literature using the specific name of tree nuts and legumes as the basis for defining the search terms. We used the list of tree nuts and legumes adapted from Javed et al (2017) and Semba et al (2021), so there were 30 keywords in each database as terms without further restrictions applied to the search (Table 1).…”