Targeting cow's milk allergy using hypoallergenic protein-polyphenol formulas: A proof of concept

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Cow's milk allergy caused by a hypersensitivity to milk proteins has increased over the last years. Hypoallergenic responses can be induced by altering the structure of such proteins with chemical modifiers; this paper is about the creation of edible matrices based on polyphenols from orange peel. Some compounds were able to significantly lower the IgE binding from β-lactoglobulin allergic serum in sensitized patients. Such effects could also be observed for casein allergic serum in patients sensitized to both proteins. A certain inter-individual variability is observed, although polyphenols do actually induce salient structural changes. This indicates that molecular modifications aimed at oral treatments against food allergy may or may not correlate with reduced allergenicity, and hence the necessity for serum monitoring through immunological assays. Overall, the results are promising enough to validate the polyphenol-fortified approach. In addition, this study highlights the upgrading of vegetable waste, consistent with a circular economy in food chemistry. • A protocol for creating polyphenol-fortified milk proteins has been developed. • Polyphenol-protein matrices elicit hypoallergenic responses against cow's milk allergy. • Polyphenols significantly decrease IgE binding from allergic serum in sensitized patients. • Immunological assays addressing gender/age variations hold promise for oral immunotherapy. • The approach represents a circular-economy way to recycle and upgrade plant waste.