Human basophils: A unique biological instrument to detect the allergenicity of food

Background: labeling of major food allergens is mandatory for the safety of allergic consumers. although enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,polymerase chain reaction,and mass spectrometry are sensitive and specifi c instruments to detect trace amounts of food proteins,they cannot measure the ability of food constituents to trigger activation of mast cells or basophils. aim: we evaluated the basophil activation test as an instrument to determine the allergenic potential of trace amounts of food allergens in complex matrices. peanut (arachis hypogaea) allergy was selected as a proof-of-concept model. methods: the study population comprised 5 severely peanut-allergic patients (3 males/2 females; median age,12 years) all sensitized to 3 major peanut allergens (ara h 1,ara h 2,and ara h 3) and 5 peanut-tolerant individuals (2 males/3 females; median age,8 years). basophils from patients and controls were stimulated with pure peanut extract and blank and peanut-spiked (0.1,0.01,and 0.001 ppm) biscuits (baking time 11,16,21,26 minutes) and chocolate extracts. results: blank biscuits and chocolate did not induce cell activation in patients or controls. a comparison between patients and controls showed signifi cantly higher activation of basophils after stimulation with 0.1 and 0.01 ppm of peanut-spiked biscuit at all baking times and peanut-spiked chocolate (p<.05). conclusions: the basophil activation test is a highly sensitive and specifi c tool to detect traces of functionally active food allergens. for biscuits,its accuracy seems independent of baking time. furthermore,it allows even the most sensitive patients to be included in study protocols © 2011 esmon publicidad.