Abstract / Summary
Peanuts are an excellent source of plant-based protein, lipids, and fiber globally. However, peanut allergy is a clinically important IgE-mediated food allergy that can cause severe and potentially life-threatening reactions. This article systematically reviews the effects of processing methods on peanut allergens based on antigenic epitopes, mainly including non-targeted technologies (roasting, water bath heating, frying, high-pressure processing, irradiation, cold plasma, enzymatic crosslinking, germination, fermentation, and chemical modification) and more selective strategies (genetic engineering, enzymatic hydrolysis, and interaction with ligands). The IgE-binding capacity and antigenic properties of peanuts are closely associated with epitopes of allergens. During food processing, the structure of epitopes will be modified by thermal effects, mechanical effects, and other factors. Early processing technologies primarily induce non-targeted changes to antigenic epitopes, with unclear mechanisms underlying their effects on allergenicity. Moreover, some processing methods such as roasting may even enhance allergenicity. Among targeted processing technologies, genetic engineering and enzymatic hydrolysis are associated with ethical concerns and the production of undesirable peptides. Among the more selective modification strategies, enzyme-mediated polyphenol conjugation has shown promise for reducing peanut IgE-binding capacity in vitro. However, its mechanistic selectivity and functional efficacy remain incompletely established, and further peanut-specific epitope mapping, effector-cell assays, and in vivo validation are required before its ability to reduce clinically relevant allergenic activity can be determined.