Reducing the Allergen Content in Norin 61 Whole Wheat by Fermentation

Abstract

Wheat is a major food crop that is cultivated and utilized worldwide. However, it is also known to cause severe allergies. We have reported the isolation of major allergens of Norin 61 whole grain wheat in a 70% ethanol soluble fraction. These allergens were determined to be resistant to heat, pH, and high-pressure treatment. The major aim of this study was to reduce the allergen content in Norin 61 by microbial treatment. Wheat butter was fermented by Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus sojae, Saccharomyces pastorianus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Bacillus subtilis for 24, 48, or 72 h at the optimum temperature for each microorganism. The allergen fraction of the fermented butter was subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), capillary electrophoresis, and immunoglobulin E (IgE) membrane immunoblotting. The allergen content of wheat butter fermented for 72 h by B. subtilis was decreased by approximately 82%. The suppressed allergens were confirmed to be γ-gliadin and low molecular weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS) by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).