Bovine Milk Allergens: A Comprehensive Review.

Area of Science:

• Food science and immunology
• Allergen analysis and detection

Background:

• Cow milk allergy (CMA) is a prevalent food allergy in childhood, often persisting into adulthood.
• Milk proteins are ubiquitous in food products, posing a constant risk to allergic individuals.
• Effective management necessitates reliable diagnostics and strategies to mitigate allergenicity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advances in understanding and managing cow milk allergy.
• To explore novel strategies for reducing milk allergenicity and improving diagnostic accuracy.
• To provide an overview of analytical methods for milk allergen detection in food.

Main Methods:

• Review of scientific literature on cow milk allergy prevalence, diagnosis, and therapy.
• Analysis of molecular characteristics of milk allergens and cross-reactivity.
• Evaluation of food processing techniques (heat, fermentation, high pressure) for allergen modification.
• Assessment of analytical methods including immunoassays, mass spectrometry, and real-time PCR.

Main Results:

• Food processing techniques show potential in reducing milk allergenicity.
• Accurate and sensitive analytical methods are crucial for verifying food labeling compliance.
• Understanding allergen structure, cross-reactivity, and the impact of food matrix is key.

Conclusions:

• Advances in food processing offer promising avenues for reducing milk allergenicity.
• Development and application of sensitive analytical methods are vital for consumer safety.
• Integrated approaches combining processing, diagnostics, and labeling are essential for managing cow milk allergy.