Creating Low Allergen Shrimp through the Use of Pressure and Steam

With the onset of summer, many people will be lighting up their grills and roasting everything from hot dogs to steak. Shrimp will not be on the menu for the millions of Americans who suffer from seafood allergies, despite a reported way in Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry That could change. Reverse pressure sterilization, researchers say, can result in a less allergenic shrimp product that, when tested on crustacean-sensitive rats, did not cause severe reactions.

Some of the most common foods that people suffer from are dairy products, wheat, peanuts, and seafood. The immune system mistakes some of the proteins in these foods as an intruder and launches a response against them. In minor cases, this can cause some discomfort or swelling, and in severe cases, it can be life-threatening. But the proteins that the immune system reacts to can change or break down when heated, which can prevent antibodies from recognizing them, thus making the food safer for people with allergies.

Studies of other shellfish, such as oysters, have suggested that sensitivity can actually increase after roasting, while others have shown that it decreases. Therefore, Na Sun and his colleagues wanted to understand exactly how allergens in shrimp change during post-processing. They also wanted to see if they could create a more hypoallergenic product.

The team separated the shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) samples into three groups. The first group was raw and the second was roasted. The third group was roasted and then treated with reverse pressure sterilization, where the crustaceans were subjected to high pressure and steam. The three groups were mashed into pastes, and each was given to a separate group of rats allergic to shrimp.

Both raw and roasted shrimp caused similar reactions, including increased histamine levels and damage to the spleen and lungs, indicating that roasting alone did not change the properties of the protein much. The third group had milder reactions and less organ damage.

When the allergy-causing proteins in the shrimp samples were examined more closely, the team found that roasting caused these proteins to change shape, but the antibodies were still able to bind. However, reverse pressure sterilization caused the proteins to clump together, masking the binding sites. This prevented the antibodies from sticking together, thus preventing a severe allergic reaction.

The researchers say this method was successful and efficient in reducing shrimp allergy, as explained by the unique protein changes that this causes.