187: A Study on the Impact of Pulsed Light Treatment on Whey Protein Immunogenicity

Introduction

Cow milk (CM) allergy is a common food allergy among infants and children, and it also affects adults and the elderly. The primary allergens responsible for this condition are casein, α-lactalbumin, and β-lactoglobulin.

Methods

This study investigates the effect of pulsed light (PL) treatment on the immunogenicity of whey proteins. Additionally, the immune reactivity of PL-treated whey protein solutions was evaluated in BALB/c mice with milk protein allergies.

Results

The in vitro results showed that after 30 seconds of PL treatment, the antigenicity of β-LG in the whey protein solution decreased significantly by 52% and 34%, respectively (p < 0.05). The in vivo results in milk protein-allergic BALB/c mice indicated that, compared to the untreated group, the PL-treated whey protein solution significantly reduced the spleen index, serum IgE concentration, and IL-4 levels in splenic cell supernatants (p < 0.05). Furthermore, PL treatment significantly increased the concentrations of IL-10 and IFN-γ in splenic cell supernatants (p < 0.05), thereby mitigating allergic responses. In the untreated group, mice exhibited intestinal villi atrophy, irregular arrangement, and a significant decrease in the villus-to-crypt ratio (p < 0.05), along with mast cell aggregation and infiltration, characteristic of intestinal allergic responses. In summary, oral administration of PL-treated whey protein solution to milk protein-allergic mice reduced allergy-related markers compared to the untreated group.

Significance

Pulsed light treatment may represent a non-thermal processing technique capable of degrading milk allergenic proteins and alleviating milk protein allergies in mice.

Authors: Pei-Ting Chaung, Hsin-Chun Tsai, Chung-Hsiung Huang, Bao-Hong Lee