Low-allergy peanuts on the horizon

Scientists from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are currently breeding low-allergy peanuts that may be ready for production within the next two to five years.

Using conventional breeding techniques, the researchers have removed two major allergenic proteins from the peanut. They have also identified other strains of peanuts which are missing a third major allergen, leading to the possibility of adding these into the breeding mix.

The latest research on these low-allergy peanuts suggests that children who consume them would be less likely to become allergic to any peanuts. Most importantly, those people who are already allergic to peanuts may tolerate a much higher dose of the low-allergy peanuts before they suffered a reaction.

Lead scientist Professor Soheila Maleki from the USDA's Agricultural Research Service in New Orleans recently presented the results of this research at a congress of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in London.

The scientists will now investigate whether peanuts developed without the most allergenic proteins can produce naturally-occurring seeds with the same reduced allergy potential.