Analysis of the heat stability of lipid transfer protein from apple

• Published in: Journal of allergy and clinical immunology Vol. 112; no. 5; pp. 1009 - 1011
• Main Authors: Asero, Riccardo, Mistrello, Gianni, Roncarolo, Daniela, Amato, Stefano, Falagiani, Paolo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Mosby, Inc 01.11.2003; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Allergic diseases; Allergies; Antigens, Plant; Apples; Biological and medical sciences; Carrier Proteins - chemistry; Carrier Proteins - isolation & purification; Drug Stability; Fruits; General aspects; Heat resistance; Hot Temperature; Humans; Immunopathology; Malus - chemistry; Medical sciences; Patients; Plant Proteins; Proteins; Human; Immunopathology; Allergy; Heat; Apple; Stability; Transfer; Lipids; Protein; Food; Allergen
• ISSN: 0091-6749; 1097-6825
• DOI: 10.1016/S0091-6749(03)02006-2

To the Editor: Lipid transfer protein (LTP), the major allergen in Rosaceae fruits in areas where the prevalence of birch pollen allergy is low,1,2 is a potentially dangerous allergen. Because of its extreme resistance to pepsin digestion,3 LPT probably reaches the intestinal tract in an almost unmodified form, inducing severe systemic reactions in allergic subjects.2-5 Heat-stability is a less well known (but potentially relevant) feature of this protein. Immunoblot to cooked apple peel (100°C for 30 minutes) was performed through use of sera from 3 patients, as previously described.3 Two patients monosensitized to LTP,3 a 26-year-old woman with apple-induced OAS (patient 12) and a 21-year-old man with a history of severe abdominal pain and diarrhea induced by apple (patient 3), underwent SPT with raw, boiled (100°C for 10 and 30 minutes), and oven-cooked (180°C for 10 and 20 minutes) Golden Delicious apple peel as well as oral challenge tests with heat-processed apple.