fermenting away peanut allergens

[Guest guest]

Hey y'all--

I just happened to catch this on google news, and thought you'd be

interested:

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews & storyID=8709248

Money quote:

" If the new processing method pans out, though, it could allow for

allergy-free peanut butter, cookies and other peanut products.

Fermentation works by degrading the allergy-triggering peanut

proteins, Yu told Reuters Health. In their work with roasted peanut

flour and isolated peanut protein, she and her colleagues found that

their fermentation process substantially reduced the concentration of

two major allergenic proteins, Ara h1 and Ara h2.

The assumption, Yu said, is that fermentation will not alter the

flavor of peanut products. But, she pointed out, the research is not

yet up to the taste-testing stage. "

--

Persi M. Mon

superfruit@...

---------------------------------

" A 5-year-old could understand this! Fetch me a 5-year-old! "