The rising prevalence of food allergies poses a significant public health challenge, affecting consumer safety and the food market's operational dynamics. Foods such as milk, eggs, soy, nuts, wheat, fish, and crustaceans contain allergen proteins that can provoke severe immunological responses, including anaphylaxis in allergic individuals. Addressing the immunoreactivity of these proteins, innovative food processing techniques that can effectively reduce or eliminate allergenicity without compromising the food's quality or sensory attributes are critically needed. Current efforts in the food industry focus on integrating both thermal and non-thermal processing methods to develop hypoallergenic or non-allergenic foods that are safe for consumption by both children and adults.

This Research Topic aims to explore cutting-edge developments in food processing technologies that minimize allergenicity while maintaining the nutritional and organoleptic quality of foods. The primary goal is to advance the production of safe hypoallergenic foods through innovative processing strategies that can cater to the needs of allergic individuals. By enhancing our understanding of these technologies, we can potentially transform food safety standards and improve allergic consumers' quality of life.

This topic will focus on novel food processing interventions, including both single and combined applications of innovative techniques. The scope of this research will encompass:
o Evaluating the efficacy of various innovative processing methods in allergen reduction
o Assessing the impact on food quality, safety, and consumer acceptability

We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
o Exploration of thermal and non-thermal processing to eliminate food allergenicity
o Study of allergenic potential in novel ingredients, such as insect-based proteins and nanotechnologically modified proteins
o Development of rapid, advanced detection methods for food allergens
o Examination of quality parameters in foods treated with novel hypoallergenic processes
o Analysis of immunological responses to processed foods across different demographic groups
o Comprehensive risk and safety assessments of hypoallergenic/non-allergenic foods

Through these research endeavors, this topic seeks to lead the way in establishing more inclusive food processing standards that prioritize allergen safety without sacrificing food quality, ultimately benefitting the broad spectrum of consumers, particularly those vulnerable to food allergens.

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Frontiers in Allergy

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