Control of Milk Allergenicity

Abstract

Food allergies are classified among the largest problems of human health by World Health Organization (WHO), with 2-10% of the world's population (children and adults) being confronted with it. Milk protein allergy is one of the most common types of allergies. But milk and dairy products are widely consumed and represent not only an inexpensive and easily accessible source of protein, calcium and vitamin D, but also an important share in the world food industry economy. Here, it is presented an overview of the different approaches, tested and developed to help the dairy industry in controlling the allergenicity of these products. Special emphasis is given to protein cross linking by transglutaminase, a recent technique that has attracted increasing attention in the scientific and industrial community. In fact, it does not involve the use of chemicals, it is easy to control and it is not necessary to remove the allergenic protein after the treatment, leading to a final non-allergenic product with equivalent protein content to the original product.