Allergenic potential of insect proteins: cross-reactivity, detection, degradation, and implications for food safety and labelling

The growing global demand for protein, driven by population expansion, has highlighted the need for sustainable and nutritionally rich alternatives. Insect protein presents a promising solution, offering a high-quality, environmentally sustainable source of nutrition. However, allergenic risks associated with insect proteins pose a significant barrier to their widespread use in food and animal feed. In this review, we review cross-reactive allergens from insect proteins, and detection and characterisation methods for these allergens as well as effects of food processing approaches to degrade these allergens in products. It also discusses interactions between digestive tracts and insect allergens within food matrix to discuss the safety threshold and policy. The need for establishing safety thresholds and labelling policies for insect-based food and feed should be considered, particularly in relation to cross-reactivity with seafood allergens. While significant progress has been made in allergen detection and risk assessment frameworks, there remains a lack of standardized guidelines for insect protein products. Future research is critical to better understand the allergenic potential of insect proteins, the effects of food processing on their allergenicity, and the development of effective allergen thresholds and regulatory policies to ensure consumer safety. Collaborative efforts and consents from research, industry, government, and consumers will be essential to safely integrate insect proteins into the global food and feed supply.