As one of the eight major allergens recognized by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, it is crucial to determine sesame allergens in food. Employing liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), which exhibits exceptional precision and sensitivity, enables the identification of sesame allergen proteins. In this investigation, we established and validated a methodology for quantifying sesame allergen protein (Ses i 1-7) in processed foods utilizing LC-MS/MS. The key innovation lies in screening sesame allergen characteristic peptides with processing robustness and using isotope labeled derived peptides as internal standards to correct trypsin digestion efficiency, significantly improving quantitative accuracy. The quantitative method showed excellent sensitivity (limit of detection: 1.0-28 μg/g; limit of quantitation: 2.9-56 μg/g), accuracy (recovery rate: 90%-110%), and repeatability (intra/inter-day precision: 1.06%-7.59%/2.68%-6.98%). In addition, this method has been successfully employed in the examination of commercial food. The quantitative method established in this study is beneficial for the management of sesame allergens in processed foods.

Alpha-lactalbumin (ALA), a significant allergen in cow's milk, requires urgent preventative and therapeutic techniques. Peptide immunotherapy may modify allergic reactivity without cross-linking IgE, making it crucial to milk allergy treatment. In the present study, tolerogenic peptides of α-lactalbumin have been identified by constructing immune cells (MLN cells, splenocytes) from a mouse model of cow's milk allergy and co-culturing them in vitro with candidate peptides. The allergy model demonstrated significant alterations in physiological and biochemical indices within the experimental group. Subsequent co-culture of immune cells with candidate peptides revealed that peptide ALA AA (1-19) induced the expansion of Treg cells and promoted a tolerogenic phenotype in DCs. Taken together, these results led to the successful screening of ALA-tolerant peptides, which inhibited the release of allergy-related cytokines and induced the differentiation of immune cells toward the tolerant phenotype. This study provides a food-compatible peptide strategy for CMA management, with potential applications in hypoallergenic dairy products. Meanwhile, these findings laid the foundation for further validation in subsequent in vivo experiments.

Food allergy has become one of the prominent issues in the fields of food safety and public health. Since there is no effective treatment for food allergy, avoiding dietary exposure to (or intake of) food allergens based on label information should remain the best option for allergy sufferers. The development of sensitive, accurate and efficient allergen detection technologies is crucial for protecting consumers’ safety and rights. As a multidisciplinary detection technology, biosensors have the advantages of high specificity, quick response and easy operation. The rapid development of nanomaterials has advanced the development of highly sensitive and high-throughput biosensors for the visual detection of food allergens. In order to provide more references for further research and application of biosensors in food allergen detection, this paper summarizes the general situation of food allergen detection by biosensors, and analyzes the latest development of various biological recognition elements and biosensors based on different nanomaterials in the field of food allergen detection,