Microorganisms inhabiting saline environments are an interesting ecological model for the study of the adaptation of organisms to extreme living conditions and constitute a precious resource of enzymes and bioproducts for biotechnological applications. We analyzed the microbial communities in nine ponds with increasing salt concentrations (salinity range 4.9–36.0%) of the Saltern of Margherita di Savoia (Italy), the largest thalassohaline saltern in Europe. A deep-metabarcoding NGS procedure addressing separately the V5-V6 and V3-V4 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene of Bacteria and Archaea, respectively, and a CARD-FISH (catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization) analysis allowed us to profile the dynamics of microbial populations at the different salt concentrations. Both the domains were detected throughout the saltern, even if the low relative abundance of Archaea in the three ponds with the lowest salinities prevented the construction of the relative amplicon libraries. The highest cell counts were recorded at 14.5% salinity for Bacteria and at 24.1% salinity for Archaea. While Bacteria showed the greatest number of genera in the first ponds (salinity range 4.9–14.5%), archaeal genera were more numerous in the last ponds of the saltern (salinity 24.1–36.0%). Among prokaryotes, Salinibacter was the genus with the maximum abundance (~49% at 34.6% salinity). Other genera detected at high abundance were the archaeal Haloquadratum (~43% at 36.0% salinity) and Natronomonas (~18% at 13.1% salinity) and the bacterial “Candidatus Aquiluna” (~19% at 14.5% salinity). Interestingly, “Candidatus Aquiluna” had not been identified before in thalassohaline waters.

Food allergies originate from adverse immune reactions to some food components. Ingestion of food allergens can cause effects of varying severity, from mild itching to severe anaphylaxis reactions. Currently there are no clues to predict the allergenic potency of a molecule, nor are cures for food allergies available. Cutting-edge research on allergens is aimed at increasing information on their diffusion and understanding structure-allergenicity relationships. In this context, purified recombinant allergens are valuable tools for advances in the diagnostic and immunotherapeutic fields. Chitinases are a group of allergens often found in plant fruits, but also identified in edible insects. They are classified into different families and classes for which structural analyses and identification of epitopes have been only partially carried out. Moreover, also their presence in common allergen databases is not complete. In this review we provide a summary of the identified food allergenic chitinases, their main structural characteristics, and a clear division in the different classes.

Food allergies associated with class E immunoglobulins (IgE) are a serious health problem that affects between 1% and 10% of the population of developing countries, with a variability that depends on the geographical area and age range considered. These allergies are caused by a cross-link reaction between a specific food protein (the allergen) and the host IgE. Allergic reactions can range from mild itching to anaphylactic shock and there are no clues to predict the effects of an allergen. Strict avoidance of allergenic food is the only way to avoid possible serious allergic reactions. In the last 30 years a growing number of molecular studies have been conducted to obtain information on the diffusion of food allergens and to establish the structural basis of their allergenicity. At the same time, these studies have also allowed the development of molecular tools (mainly based on synthetic peptides and recombinant allergens) that can be of great help for diagnostic and therapeutic approaches of food allergies. Accordingly, this review focuses on advances in the study of food allergens made possible by molecular technologies and how results and technologies can be integrated for the development of a systematic food molecular allergology. The review may be of interest both to scientists approaching this field of investigation and to physicians who wish to have an update on the progress of research in diagnosis and therapy of food allergies.