Understanding buckwheat allergies for the management of allergic reactions in humans and animals

Abstract

Buckwheat allergy is an immediate hypersensitivity reaction that includes anaphylaxis mediated by specific IgE antibodies. Several IgE-binding proteins in common buckwheat have been reported to be possible clinically relevant buckwheat allergens. Although common buckwheat is popularly consumed in Asia, buckwheat allergy is becoming a serious problem not only in Asia but also in Europe. In addition, common buckwheat has also been found to be a causative agent of allergic symptoms in animals. In recent years, in addition to conventional food allergy testing methods, the development of component-resolved diagnosis (CRD) has improved the diagnostic accuracy of food allergy. The identification of allergens is essential for the construction of CRD. In this review, we introduce the different types of buckwheat allergens and discuss how each buckwheat allergen contributes to the diagnosis of buckwheat allergy. We also present the analysis of buckwheat allergen that will help reduce the allergenicity of common buckwheat and reduce buckwheat allergen molecules. These findings may be beneficial in overcoming buckwheat allergies in humans and animals.

A Review on Epidemiological and Clinical Studies on Buckwheat Allergy

“…Moreover, three larger proteins (40, 45 and 48-kDa) were found to be important buckwheat allergens [ 13 ]. Nowadays, allergens in common buckwheat are reported as Fag e 1 (13S globulin), Fag e 2 (2S globulin), Fag e 3 (7S globulin/vicilin), Fag e 4 (antimicrobial peptide), Fag e 5 (vicilin-like protein), Fag e 10 kD (α-amylase inhibitor/tripsin inhibitor) and Fag e T1 (trypsin inhibitor) [ 5 , 7 ]. Fage 1 and Fag e 2 are considered to be the main allergens in common buckwheat [ 14 ].…”

“…Buckwheat products are sometimes used to feed horses, so-called “horse muesli” [ 7 ]. In one study on specific IgE activity in sera from 51 horses from Europe and Japan, the most prevalent allergy in horses with allergic reactions was against buckwheat.…”

“…The first review article on buckwheat allergy was published in 1996 [ 3 ]. More recent review articles on buckwheat allergy have focused on buckwheat allergy in Europe [ 5 ], in Australia [ 6 ] or in humans as well as in domestic animals [ 7 ]. The aim of this publication is given an updated overview of different aspects of buckwheat allergy.…”

Characterization of 2S albumin allergenic proteins for anaphylaxis in common buckwheat

“…Recently, Geiselhart et al (2018) identified 55 kDa vicilin-like and 3.9 kDa hevein-like antimicrobial polypeptides, recognized as Fag e 5 and Fag e 4, respectively, by the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS) allergen nomenclature sub-committee. Fag e 10 kDa (α-amylase inhibitor/trypsin inhibitor, 10 kDa/ 16 kDa) and Fag e TI (Trypsin inhibitor, 7 kDa/ 9 kDa) were also reported ( Satoh et al, 2020 , Heffler et al, 2014 ).…”

Replacement of buckwheat by black sorghum flour on soba‐type noodles

“…Soba noodle popularity is due to the health benefits associated with buckwheat, such as blood pressure lowering, anticancer and antiageing properties (Gimenez‐Bastida & Zielinski, 2015). However, buckwheat can illicit allergenic reactions (Heffler et al ., 2014; Satoh et al ., 2020). Moreover, the high cost of buckwheat limits its use in food formulations.…”