Fermentation Reduces Soy's Allergenicity

Filed in archive Allergy: Research and Development , Food Allergies on March 10, 2008

For vegetarians, soy products is a good protein source. For some people with cow milk allergies, soy milk can be an alternative. Soy-based foods are nutritious and offer a lot of health benefits, such as in heart health, menopause and weight management, among many others. However, there is a significant and growing number of people who are allergic to soy.

Scientists, however, that through fermentation,soy's allergenicity is reduced, thus making is safe for people with food allergies.

"When we fermented soy seeds, flour, or meal by introducing certain microorganisms, inmmunoreactivity was significantly reduced - by as much as 99 percent. This shows that we have the potential of developing nutritious, hypoallergenic soy products," said elvira de Mejia, a U of I associate professor of food science and human nutrition.

"Why do we see this reduced immunoreactivity? During the fermentation process, proteins are broken down into very small pieces, pieces that can't be identified by the antibodies that produce the allergic reaction," de Mejia explained.

Read more from Medical News Today.

Photo: Soyfoods.org