Dry Roasting May Up Peanut Allergic Potential

A study in mice suggests that chemical changes that occur during dry roasting may increase the odds of an allergic reaction. Dina Fine Maron reports. Sep 24, 2014 | |

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Exposure to peanuts can be deadly to people with an allergy. But here’s a finding that could start to thwart the : peanuts that are dry roasted may be more likely to trigger an than do their raw counterparts. At least that’s the case in mice. The study is in the . [Amin E. Moghaddam et al, ]

Researchers looked at how the immune systems of mice respond to purified proteins from dry roasted peanuts versus raw peanuts. Temperatures required to dry roast peanuts—160 degrees C or higher—create chemical compounds that incite the mouse immune system.

If the findings extend to humans, it could help explain the difference in the higher incidence of peanut allergies in the western world compared with East Asia. Peanuts are equally popular in both regions, but in the west, dry roasted peanuts are more prevalent.

The researchers are now looking at ways to stop the formation of the compounds that cause trouble, in the hopes of developing a peanut that doesn’t bite back.

—Dina Fine Maron