Allergic potential of peanuts reduced
23 March 2012 – The use of tannic acid could help reduce the allergic potential of products that contain peanut proteins.
Research published in Food Chemistry, says that tannins in food and beverage products can form insoluble complexes with major peanut allergens reducing the allergen binding reactivity of allergens.
The stability of the complex was tested at pH 2 and pH 8 to replicate the conditions inside the digestive tract. Results found that the complex did not release the allergens and therefore presumably should pass through the body without causing an allergic reaction.
However, animal and clinical studies are still needed before tannic acid can find an application in the development of low allergen peanut products or the removal of peanut allergens due to accidental ingestion.