Abstract
The potential risks of genetically modified foods as allergens are outlined, in the light of recent rises in food allergies. Characteristics of allergic reactions to food are described, focusing on soya and groundnuts. As allergic reactions are rarely due to one single constituent, it is necessary to show that the introduction of novel genes into plants does not alter the composition and quality of other potentially allergenic proteins. Comparison of transgene amino acid sequences with known allergenic protein motifs is of limited use due to the lack of allergens currently deposited in databases and the small number of amino acids required to change a harmless protein to a conformation which is sufficiently similar to provoke an immunological cross reaction.The potential risks of genetically modified foods as allergens are outlined, in the light of recent rises in food allergies. Characteristics of allergic reactions to food are described, focusing on soya and groundnuts. As allergic reactions are rarely due to one single constituent, it is necessary to show that the introduction of novel genes into plants does not alter the composition and quality of other potentially allergenic proteins. Comparison of transgene amino acid sequences with known allergenic protein motifs is of limited use due to the lack of allergens currently deposited in databases and the small number of amino acids required to change a harmless protein to a conformation which is sufficiently similar to provoke an immunological cross reaction.