RESULTS
NMR analysis of peanut-soaked solutions demonstrated an overall reduction of total intact protein in autoclaved peanuts as shown by the broadening of peaks in the spectral regions corresponding to peptide fragments when compared to raw. The results also showed that autoclaving reduces the amount of allergenic proteins Ara h 2 (50% reduction) and Ara h 8 (100% reduction). Upon skin prick testing of allergic subjects, this differential degradation demonstrated that the autoclaved peanut could be used to categorize patients into two groups: those at risk for anaphylaxis and those who only experience oral symptoms to peanut (predominantly Ara h 2- and Ara h 8-specific IgE, respectively).