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).