SAFE: Plant food allergies: field to table strategies for reducing their incidence in Europe

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 02.0402

Key words (English)

Agriculture; Economic Aspects; Food; Industrial Manufacture; Life Sciences; Medicine; Health; Safety

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: QLK1-CT-2000-01394

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.1.1 Food, nutrition and health

Short description (English)

See abstract

Abstract (English)

The EU is actively encouraging consumption of fruit and vegetable for positive health benefits. Apples are the most widely grown and consumed fruit in Europe, but around 1M people are apple allergic. A number of major apple allergens have been identified but detailed information on sensitisation patterns is lacking. Focusing on apple allergy the project will characterize allergens, and linkages with severe versus mild symptoms using fruit-allergic patients from across Europe. It will also provide the European Agro-Food industry with strategies to ensure the availability of high quality low allergen foods in European and export markets thus extending consumer choice of fresh or processed food stuffs with reduced or abolished allergenicity. It will also supply the consumer with reliable and independent information about low allergenic alternatives (existing cultivars and GMO).

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 02.0402