Fava beans give plant-based proteins a meaty taste and texture, however it can also trigger the allergies of people sensitive to other legumes, revealed new research published in Frontiers.
“This study shows that increasing consumption of ‘new’ legumes might pose a risk for already legume allergic patients,” said Dr. Thuy-My Le, senior author of the study, who works at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands.
“Introduction of novel foods into the market should be accompanied by appropriate assessment of the risk of developing (new) food allergies.”
Rise of the legume
Legumes, such as fava beans and lentils, are a common ingredient in many meat alternatives on the market.
“Both protein consumption and the world’s population are increasing which leads to an urgent demand for sustainable protein sources. Legumes can be an attractive protein source, because they are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals,” explained Le.
For example, a press release on Beyond Chicken Tenders calls fava beans is “an optimal ingredient for replicating the taste and texture of traditional chicken tenders.
Legume co-allergies
Research in Le’s lab focuses on finding ways to predict if new or novel foods increase allergy risks in people.
When a food allergy occurs, the human immune system produces an antibody called immunoglobin E (IgE). However, someone with an allergy may also react to other food ingredients. This is called a co-allergy.
Co-allergies are thought to occur when IgE antibodies can bind to the proteins of several foods due to similar protein structures.
The results revealed that co-allergies to other legumes were most likely to occur in someone with an existing allergy to peanuts.
“Legumes are an attractive sustainable protein source, but allergic reactions in the already legume-allergic population cannot be excluded as antibodies in the blood of legume allergic patients frequently react to different legumes. However, this reaction does not always lead to a clinically relevant food allergy,” Le said.
