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Identification of relevant allergens in alternative food proteins from insects utilizing in vitro and in vivo diagnostic approaches

AIFA Early Career and New Researcher Grant

Dr Shaymaviswanathan Karnaneedi

James Cook University, Townsville

Research Team: Prof Andreas Lopata (James Cook University), Prof Sheryl van Nunen OAM (The University of Sydney), A/Prof Graham Mackay (The University of Melbourne)

Dr Shay KarnaneediDue to global resource constraints and climate change mitigation putting limits on traditional animal-derived protein production, complementary proteins from insects have become a great alternative sustainable food source to feed the growing population due to their high protein and nutrient content and low greenhouse gas production during rearing. The Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s Advisory Committee for Novel Foods (FSANZ-ACNF) have assessed and declared crickets and mealworms as safe for human consumption and are currently available in the Australian health food and fitness supplement market.

Due to ancestral similarities between insects and shellfish, and house dust mites (HDM), edible insect-derived proteins can be unsafe and harmful when consumed by people who are allergic to shellfish and HDM. Australia has a high prevalence of shellfish food allergy as well as house dust mite allergy, however, no studies have demonstrated the level of risk faced by consumers with these allergies when consuming edible insects.

The diagnostic capacity for edible insects in Australia is also severely underdeveloped. The food allergy research group at James Cook University has been investigating edible insect-based food proteins, particularly for crickets and mealworms and has shown strong laboratory-based evidence of cross-allergy of shellfish- and HDM-allergic individuals to crickets and mealworms.

In this study, the team plan to first isolate the proteins from crickets and mealworms that can cause cross-allergy in shellfish- and HDM-allergic individuals. Following this, to demonstrate true clinical allergy, they plan to study the capacity of two diagnostic methods that utilise immune cells that mimic clinical allergy in shellfish- and HDM-allergic individuals. These methods, known as the “basophil activation test” (BAT) and “mast cell activation test” (MAT), have the potential to accurately diagnose edible insect food allergy without the need for subsequent skin prick tests (SPT) or oral food challenge (OFC).