High pan-allergen content in mango and peach in Taiwan

Background: Many plant food allergens have been implicated in cross-reactivities and may cause repetitive pan-allergenic exposures, which increase the severity of patients’ allergic symptoms. Identification of allergenic protein levels in food allows for more precise dietary advice. This study aimed to determine LTP, profilin, and PR-10 in the 15 most popular fruits in Taiwan. Methods: cDNA encoding profilin (Sola l 1), nonspecific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP, Sola l 3), and pathogenesis-related protein (PR-10, Sola l 4) were cloned into the pQE30, expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified. Extracts of the most popular fruits, including apple, banana, carrot, celery, dragon fruit, hami melon, jujube, kiwi, mango, melon, orange, papaya, peach, persimmon, and tomato, in Taiwan were prepared in PBS. The allergenic protein levels in these extracts were determined by immuno-dot blotting using rabbit anti-rSola l 1, 3, and 4 polyclonal antibodies. Results: Among all 15 fruit extracts tested, peach and mango contained the highest levels of profilin, nsLTP, and PR-10. Papaya, melon, and tomato contained low but detectable levels of the three pan-allergens. Conclusion: Our data suggest that peach and mango contain the highest levels of important pan-allergens among the 15 common fruits tested, which agrees with epidemiological data.