Dutch researchers have come up with a new-allergen free apple.

According to the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations, an estimated four per cent of adults and eight per cent of children in the EU suffer from food allergies, some of them fruit allergies. Commonlyin the form of oral allergy syndrome, this mostly affects the mouth area, with prickling and a swelling of the lips, throat and tongue after eating the fruit.

The research team hopes that food-manufacturers looking to exclude allergen concerns from their recipes as they seek allergen-free labelling will be drawn towards ingredients, such as the allergen-free apple, that remove all risk.

For his thesis at Wageningen University, Zhongshan Gao identified and localised genes which are involved in the allergenicity of apples.

It has previously been proven that apple allergy is caused by one or more proteins in apple, the so-called Mal d1- till Mal d4-proteins). Mal d1 is the most important allergen in apple.

The research aimed to trace and characterise the genes which are decisive for the amino acid compound of the four most important allergenic protein types.

In addition, the project set out to develop genetic markers for predicting, at the seedling stage, whether or not an apple contains allergenic proteins.

Gao identified 26 genes, 18 of which coded for the Mal d1 protein. This allergen is especially relevant to patients in North West Europe, who also suffer from hay fever in the spring as a reaction to birch pollen.

Partially because of the results of this study and the use of modern technologies such as marker assisted breeding and reduction in gene activity, the future may bring new ‘less-allergenic’ apple varieties onto the market targeted at allergic consumers.

“The results can also be used for genetic research in other fruit crops such as pear and peach, which contain similar allergens,” said Gao the scientist.

Gao’s thesis was part of the EU-SAFE project, a large European interdisciplinary consortium. Subsequent studies will take place as part of the EU project ISAFRUIT, within which apple allergy and the making and selection of hypoallergenic fruits will form a significant part.