Allergen-free peanuts on the way

by Joe DiStefano, Posted Jul 27th 2007 @ 3:33PM

Thanks to the work of a North Carolina food scientist, help is on the way for the more than half million U.S. residents who suffer from life-threatening peanut allergies.

Dr. Mohamed Ahmedna of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has devised a way to deactivate peanut allergens. The allergens are removed by processing rather than by breeding. All of this has no effect on the peanut's taste or quality, and may actually make them easier to process.

Ahmedna's discovery is also a boon for peanut farmers, who produce the U.S.' 12th largest crop valued at some to $1 billion a year. His work is good news for folks with other food allergies, too. Ahmedna is tweaking his process to remove allergens from other foods.

Source

Filed Under: Science, Health & Medical, Ingredients
Tags: Dr. Mohamed Ahmedna, Dr.MohamedAhmedna, food allergy, FoodAllergy, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, NorthCarolinaAgriculturalAndTechnicalStateUniversity, nuts, peanut, peanut allergies, peanut allergy, PeanutAllergies, PeanutAllergy, peanuts, seeds, southern states