Structural analysis and allergenicity assessment of an enzymatically cross-linked bovine α-lactalbumin polymer

Food Funct. 2020 Jan 29;11(1):628-639. doi: 10.1039/c9fo02238d.

Abstract

Enzymatic cross-linking is frequently used in bio-processing of dairy products since it could change the physiochemical and functional characterization. In our study, bovine α-lactalbumin was cross-linked by polyphenol oxidase from Agaricus bisporus and the changes in the structure, digestibility and allergenicity of α-lactalbumin were explored after cross-linking, and the structural alterations of the polymers were analyzed by circular dichroism spectroscopy, ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. The digestibility of cross-linked α-lactalbumin was evaluated by simulated digestion in vitro. After that, the allergenicity of α-lactalbumin polymers was evaluated by detection of the specific IgE binding ability using an animal model. The results showed that the secondary and tertiary structures of various α-lactalbumin polymers exhibited a significant variation compared with those of untreated α-lactalbumin, and the cross-linked α-lactalbumin was relatively less susceptible to digestion. Moreover, the allergenicity of cross-linked polymers decreased significantly. These results suggested that there was a direct correlation between a loss of an α-helix and IgE binding to α-lactalbumin, which indicated that enzymatic cross-linking might be an efficient approach to reduce the allergenicity of bovine α-lactalbumin.

MeSH terms

  • Agaricus / enzymology
  • Allergens / chemistry*
  • Allergens / genetics
  • Allergens / immunology*
  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Catechol Oxidase / chemistry
  • Cattle
  • Female
  • Fungal Proteins / chemistry
  • Immunoglobulin E / chemistry
  • Immunoglobulin E / immunology
  • Lactalbumin / chemistry*
  • Lactalbumin / genetics
  • Lactalbumin / immunology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Polymers / chemistry
  • Protein Structure, Secondary

Substances

  • Allergens
  • Fungal Proteins
  • Polymers
  • Immunoglobulin E
  • Lactalbumin
  • Catechol Oxidase