Food allergies are one of the most restrictive parts of eating for millions of people, and peanuts are among the most common triggers. Now, early research is exploring whether changing how peanut proteins behave could one day reduce their potential to cause reactions.
A new experimental study from McGill University looked at whether a processing method called cold plasma could alter peanut proteins in ways that might reduce their allergenicity. The findings, published in the Journal of Future Foods, suggest it can, at least under lab conditions. What that means for real-world food safety is still an open question.
Cold plasma is a non-thermal process that uses an electrically charged gas to trigger chemical changes. In this study, researchers applied it to extracted peanut proteins and then tested how those proteins interacted with immune system antibodies.
They found that after treatment, the proteins showed about a 70% reduction in “immunoreactivity,” a lab measure of how strongly a substance may trigger an immune response. The process also appeared to make the proteins easier to break down during digestion.
“It’s clear this research benefits consumers with food allergies — it means they may have more food choices in the future,” said co-author Vijaya Raghavan, a professor of bioresource engineering.
But he added that the goal is to develop ingredients that could be used in new food products, not to change how peanuts are consumed today.
That distinction matters.
This study did not test whole peanuts as people eat them, and it did not involve human participants. Instead, it focused on isolated proteins in controlled lab conditions. A reduction in immunoreactivity does not automatically translate to a reduced risk of allergic reactions in real life, which can involve complex immune responses.
Food allergy experts have long emphasized that even small amounts of allergenic proteins can trigger severe reactions in sensitive individuals. For that reason, any approach that aims to make allergenic foods safer would need extensive testing in humans before it could be considered reliable or safe.
Still, the findings point to a broader area of research: whether processing techniques can change how the body recognizes certain foods. Traditional methods to reduce allergenicity often rely on heat, which can affect taste and texture. Non-thermal approaches like cold plasma are being explored as alternatives that may preserve more of a food’s original qualities.
The researchers say the same approach could potentially be applied to other allergenic foods, including eggs and tree nuts. Future work will focus on understanding the underlying chemical changes and testing whether the effects hold up in more realistic conditions.
The study was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.