Quantification of Peach Fruit Allergen Lipid Transfer Protein by a Double Monoclonal Antibody-based Sandwich ELISA

Abstract

Fruit is one of the most commonly reported food allergy sources in China, and peach lipid transfer protein (Pru p 3) has been identified as the major allergen inducing systematic symptoms. Crude allergen extracts and single component allergens have been used in food allergy diagnosis and immunotherapy. Reliable and sensitive analytical methods to quantify Pru p 3 content in fruit will help to identify low-allergenic cultivars among the abundant peach genetic resources in China. In this study, we developed a sensitive sandwich ELISA method to measure Pru p 3 in peach fruit based on two monoclonal antibodies with high sensitivity and linearity. Significant variability was observed in peach cultivars, with a much higher Pru p 3 level in peach peel than in pulp. This method will be very useful to select peach varieties with low Pru p 3 content and as a diagnostic product to detect hidden allergens in processed food.