Intolerances and food allergies: assessment of the stability of allergenic proteins to gastrointestinal digestion

The objectives of the present PhD project are summarized as follow: A1) evaluation of the digestion stability of major nut allergens (peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds) as whole food, using an in vitro static model that simulates the gastrointestinal digestion process, including oral, gastric, duodenal and intestinal (brush border membrane enzymes) phases; A2) determine the stability of nut allergens following gastrointestinal digestion of whole food using proteomic techniques (SDS-PAGE, RP-HPLC, LC- HR-MS/MS); A3) assess the allergenic properties of nuts following gastrointestinal digestion of whole food using immunological methodology (ELISA, western-blot, dot-blot, RBL assay); A4) investigate how in vitro gastro-intestinal digestion affects the immune toxic properties of gliadin from diploid (Triticum monococcum) compared to hexaploid (Triticum aestivum) wheat by an immunological and proteomic approach.