The Allergen Profile of Two Edible Insect Species—Acheta domesticus and Hermetia illucens

• Published in: Molecular nutrition & food research 2024-08, Vol.68 (16), p.e2300811-n/a
• Main Authors: Karnaneedi, Shaymaviswanathan, Johnston, Elecia B., Bose, Utpal, Juhász, Angéla, Broadbent, James A., Ruethers, Thimo, Jerry, Emily M., Kamath, Sandip D., Limviphuvadh, Vachiranee, Stockwell, Sally, Byrne, Keren, Clarke, Dean, Colgrave, Michelle L., Maurer‐Stroh, Sebastian, Lopata, Andreas L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acheta domesticus; allergen; Allergens; Allergens - immunology; Allergies; Animals; Antibodies; Banded structure; black soldier fly; Buffers; Chitin; cricket; Cross Reactions; Crustaceans; Diptera - immunology; edible insect; Edible Insects - immunology; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Extraction procedures; Food; Food allergies; food allergy; Food Hypersensitivity - immunology; Food products; Food sources; Gryllidae - immunology; Hermetia illucens; Humans; Immunoblotting; Immunoglobulin E - blood; Immunoglobulin E - immunology; Immunology; Insect Proteins - immunology; Insects; Introduced species; Isoforms; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Proteins; Shrimps; Tropomyosin; Tropomyosin - immunology; Urea; Ureas; Vitellogenin
• ISSN: 1613-4125; 1613-4133; 1613-4133
• DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.202300811

Scope Edible insect proteins are increasingly introduced as an alternative sustainable food source to address the world's need to feed the growing population. Tropomyosin is the main insect allergen; however, additional potential allergens are not well characterized and the impact of extraction procedures on immunological reactivity is unknown. Methods and results Proteins from different commercial food products derived from cricket (Acheta domesticus) and black soldier fly (BSF) (Hermetia illucens) are extracted using five different extraction buffers. The proteins are analyzed by SDS‐PAGE and immunoblotting using allergen‐specific antibodies and crustacean allergic patient sera. IgE binding bands are analyzed by mass spectrometry as well as the complete allergen profile of all 30 extracts. Urea‐based buffers are most efficient in extracting insect allergens. Shrimp‐specific antibody cross‐reactivity to tropomyosin from cricket and BSF indicates high sequence and structural similarity between shrimp and insects. Additional unique allergens are identified in both species, including hemocyanin, vitellogenin, HSP20, apolipophorin‐III, and chitin‐binding protein. Conclusions Identifying potential allergenic proteins and their isoforms in cricket and BSF requires specific extraction approaches using urea‐based methods. While tropomyosin is the most abundant and immunoreactive allergen, seven unique allergens are identified, highlighting the need for insect species‐specific allergen detection in food products. This study identifies proteins in edible insect‐based food products derived from cricket (Acheta domesticus) and black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) that can cause allergic reactions in consumers with shellfish allergy by analyzing the protein similarities, IgE‐antibody binding capacity and epitopes; and highlights that the current crustacean allergen test kits are not suitable for detecting cricket contamination in foods.