Plasma Research Group, School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland; Environmental Sustainability and Health Institute, Technological University Dublin, Dublin 7, Ireland.
Plasma Research Group, School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Food Chem. 2021 Apr 16;342:128283. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.128283. Epub 2020 Oct 2.
Casein, β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin are major milk protein allergens. In the present study, the structural modifications and antigenic response of these bovine milk allergens as induced by non-thermal treatment by atmospheric cold plasma were investigated. Spark discharge (SD) and glow discharge (GD), as previously characterized cold plasma systems, were used for protein treatments. Casein, β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin were analyzed before and after plasma treatment using SDS-PAGE, FTIR, UPLC-MS/MS and ELISA. SDS-PAGE results revealed a reduction in the casein and α-lactalbumin intensity bands after SD or GD treatments; however, the β-lactoglobulin intensity band remained unchanged. FTIR studies revealed alterations in protein secondary structure induced by plasma, particularly contents of β-sheet and β-turn. The UPLC-MS/MS results showed that the amino acid compositions decreased after plasma treatments. ELISA of casein and α-lactalbumin showed a decrease in antigenicity post plasma treatment, whereas ELISA of β-lactoglobulin showed an increase in antigenicity. The study indicates that atmospheric cold plasma can be tailored to mitigate the risk of bovine milk allergens in the dairy processing and ingredients sectors.
酪蛋白、β-乳球蛋白和α-乳白蛋白是主要的牛奶蛋白过敏原。本研究探讨了大气压冷等离子体非热处理诱导这些牛乳制品过敏原的结构修饰和抗原反应。火花放电（SD）和辉光放电（GD）作为先前表征的冷等离子体系统，用于蛋白质处理。使用 SDS-PAGE、FTIR、UPLC-MS/MS 和 ELISA 分析了等离子体处理前后的酪蛋白、β-乳球蛋白和α-乳白蛋白。SDS-PAGE 结果表明，SD 或 GD 处理后酪蛋白和α-乳白蛋白的强度带减少；然而，β-乳球蛋白的强度带保持不变。FTIR 研究表明，等离子体诱导了蛋白质二级结构的改变，特别是β-折叠和β-转角的含量。UPLC-MS/MS 结果表明，等离子体处理后氨基酸组成减少。ELISA 分析表明，酪蛋白和α-乳白蛋白的抗原性在等离子体处理后降低，而β-乳球蛋白的抗原性增加。该研究表明，大气压冷等离子体可以用于减轻乳制品加工和配料行业中牛奶过敏原的风险。
