Reference proteomes of five wheat species as starting point for future design of cultivars with lower allergenic potential

This study used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to analyze the flour proteome of five wheat species (common wheat, spelt, durum, emmer, and einkorn), each represented by 10 cultivars grown in three diverse environments. The researchers identified thousands of proteins in each species and found significant differences in protein expression between species, with many implicated in product quality, grain-starch synthesis, stress regulation, and allergenic potential. Einkorn showed significantly lower levels of potential allergens and immunogenic amylase trypsin inhibitors compared to common wheat. The findings suggest that the reference proteomes developed can aid in selecting and breeding wheat cultivars with reduced allergenic potential.

Muhammad Afzal, Malte Sielaff, Ute Distler, Detlef Schuppan, Stefan Tenzer, C. Friedrich H. Longin