New Allergens of Anise and Caraway

Spices are widely used in cuisine around the world to improve taste and smell values of many dishes and products and are a simple way to achieve good health due to the presence of certain compounds, active substances and even minerals that are needed for our body. Unfortunately they have some disadvantages, as part of their proteins have allergenic properties and contributes to the food hypersensitivity. Allergy to spices makes up approximately 1-4% of all food allergies [1]. Therefore undeclared by manufacturers presence of spices in many dishes and food products pose a threat to health of sensitized persons. The aim of research was identification of potentially allergenic proteins in anise and caraway

Presence of Some Panallergens in Tomatoes from Organic and Classic Cultivations

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) is probably the most commonly consumed vegetable worldwide. Although it contains a wide array of beneficial health nutrients and antioxidants, it may also cause adverse allergic reactions in sensitized people. Tomato allergy affects from 1.5% to 16% of the population with food allergy and is often accompanied by allergy to pollen and latex [1]. The aim of the study was to investigate the relation between method of tomato cultivation and allergens’ content in different tomato varieties

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Content in Selected Food Products

5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a common component of heat treated, drying or stored for a long time food products. It is an intermediate product formed in the Maillard reaction as a result of thermal dehydration of reducing sugars (1-2). HMF is also formed during caramelisation while degradation of carbohydrates at high temperature (3). HMF is responsible for the sensory properties of food, especially for the pleasant flavor. Although it is relatively safe food component, there are reports regarding toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic properties of HMF, and of 5-sulphoxymethylfurfural especially, an allylic sulfuric acid ester metabolite from HMF (4-6). The content of HMF in the various products vary within a wide range and depends on the food group type as well as the type of processing. In present work, the HMF content in different types of breakfast cereals, cookies and muesli as well as in several types of bakery products commercially available in Poland was determined. In addition, the influence of flavor and taste additives (honey, cocoa, dry fruits) as well as the type of cereals (gluten or gluten-free) on the HMF content in the tested products was examined