Reduced allergenicity of hydrolysed whey protein concentrate complexed with iron: the effect of different enzymes, degree of hydrolysis and ascorbic acid.

Cow's milk allergy is a hypersensitivity reaction to bovine milk proteins and is immune-related. β-lactoglobulin, the primary allergenic protein found in milk, is a whey protein with a higher biological value than casein. The study aimed to develop a hypoallergenic fortified supplement, with hydrolysed whey proteins as a channel for iron fortification. A degree of hydrolysis (DH) of upto five per cent was selected for better functional properties. The allergenicity of eleven treatments including protein hydrolysates, iron complexed protein hydrolysates, at both 3% and 5% degree of hydrolysis and all complexes with added ascorbic acid were analyzed by direct ELISA based on the ability to bind the specific IgE antibody coated plates.The antibodies specific to the whey protein allergen β-lactoglobulin were used in the present study. Allergy studies revealed a reduction in the allergenicity of iron-complexed whey protein (23%) and iron-complexed hydrolysates (28.27-59%). Allergenicity was further reduced (53.59-60.63%) when protein hydrolysate was complexed with iron in the presence of ascorbic acid. Statistical analysis at 0.01level of significance (P value 0.001) revealed significant differences among all treatments. Graphical Abstract: Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-024-06085-y.