North Carolina eats peanuts

Researchers at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University have figured out a way to remove up to 100% of allergens from peanuts and make them safe to eat by everyone. Research focused on identifying and removing specific proteins which trigger the anaphylactic shocks and discovered that treating peanuts with protein-breaking enzymes significantly reduced allergic reactions.

The research has been licensed to Xemerge, an existing Toronto-based company which specialises in bringing food and agricultural technologies to market. The company has been charged with commercialising the research and providing a marketing study into potential hypoallergenic peanut products.

The process does not alter the peanut’s shape or cause liquid oxidisation, and is equally effective on whole peanuts as it is on ground ones. Researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have conducted skin-prick tests which have proved the process works.

The research was specifically focused on peanuts, classified as a legume – the same classification as beans and lentils – and it has not been disclosed whether the process could be adapted to also remove allergens from nuts.

Johnny Rodrigues, chief commercialisation officer of Xemerge, said: “This is one of the best technologies in the food and nutrition space we have seen. It checks all the boxes: non-GMO, patented, human clinical data, does not change physical characteristics of the peanut.”