Is it possible to extract the allergens from shellfish?
What exactly is it in shellfish that people are allergic to, and is it possible to extract those chemicals from them?
Best Answer
Allergic reaction to shellfish is typically caused by the protein tropomyosin. Since it is present in basically all of the muscle tissue of shellfish, extraction is not possible outside of a chemistry lab. Said lab extraction would destroy the food and likely render it inedible.
Update
Just found this recent article which indicates that myosin and sarcoplasmic calcium-binding protein (SCP) are also responsible for some allergic reactions.
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Can you remove shellfish allergy?
There's currently no cure for a shellfish allergy. The best treatment is to avoid foods such as shrimp, lobster, crab, and other crustaceans. Finned fish are not related to shellfish, but cross-contamination is common. You may want to avoid seafood altogether if your shellfish allergy is severe.How can you prevent shellfish allergy?
Prevention. If you have a shellfish allergy, the only way to avoid an allergic reaction is to avoid all shellfish and products that contain shellfish. Even trace amounts of shellfish can cause a severe reaction in some people.Can you build a tolerance to shellfish allergy?
- Shellfish allergies are among the most common type of food allergy but a U.S. study has found that sufferers may possibly build up a tolerance to shrimp and possibly lobster and clams as they grow older.Can you be allergic to one shellfish and not another?
Yes, it's possible. However, most people with one shellfish allergy are allergic to other shellfish species within the same class. Crab and shrimp are in the same class of shellfish (crustacean) and so most people are allergic to both.More answers regarding is it possible to extract the allergens from shellfish?
Answer 2
I'm allergic to most shellfish and fish, but there's something that's part of the canning processes that has let me eat canned tuna fish. (I've been allergic since I was about 2 years old and have been eating canned tuna for many years now.) I'm guessing the similar processes in making things like fish sticks or canned crab or other heavily processed food products may let me eat those, too...but I don't like to gamble in this arena.
The process of canning tuna or salmon sometimes changes the fish protein enough that fish-allergic individuals can tolerate these canned products.
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