Characterization of allergens in meat productsMarin, Žana (Avtor) Narat, Mojca (Mentor) Swoboda , Ines (Komentor) meat allergymeat productsserum albuminmyosin light chainparvalbuminrecombinant allergensMeat allergy is a less common and poorly studied type of food allergy. Nevertheless, its prevalence is not negligible. An important factor that can affect meat allergenicity is its processing into meat products. In the first part of this master thesis, we identified putative allergens (serum albumin, myosin light chain, parvalbumin) in various extracts from pork meat products and pork meat by means of immunoblotting and the use of antibodies specific for these proteins. Allergen identity was confirmed by mass spectrometry. In the second part, we produced myosin light chain isoforms 1 and 3 and parvalbumin in bacterial expression systems. We evaluated their binding capacity of IgE antibodies from patients’ sera, their thermal stability, folding, aggregation, and resistance to digestion by enzymes of the gastrointestinal tract. Characterisation of recombinant allergens confirmed their comparability with naturally occurring proteins and thus adequacy for their use in further studies. The identified allergens cannot be regarded as major pig allergens, but their thermal stability and partial resistance to digestion imply that preparation and processing of meat do not affect their allergenicity and can thus these allergens consequently be retained in pork meat products as well.[Ž. Marin]20192019-09-07 07:46:06Magistrsko delo/naloga109723UDK: 637.5:615.218(043.2)VisID: 167599COBISS_ID: 9286521sl