In 2008, a study reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that roughly 70% of egg-allergic individuals were able to tolerate egg in baked goods. Though raw eggs or eggs cooked in other manners (scrambled, french toast, etc.) still remained a problem, the “extensive heat” from baking caused enough “destruction” of the egg proteins that the allergic antibodies were not able to recognize them in several of the study participants.
Of course, we have wondered if the same may be true for milk, and it seems to be. A similar study done with milk in the same year yielded relatively equivalent results.
Yet, using a food challenge to identify “baked” and “unbaked” allergies can be difficult and even dangerous for those with severe food allergies. Which is why those diligent food allergy scientists have been working on a blood test that may help those with a serious allergic reaction to milk identify if they can tolerate baked-milk products …
“This new study found that immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies from children who reacted to both baked milk and unheated milk bound to more epitopes than IgE antibodies from children who had an allergic reaction only to unheated milk. There was a direct link between the severity of the allergic reaction and the number of epitopes recognized by IgE antibodies from a child.”
The research was presented at the end fo February 2010 at an annual meeting for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. We don’t have word yet on when or how this test might be available.
