Evaluation of the Potential Allergenicity of Strawberries in Response to Different Farming Practices

Abstract

Fruit allergies are a large problem today. Many consumers suffer from food allergies or intolerances. The method of food production has a major impact on its quality. In fruit and vegetable production, three different farming systems are mainly found: conventional, integrated pest management and organic production. The latter is considered the best in terms of fruits and vegetables safety and high quality. The present experiment was performed to demonstrate the effect of the strawberry production method on its allergenic properties and flavonoid content. The strawberry ‘Honeoye’ cv. was used for the study. Fruits from the three cultivation systems, organic, conventional and integrated, were tested for their content of biologically active compounds and their potential allergenicity. The results obtained indicate that the strawberries from the organic system were the safest because they contained the lowest levels of Bet v1 and profilin in comparison with the fruits from the integrated and conventional systems.