Allergenic components of stored agro products.

The increasing occurrence of allergies in the developed countries and greater interest in food safety has drawn attention to the presence of allergens in agro products during storage. Stored agro products can contain allergenic contaminants of plant, microbial, or animal origin. Several stored-product insect and mite species were confirmed as sources of allergens. The most important are storage mites because they cause occupational asthma by inhalation and anaphylactic reactions when ingested in high numbers. The urine of rats and mice can be a significant source of allergens that are mainly present as large airborne particles. Stored moulds are also confirmed as potential source of allergens. However, it is likely that the major problem resulting from the presence of moulds in food will be due to the toxic effects of mycotoxins, rather than allergenic effects. The adoption of good management and processing technique can help to minimise the risk.