BACKGROUND Patients sensitized to birch pollen frequently suffer from a food allergy to plant foods such as celery, carrots, or hazelnut. One of the main manifestations of birch pollen-related food allergy is the oral allergy syndrome. Skin tests and allergen-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E determinations are poor predictors of such reactions when assessed by double-blind placebo-controlled food...

This experimental work aimed to evaluate the potential of high pressure homogenization (HPH) to inactivate Saccharomyces cerevisiae 635 inoculated both in apricot and carrot juices. The sensitivity of the yeast was evaluated both in relation to its initial inoculum level (about 3.0 and 6.0 Log(10) cfu/ml) and number of passes applied at 100 MPa. Moreover, the effects of repeated pressure treatm...

Carotenoids are synthesized in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. In plants and algae, these lipophilic molecules possess antioxidant properties acting as reactive oxygen species scavengers and exert functional roles in hormone synthesis, photosynthesis, photomorphogenesis and in photoprotection. During the past decade almost all carotenogenic genes have been identified as a result of molecu...

In previous in vitro experiments using an Instron instrument, each test food was found to have characteristic textural properties. In vivo experiments were now made (1) to determine the degree to which variations in the vertical jaw movements during the crushing phase of mastication can be explained by the inherent properties of the foodstuff being chewed, and (2) to establish the degree to whi...

Plant carotenoids are synthesized and accumulated in plastids through a highly regulated pathway. Lycopene β-cyclase (LCYB) is a key enzyme involved directly in the synthesis of α-carotene and β-carotene through the cyclization of lycopene. Carotenoids are produced in both carrot (Daucus carota) leaves and reserve roots, and high amounts of α-carotene and β-carotene accumulate in the latter. In...

The amount of carbon transported into storage organs of crop plants to a large degree determines crop yield. The role of sucrose-cleaving enzymes in this process is not clear and it is the main goal of our work to tackle this question. Sucrose cleavage is catalysed either by invertase or sucrose synthase both of which exist in several isoforms with different subcellular locations. Carrot (Daucu...

Codonopsis lanceolata (CL) contains various active components including tannins, saponins, polyphenolics, alkaloids, essential oils and steroids. Therefore, it has been prescribed as a traditional folk medicine to treat several inflammatory diseases (1, 2). To date, there have been no published reports of allergic reactions to CL. In this report, we present a serious anaphylactoid reaction foll...

Terpenes are an important group of secondary metabolites in carrots influencing taste and flavor, and some of them might also play a role as bioactive substances with an impact on human physiology and health. Understanding the genetic and molecular basis of terpene synthases (TPS) involved in the biosynthesis of volatile terpenoids will provide insights for improving breeding strategies aimed a...