Modification of wheat flour with bromelain and baking hypoallergenic bread with added ingredients.

Based on the wheat glutenin IgE-binding epitope, Gln-Gln-Gln-Pro-Pro, a practical method is proposed for the production of hypoallergenic wheat flour. Bromelain was found effective for decomposing the epitope structure. In practice, soft flour was mixed with water dissolving bromelain and the mixture was incubated at 37 degrees C for 4 h. The result of IgE-ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) suggested negative allergenicity. A mixture of bromelain-modified flour, glucose, citric, acid, a surfactant and sodium hydrogen carbonate was baked to produce hypoallergenic bread, resembling English muffins.