Researchers in North Carolina are working on a way to make eating peanuts safe for those who are allergic to them. The research team, at North Carolina A&T State University, have found a way to use food-grade enzymes to remove the protein, which causes an allergic reaction in those with peanut allergies. One day, this development could make peanuts safe for everyone.
The discovery is of particular importance in the researchers' home state. North Carolina is the fifth largest peanut producer in the country, an industry worth nearly $60 million per year. Yet as many as 5 percent of all children are unable to eat anything containing peanuts as an ingredient because they are allergic.
Dr. Yu, who has been part of the N.C. team since 2005, says that an allergen-free peanut could be marketed within just three years. The team has recently secured additional funding for further research, which could help them make the peanuts available even faster.
Ivy Smith, a student assistant working on the project, are proud of how the allergen-free peanut could change the lives of those with food allergies: "Its absolutely rewarding to know at some point they'll, children will be able to eat peanut butter and not be worried about the fact that they're allergic."
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