Historical background

Coeliac disease and IgE-mediated allergy to wheat are immune-mediated conditions which are thought to be triggered by digestion-resistant wheat proteins. Recently, a prolyl endopeptidase from Aspergillus niger (AnPEP) has been identified as being able to accelerate break-down of gluten in food using an in vitro digestion sys-tem. Such digests have been analysed in terms of coeliac disease t-cell epitope levels[1] but have not yet been considered regarding the impact on IgE-reactivity. The amount of AnPEP required to be effective also has yet to be investigated. Methods We have used an in vitro batch gastric digestion model to break down a bread matrix with different amounts of AnPEP. SDS PAGE and immunoblots have been used t