Allergenic risk assessment of cowpea and its cross-reactivity with pea and peanut.

Background: Novel protein sources can represent a risk for allergic consumers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the allergenicity of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), an increasingly consumed legume and potential new industrial food ingredient which may put legume-allergic patients at risk.

Methods: Children with allergy to legumes associated to peanut (LP group: n = 13) or without peanut allergy (L group: n = 14) were recruited and sensitization to several legumes including cowpea was assessed by prick tests and detection of specific IgE (sIgE).