The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research is uniting with Clemson to experiment with breeding peanuts that are less allergenic by reducing the amount of common allergy-causing proteins and increasing the amount of healthy oil, or high-oleic, in peanut seeds.
The researchers’ aim is to improve allergy management and oral immunotherapy available for individuals sensitive to peanut allergens. In addition to being less allergenic and containing higher levels of healthy fat, these new peanuts are expected to exhibit long shelf-life and tolerance to heat stress, benefiting growers, producers and consumers.
