Food Allergies and Chemical Triggers (Essay Sample)

Chemicals that Trigger Certain Food Allergies
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Chemicals that Trigger Certain Food Allergies
The use of chemical substances in the food industry has been practiced for centuries (Andreozzi et al., 2019). Additives are used for food preservation and to improve its appearance or taste. Although additives comprise a small proportion of foods, they may trigger adverse immunological responses or food allergies (Boye et al., 2012). Allergies associated with certain foods result from their ingestion, atopic contact, or inhalation by hypersensitive individuals. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies or other immune antibodies such as T cells mediate immunological responses manifested in a range of symptoms involving the respiratory tract, skin, gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary system, and the central nervous system (Boye et al., 2012).
Protein-containing food is the most common allergen in predisposed individuals. Allergenic proteins include structural proteins, binding proteins, enzymes, and enzyme inhibitors (Andreozzi et al., 2019). The body recognizes these proteins as foreign invaders and establishes an immune-defensive response. The subsequent consumption of the offending foods results in immediate or delayed allergic reactions. Some immunologic reactions are non-IgE mediated, and they subtend pharmacological, metabolic, and toxic mechanisms (Finegold, 2019).