May 5, 2006

Researchers discover soy that would not cause allergies

People who are allergic to soy may soon be able to eat or drink soy products worry-free.

Researchers have isolated two Chinese soy lines that grow without the primary protein that causes soy allergies in children and adults.

The two lines already are adapted to US conditions and would be given away to breeders seeking to produce allergy-free soybeans without genetic engineering.

The two lines were obtained after more than 16,000 soybean lines were screened by crop scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service's Donald Danforth Plant Science Centre.

The two soybean lines contain virtually identical genetic mutations that do not contain the leading allergy-causing P34 protein, said Theodore Hymowitz, emeritus professor of plant genetics in the crop sciences department at the university.

The two lines were not patented so that growers can incorporate these two lines as quickly as possible, Hymowitz said.

Since the newly identified lines occur naturally, they could be crossed with other soybean lines without any biotechnology-derived component, the researchers noted.

Currently, 6 percent to 8 percent of children are allergic to soy-based products, while 2 percent of adults have had allergic reactions.

Japanese and American companies have been keeping track of the team's progress, Hymowitz said.