Pea protein

Peas are legumes and thus related to peanuts, soybeans, lupin, beans, chickpeas and lenses. They all belong to the same botanical family Leguminoseae/Fabaceae. Among those allergic to one legume it is not unusual to react to several legumes due to structural relations between proteins. Allergy to peas is sometimes accompanied with allergy to peanuts, soy, lupin, beans or lenses.

Peas can be used for production of protein, fiber and starch, which are then used as ingredients in different food items, like hamburgers, sausages, liver pâté and in gluten free pasta. Pea fiber has been used as an ingredient in bread. Pea fiber contains about 5 percent protein and pea starch contains about 0.5 percent pea protein.

Four cases have been reported to the National Food Administration where allergic individuals had allergic reactions to pea protein in sausages and hamburgers. In three of the cases the ingredient was labeled but not recognized as a risk ingredient. The fourth case was caused by a sausage, contaminated with pea protein from a preceding production on the same line.

Example of method of analysis

Pea protein can be quantified with rocket immunoelectrophoresis and specific antibodies to pea protein. The limit of quantification is 100 mg pea protein/kg.
Commercial test kits are not yet available.

Allergic reactions / Doses

 The lowest dose of pea protein that elicitates an allergic reaction is not known. The concentrations of pea proteins that have been detected in food products causing allergic reactions are listed below.