Allergenic assessment of novel protein-based ingredients derived from industrial hempseed (Cannabis sativa L.) hearts

Cannabis sativa L., or industrial hempseed, is an extremely versatile crop with potential to act as a high-yield, sustainable crop around the world. When processed to create products such as commercial hempseed oil, which can be found on the market today, the byproduct is hemp meal (HM), defatted hemp that is rich with protein, fiber, and essential amino acids. HM can be used as a source of high-quality proteins through alkaline solubilization and isoelectric precipitation to obtain hemp protein isolate (HPI), containing protein content as high as 97%. HPI is a good source of essential amino acids, with digestibility comparable to other plant proteins and functionalities for potential product applications. By utilizing this byproduct to its full potential, we act sustainably and in return have access to a high protein ingredient. However, prior to application in the industry, a comprehensive assessment of the nutritional safety of HPI is needed.

The safety of HPI as a novel protein ingredient is being determined by analyzing the allergenicity. Further, we are looking at the effect of enzymatic hydrolysis on the overall nutritional safety of HPI. The hypothesis is that enzymatic hydrolysis will reduce the allergenicity of HPI through breakdown of allergenic epitopes. For the allergenicity study, HPI and its enzymatically treated form were analyzed by immunoassay techniques: western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Absorbance readings from ELISA suggest potential cross-reactivity between HPI samples and two of the big nine allergens: wheat and soy. Moreover, ELISA results suggest the reduction of allergenic epitopes in enzymatically modified HPI when incubated with sera from hemp-allergic individuals. Preliminary results from western blot further support this finding, showing reduction of storage proteins edestin and vicilin, potential sources of hempseed allergens. The clinical and global relevance of the nutritional safety of hempseed protein warrants further investigation.