Emerging Processing Technologies for Modulating Allergenic Proteins in Legumes and Gluten-Containing Cereals: A Systematic Review

Legumes and gluten-containing cereals are major sources of plant protein, but they also contain immunoreactive proteins that may resist processing and gastrointestinal digestion. This systematic review examined how emerging processing technologies affect these proteins, focusing on immunoreactivity, antigenicity, molecular structure, digestibility, techno-functional properties, and the analytical methods used to measure these responses. Searches were conducted in Scopus and the Web of Science Core Collection according to PRISMA 2020, resulting in 95 eligible studies. Soybean and wheat were the most studied matrices, representing 35% and 30% of the included studies, respectively. Most experiments were conducted in vitro and relied on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, Western blotting, electrophoresis, or simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Direct biological evidence was scarce. Ultrasound and irradiation were the most frequently investigated technologies, followed by microwave processing, cold plasma, extrusion, high-pressure processing, electric fields, enzymatic hydrolysis, and pH shifting. These treatments induced protein unfolding, aggregation, fragmentation, oxidation, secondary-structure rearrangement, changes in sulfhydryl-group accessibility, and shifts in digestibility and techno-functional behavior. Decreased antibody recognition was reported more consistently in legumes, especially after combined treatments. Responses in gluten-containing cereals were less predictable and ranged from partial reduction to no change or increased recognition, depending on the matrix, treatment intensity, extraction procedure, and immunological assay. Emerging technologies can therefore modify protein structure and analytical immunoreactivity. Current evidence, however, does not establish that these changes reduce clinical allergenicity or gluten-related immunogenicity.