Allergenicity

The capacity of a substance — in practice, a protein — to act as an allergen by provoking an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals. Assessing allergenicity means weighing structural similarity to known allergens, stability to digestion and heat, and abundance in the food, and regulators demand such assessment for novel foods, genetically modified crops and new protein sources such as insects or precision-fermented proteins. Prediction remains imperfect: no single test captures the full biology of sensitisation, which is why precautionary labelling, clinical testing and post-market vigilance share the burden of protecting allergic consumers.