Chick pea is a food which may result in allergy symptoms in sensitised individuals.

Chick Pea Allergy Test: Allergen Exposure

The chick pea is a legume with small, rounded seeds shaped like a hazelnut and with a distinct nutty flavour. It is an important source of proteins, carbohydrates, B-group vitamins and certain minerals.

Chick peas have been cultivated in the Middle East for over 7,500 years, and forms a staple of the cuisines of both the Middle East and India. The latter is the largest global producer of chick peas, being responsible for over two thirds of the global supply. They are also grown in Pakistan and other parts of South Asia, as well as in Ethiopia, Mexico, and Iran.

Chick peas are available canned, dried and sometimes fresh. The seeds are eaten fresh as green vegetables; parched, fried, roasted, and boiled; and as a snack food, sweet and condiment. Hummus is an especially popular chick pea recipe, particularly in the Middle East. Chick peas are roasted and ground and the flour can be used in soup, as dhal, and to make bread.

Aquafaba, a liquid derived from the seeds, can be used as an egg white replacement to make meringue or ice cream, which is of growing interest to vegans or those allergic to egg.

Chickpeas are a nutrient-dense food, providing high amounts of protein, dietary fiber, folate, and certain dietary minerals, such as iron and phosphorus. They also contain moderate levels of thiamin, vitamin B6, magnesium, and zinc.

Parts of the plant can serve as animal feed, and can be made into adhesive, dye, and starch.

Chick Pea Allergy Test: Allergen Description

Several allergens present in chick pea have been characterised, including a chitinase, an albumin and an isoflavone reductase.

The presence of an allergen belonging to the profilin family has been suggested but not confirmed.

Additionally, a trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor has been isolated in chick pea, the clinical significance of which has not been determined.

Chick Pea Allergy Test: Potential Cross-Reactivity

An extensive cross-reactivity among the different individual species of the Fabaceae (legume family) could be expected but in fact does not occur frequently.

Cross-allergenicity was demonstrated to be most marked between the extracts of peanut, garden pea, chick pea, and soybean.

Cross-reactivity has also been shown between white bean, peanut, lentil, fennel, guar gum, carob bean, tragacanth, chick pea and liquorice.

Cross-reactivity between allergens from latex and chick pea has been described in a patient with allergy to chick pea, which developed after the appearance of latex allergy symptoms.

In a Spanish study, symptomatic hypersensitivity to chick peas was frequently associated with lentil allergy.

Chick Pea Allergy Test: Clinical Experience

Chick pea may commonly induce symptoms of food allergy in sensitised individuals, in particular in communities where this legume forms part of the staple diet such as India, in the Mediterranean area and Middle East.

Symptoms range from oral allergy syndrome, urticaria, angioedema, rhinitis, asthma, to anaphylaxis.

Lentil and chick pea are the most frequent cause of allergic reactions to legumes in Spanish children.

Chick pea has been reported to be an important allergen in India.

Other reactions

The foliage and seedpods contain oxalic acid and can irritate the skin.