Milk and dairy products have become popular foods due to their rich nutrition, but the problem of milk allergy threatens the health of many infants and young children in China. Only licking milk droplets the size of rice grains can cause infants and young children to instantly develop rashes all over their bodies, and then fall into a coma - such thrilling scenes in daily life are nightmares for parents of children with milk allergies. Data shows that for a long time, China's low sensitivity milk powder has been highly dependent on imports, and there are no local enterprises that can produce it. This keeps the price of hypoallergenic milk powder high, which many ordinary families cannot afford. It is exciting that the hypoallergenic milk powder developed by the Food Allergy Innovation Team at Nanchang University has recently entered the commercial conversion stage. This technological achievement that breaks the import monopoly is expected to enable "sensitive babies" to drink domestically produced low sensitivity milk. On November 15th, a reporter from Science and Technology Daily walked into the laboratory of the Food Allergy Innovation Team at Nanchang University to explore the mystery of "desensitization" contained in hypoallergenic milk powder. Balancing low allergenicity and flavor is a challenge. "Milk allergy is the most common allergic disease in infants and young children, which can occur in infants and young children fed with various feeding methods, including exclusive breastfeeding, formula feeding, and mixed feeding. ”Chen Hongbing, a professor at the Sino German Joint Research Institute of Nanchang University and the leader of the Food Allergy Innovation Team, introduced. According to relevant data, about 50% of children with milk allergies gradually develop tolerance to milk between the ages of 5 and 6. However, severe allergy sufferers are not only difficult to tolerate, but their allergic reactions can also continue into adulthood. Look at these two cups of milk, they seem almost the same on the surface, but in reality, they are vastly different. ”Chen Hongbing shook the beaker in his hand and handed one to the reporter, saying, "This cup is made of our developed low sensitivity milk powder, specially designed for 'sensitive babies', which can significantly reduce the risk of sensitization while retaining the core nutrients of milk." The culprit causing allergies is the protein in milk. Chen Hongbing introduced that whey protein is the main component of milk protein and a natural protein with comprehensive nutrition. It can provide high-quality amino acids and is easy to digest and absorb, but it has hidden sensitization risks - α - lactalbumin and β - lactoglobulin are the main allergens in milk and the main causes of allergies in infants and young children. After entering the body of 'sensitive babies', these types of proteins can trigger an overreaction of the immune system. ”Chen Hongbing introduced that the symptoms of milk allergy in infants and young children are complex and diverse, including sudden skin itching, mucosal redness and swelling, as well as delayed gastrointestinal damage leading to diarrhea; In severe cases, the child may experience symptoms such as severe vomiting, throat edema, difficulty breathing, and even shock, which can be life-threatening. Whey protein is an important carrier of milk flavor. Once its allergenicity is reduced through conventional methods, it often damages the protein structure, leading to a bitter taste in dairy products and seriously affecting the taste. How to effectively reduce the allergenicity of whey protein while ensuring its nutritional flavor is the focus of our team's research, "Chen Hongbing said, pointing out the difficulties in the development of hypoallergenic milk powder. In another laboratory of the team, Li Xin, Vice Dean of the School of Food Science at Nanchang University and a key member of the Food Allergy Innovation Team, is leading the team to organize experimental data using targeted enzymatic hydrolysis technology for precise "desensitization". We first identified the sensitization sites of milk whey protein through preliminary research, and then screened specific proteases that can accurately act on these sites from serum samples of over 100000 people. ”Li Xin introduced that this protease can target the key target of allergens - epitopes, by breaking specific peptide bonds of whey protein to disrupt the sensitizing sequence, thereby desensitizing milk. To make this idea a reality, the team adopted directed enzymatic hydrolysis technology. Li Xin further explained, "We treat the selected specific proteases as' scissors'. They have extremely strong recognition ability and only target proteins in milk that can cause allergies, accurately cutting and destroying their allergenic structures without touching the proteins that maintain milk flavor. This technology not only reduces the probability of milk allergies, but also breaks down the originally difficult to digest large molecule proteins into small molecule peptides that are more easily absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract of infants and young children. It is equivalent to 'desensitizing' and improving the digestion and utilization rate of milk." Li Xin added that allergenic proteins in ordinary milk powder are like 'prickly balls', and directed enzymatic hydrolysis technology is equivalent to accurately removing all their' spikes'. Make it a 'soft ball' that can be safely absorbed by the human body without causing allergies. We and relevant dairy companies are about to promote the domestic manufacturing of low sensitivity milk powder, breaking the market monopoly of imported products. ”Li Xin further said, "Compared to imported products, domestically produced low sensitivity milk powder eliminates additional transportation costs and is expected to be priced lower than similar imported products