Coffee Anyone? Are You at Risk of Allergy?

and Applied Immunology , which later resulted in the general rejection of chlorogenic acid’s role in allergic disease. It was not until 1978 that Lehrer et al. [5] reported on the extraction and analysis of coffee-bean allergens, demonstrating that coffee-bean allergens differ from the allergen of castor beans. This was followed by a number of important serological and clinical studies establishing the importance of green coffee beans in the trigger of allergic responses among coffee workers, with varied prevalence [6–11] . Almost two decades after their first report in 1978, the same group [5] reported that coffee workers could be sensitized by roasted coffee beans, suggesting that green coffee allergens may survive the roasting process [12] , but occur in a lower concentration. With this in mind, it can be argued that the general coffee-consuming public may be at risk of allergy. This does not appear to be the case, however; the problem is among workers at coffee manufacturing plants, where sensitization occurs with green coffee-bean dust, which can be released throughout the entire plant, through inhalation or contact with the skin. In fact, recently it was shown that orally administered coffee in an allergic mouse model prevented allergy development [13] . So the consumption of coffee continues, with potential health benefits due it being a rich source of antioxidants [14] . Allergic reactions occur when a genetically predisposed individual comes in contact with the fine dust genIt has been estimated that approximately 1.4 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide every day. Global average consumption is 4.6 kg per head per year; this figure is 5.6 kg in the European Union. In fact, coffee has become ingrained into many cultures and countries around the world, where it is regarded as an institution, with the best quality coffee being served around the clock. Records show that in Istanbul alone, there were at least 500 cafes towards the end of the 16th century, with the first cafes being opened in Europe by immigrants from Asia in around 1650. As coffee is enjoyed by many around the globe on a daily basis, it is appropriate to ask the question ‘Am I at risk of coffee allergy?’ This editorial explores coffee-bean allergy and the people at risk, in the light of recent original research findings presented in this issue of the International Archives of Allergy and Immunology [1] . When one examines the literature on coffee allergy, the first report on occupational asthma among workers of a coffee production plant was described back in 1950 by Figley and Rawling [2] . However, in this study, contamination by castor beans was implicated in the occupational allergic response. In 1961, Freedman et al. [3] reported in Nature that chlorogenic acid was the major allergen of coffee and castor beans. This work was later challenged and disputed by Layton et al. [4] in 1965, with a report published in the International Archives of Allergy Published online: June 20, 2012