The key food allergen in sunflower seed allergy is Hel a 3. Hel a 3 is a lipid transfer protein (LTP). These proteins are resistant to heat and are found in many types of plants. Patients suffering from a more severe allergy to cooked fruit may be sensitised to this group of proteins.

There are 3 other defined allergens and they are all linked to airway allergies for sunflowers.

Hel a 2 is a profilin protein and Hel a 6 is a Pectate Lyase. Profilin proteins are considered panallergens as those sensitised to them can get allergic reactions to multiple foods or pollens containing them.

This allergy can be loosely linked to LTP syndrome. You may be suffering from LTP Syndrome if you have reactions to various fruits, vegetables and nuts and your reactions continue to be severe after you have discarded the peel and have cooked the food.

Contact with sunflowers can also cause contact allergic dermatitis due to the sesquiterpene lactones in the plant.

Common foods involved in LTP allergy include kiwi, strawberries, sunflower seeds, walnut, apple, mulberry, banana, pea, apricot, cherry, plum, almond, peach pomegranate, raspberry, tomato, grape, celery, peanut, asparagus, cabbage, broccoli, chestnut, lemon, tangerine, orange, hazelnut, lettuce, lentils, lupin, green bean, pear, mustard, wheat and maize.

If you are affected by the pollen of sunflowers then you may also react to the pollen of these plants which also contain airborne profilin proteins. These are pigweed, ragweed, wormwood, birch tree, hemp, crocus, olive rice, grass, plantain, poplar, mesquite, oak tree and maize (corn). Airborne pollen which also contains pectate lyase includes cypress, ragweed, wormwood and cedar trees.

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