Jackfruit is in the family Moraceae, other foods in this family are mulberry and figs.

Jackfruit is consumed more commonly in Europe as a vegan alternative to meat as the fruit can be prepared to have a meat like texture.

Jackfruit is a less common food allergy, there are no recorded allergens for jackfruit by the World Health Organization (WHO), because there have not been enough study into allergic effects from this food. If you are interested in what is needed by the WHO before they add an allergen to their allergen database you can check that out HERE.

The proteins in jackfruit are thought to be Bet v 1 like proteins, which means that your body mistakes them for birch pollen allergens and can cause oral allergy type symptoms.

Jackfruit also contains lectin proteins, these are not associated with IgE allergy to the fruit, but can cause symptoms of food intolerance which can sometimes look like a food allergy. The symptoms from eating foods high in lectins can be reduced by cooking food for longer as this damages the structures of the proteins. Eating foods with lectins in moderation can also reduce the effects of this food intolerance.

Jackfruit is a low FODMAP food. FODMAP stands for Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. Foods high in FODMAPs can cause symptoms of food intolerance, affecting the gastro intestinal system and this can be mistaken for a true IgE food allergy.

Jackfruit is a food high in salicylates. Salicylates have the potential to cause worsening of asthma, swelling, itching and hives as well as food intolerance symptoms in people who are sensitive to salicylates.

Jackfruit is one of the few fruits to contain a moderate amount of lectins, another cause of food intolerance. Cooking foods with lectins makes them more digestible and can reduce the symptoms of food intolerance.

You can read more about Food Intolerances on the dedicated Food Intolerance Page.

Allergy to jackfruit has been linked to Pollen Food Allergy Syndrome. You may have Pollen-Food Allergy Syndrome if you suffer from dill allergy with oral allergy symptoms to 3 or more of the foods mentioned in the cross reactivity section.

Jackfruit allergy is also seen in conjunction with allergies to other foods presenting as Latex Food Syndrome. This is due to the the body confusing the proteins it encounters in food to that of latex proteins to which it is already sensitised.

If sensitised to Birch pollen you may have Pollen Food Allergy Syndrome and may also react to apple, carrot, kiwi, pear, peach, plum, nectarine, apricots, cherries, tomato, celery, potato, parsnip, pepper, cumin, peas, dill, fennel, hazelnut, walnut, almonds, coriander, peanuts, lentils and beans.

Foods linked to Latex Food Syndrome may have linked allergies to foods which contain high levels of chitinase like avocado, fig, avocado, banana, corn (maize), kiwi, papaya, pomegranate and tomatoes.

Note that this food list is not exhaustive, the most up to date information is on the Cross Reactivity Tool.

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