Assessing the Effects of Climate-Related Heat Stress on Tomato Fruit Quality: Focus on Allergen Quantification

Climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges of our time, with consequences that impact multiple aspects of life across the World. In addition to economic and social issues, it also causes significant environmental damages. Among the most vulnerable systems plants and agriculture face escalating threats from extreme meteorological events including rapid temperature changes, prolonged droughts, intense solar radiation, and soil waterlogging, mainly caused by the rising intensity and frequency of extreme meteorological events. Heat stress emerges as a particularly detrimental abiotic stressor, significantly affecting plant metabolism due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Among the plant species impacted by global warming there are many crop plants cultivated for the food industry. The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most widely grown and consumed crops. It has high dietary and economic value and exhibits pronounced susceptibility to thermal stress. While prior research has established heat stress impacts on photosynthesis, enzyme activity, and secondary metabolite production, its potential effects on allergen expression remain underexplored. This study investigates how thermal stress modulates the presence and concentration of allergenic compounds in tomato fruits, specifically profiling profilin and cyclophilin as key panallergens, to determine whether their quantity and/or presence changes following exposure to thermal stress. The findings aim to elucidate climate-induced alterations in food allergenicity, with implications for agricultural management and public health.