Aubergine is in the Solanes family of plant which also includes peppers, potatoes and tomatoes. Foods in this group are also known as Nightshades.

In Europe we know this vegetable as Aubergine, in the US and Australia it is known as eggplant and in Asia it is more commonly called brinjal.

The key allergen in aubergine is Sola m 1 which is a profilin protein. This group of proteins are responsible for growth and maintenance in the outer part of the plant. Profilins are the proteins responsible for airway allergies to birch, grass and other pollens.

There is increasing evidence that there are Lipid Transfer Protein in aubergine, again, these proteins are panallergens that cause allergies across multiple foods.

Aubergine is one of the few vegetable which is naturally high in histamine so should be avoided if you follow a low histamine diet.

Aubergine is a food high in salicylates, so has the potential to cause gastrointestinal food intolerance symptoms in people who are sensitive to salicylates.

Aubergine is one of the few vegetables 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.

Aubergine 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.

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

Allergy to aubergine is sometimes linked to Celery-Mugwort-Spice Syndrome as the sensitising allergen is a profilin protein called Art v 4, these proteins are also sometimes also called Bet v 2 proteins.

There is a link between aubergine and Latex Food Syndrome. The plant involved in latex allergy Hevea brasiliensis, the rubber tree plant, has an allergen called Hev b 8 which is a profilin protein. Those very sensitised to latex may have a contact allergic reaction from other foods or plants containing profilin proteins, there is less evidence of this than sensitisation to other latex linked proteins like hevein and chitinases.

Aubergine allergy is being increasingly linked to LTP Syndrome.

If sensitised to grass pollen you may also react to melon, watermelon, tomatoes, oranges, potatoes and peanuts.

Other foods containing profilin proteins are kiwi, pineapple, celery, peanut, chilli, watermelon, orange, hazelnut, melon, strawberry, soya, barley, walnut, lychee, lupin, apple, banana, date, cherry, almond, peach, pear, mustard, carrot, tomato and wheat.

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, tomato, chestnut, lemon, tangerine, orange, hazelnut, lettuce, lentils, lupin, green bean, pear, mustard, wheat and maize.

Please note these food lists are not exhaustive. The most up to date information is on the Cross Reactivity Tool.

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