Gluten (from Latin gluten “glue”) is a composite of the proteins gliadin and glutenin. These exist, conjoined with starch, in the endosperms of some grass-related grains, mainly wheat, rye, and barley. Similar proteins exist in corn (corn gluten) and oats (avenins): these proteins tolerated by most people with Celiac Disease. However, most commercial oats are processed in areas where they can be contaminated with gluten, so manufacturers processing “Gluten-Free” oats label them as such to show they haven’t been exposed to gluten.
Gluten, when dried and milled to powder and added to ordinary flour dough, improves rising and increases the bread’s structural stability and chewiness, as the added gluten provides supplemental protein to what would otherwise be high-carbohydrate preparations. When cooked in broth, gluten absorbs some of the surrounding liquid (including the taste) and becomes firm to the bite, so is widely used in vegetarian, vegan and Buddhist cuisines as a meat substitute.
Gluten is also used as a stabilizing agent in products like make-up, ice cream, lunch meats, and condiments, where it may be unexpected. Products of this kind present a problem because the hidden gluten constitutes a hazard for people with Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance: In the United States, at least, gluten might not be listed on the labels of such foods because the U.S Food and Drug Administration has classified gluten as GRAS (Generally recognized as safe). The FDA standard for products bearing the label “Gluten Free” is less than 20 parts per million (ppm).
Feature photo by Flickr user jeffreyw
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