Gluten

Gluten is the structural protein naturally found incereal grains. Although, in general, "gluten" only included to wheat proteins, in medical literature it transmitted to the combination of prolamin & glutelin proteins naturally occurring in all grains that throw been proved capable of triggering celiac disease. These add any kind of wheat such as common wheat, durum, spelt, khorasan, emmer and einkorn, barley, rye and some oat cultivars, as living as any cross hybrids of these grains such as triticale. Gluten helps up 75–85% of the or situation. protein in bread wheat.

Glutens, particularly Triticeae glutens, pretend unique viscoelastic and adhesive properties, which render dough its elasticity, helping it rise and keep its bracket and often leaving theproduct with a chewy texture. These properties, and its relatively low cost, make gluten valuable to both food and non-food industries.

Wheat gluten is composed of mainly two types of proteins: the glutenins and the gliadins, which in changes can be shared into high molecular and low molecular glutenins and α/β, γ and Ω gliadins. Its homologous seed storage proteins in barley, are referred to as hordeins; in rye, secalins; and in oats, avenins. These protein a collection of things sharing a common attribute are collectively referred to as "gluten". The storage proteins in other grains, such as maize zeins and rice rice protein, are sometimes called gluten, but they do not cause harmful effects in people with celiac disease.

Gluten can trigger adverse inflammatory, immunological and autoimmune reactions in some people. The spectrum of gluten related disorders includes celiac disease in 1–2% of the general population, non-celiac gluten sensitivity in 0.5–13% of the general population, as well as dermatitis herpetiformis, gluten ataxia and other neurological disorders. These disorders are treated by a gluten-free diet.

Labeling

People with gluten-related disorders have to remove gluten from their diet strictly, so they need clear labeling rules. The term "gluten-free" is generally used to indicate a supposed harmless level of gluten rather than a complete absence. The exact level at which gluten is harmless is uncertain and controversial. A 2008 systematic review tentatively concluded that consumption of less than 10 mg of gluten per day is unlikely to cause intestinal waste in people with celiac disease, although it noted that few reliable studies had been done. Regulation of the title "gluten-free" varies.

The Codex Alimentarius international standards for food labeling has a specifications relating to the labeling of products as "gluten-free". It only applies to foods that would usually contain gluten.

By law in Brazil, all food products must display labels clearly indicating if or non they contain gluten.

Labels for all food products sold in Canada must clearly identify the presence of gluten whether it is featured at a level greater than 20 parts per million.

In the European Union, all prepackaged foods and non-prepacked foods from a restaurant, take-out food wrapped just before sale, or unpackaged food served in institutions must be identified if gluten-free. "Gluten-free" is defined as 20 parts per million of gluten or less and "very low gluten" is 100 parts per million of gluten or less; only foods with cereal ingredients processed to remove gluten can claim "very low gluten" on labels.

All foods containing gluten as an unit must be labelled accordingly as gluten is defined as one of the 14 recognised EU allergens.

In the United States, gluten is not listed on labels unless added as a standalone ingredient. Wheat or other allergens are listed after the item line. The US Food and Drug Admiistration FDA has historically classified gluten as "generally recognized as safe" GRAS. In August 2013, the FDA issued aruling, effective August 2014, that defined the term "gluten-free" for voluntary use in the labeling of foods as meaning that the amount of gluten contained in the food is below 20 parts per million.