What is gluten ?

Answer 1

It's a protein in wheat that many people are allergic to. People who have Celiac disease get very sick when they eat it.

Answer 2

Gluten is a protein found in grains like Wheat and barley.

About 1 in 80 people in the UK are intolerant to it, if this is the case they have what is known as Coeliac disease.

If gluten is eaten by a coeliac it causes the small ridges in the stomach (called Villi) to flatten, this then means that other food cannot be digested properly, causing malnutrition. This can then lead to other problems if left untreated like bowel cancer, osteoporosis, infertility.

A diet 100% free of gluten, even in small amounts will mean that the person can live a perfectly normal life.

Answer 3

A protein group found in wheat and other flours that forms the structure of the bread dough. Gluten holds the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the yeast and expands during fermentation, and provides the elasticity and extensibility (stretch) in bread dough. Glutenin and gliadin are the two proteins that form gluten.

Answer 4

Gluten is an amorphous ergastic protein found combined with starch in the endosperm of some cereals, notably wheat, rye, and barley. It constitutes about 80% of the proteins contained in wheat, and is composed of the proteins gliadin and glutenin. Gluten is responsible for the elasticity of kneaded dough, which allows it to be leavened, as well as the "chewiness" of baked products like bagels. It is the glutenins (specifically, high molecular weight glutenins) that are especially critical to gluten quality.

Extraction
Gluten can be extracted from the flour of wheat and other grains by washing out the starch. To do this, a simple dough of flour and water is rinsed with plain water and kneaded until the rinsing water remains clear and free from starch and bran. For chemical, non-food purposes, a saline solution provides better results. The remaining lump of gluten should have a stringy, sticky texture reminiscent of chewing gum.

Usage
Cooked gluten becomes firm to the bite and soaks up a certain amount of the surrounding broth and its taste. It is therefore commonly used in vegetarian cuisine, notably Buddhist cuisine and vegan cuisine, where one variety is called seitan. Some consider it a convincing imitation meat (particularly duck) when the broth is flavored accordingly.

In the process of baking with yeast, gluten is responsible for keeping the fermentation gases in the dough, allowing it to rise. After baking, the coagulated gluten ensures that the final product keeps its shape (although starch is also essential for structural integrity). Recently, gluten has also been implicated as being at least partially responsible for bread staling.

Occurrence
Gluten is found in some cereals (e.g., wheat, rye, barley) and their end products. Wheat grown in countries with extreme weather conditions, such as Canada tends to have a higher gluten content than wheat grown in countries where the winter is milder. Wheat flour with a high gluten content is called "strong" flour, and is used for breads, whereas flour with a lower gluten content is called "soft" flour, and is used for cakes. No gluten is contained in rice (even glutinous rice), wild rice, maize (corn), millets, buckwheat, quinoa, or amaranth. Oats and teff do not contain gluten, but are sometimes grown directly adjacent to, and/or milled on the same equipment as, other grains that do contain gluten, and so are commonly contaminated. Non-cereals such as soybeans and sunflower seeds contain no gluten.

Other varieties of wheat such as kamut and spelt have slightly different forms of gluten. The gluten in spelt is more fragile than that found in wheat, and the bread dough can therefore collapse if overmixed. Many people who are unable to digest gluten for non-celiac reasons are often able to digest these varieties. People suffering from coeliac disease are advised to avoid all forms of gluten.

Allergies and Intolerances to Gluten
Celiac disease, in which the body has an auto-immune reaction upon consumption of gluten.

Answer 5

Gluten is an amorphous ergastic protein found combined with starch in the endosperm of some cereals, notably wheat, rye, and barley. It constitutes about 80% of the proteins contained in wheat, and is composed of the proteins gliadin and glutenin. Gluten is responsible for the elasticity of kneaded dough, which allows it to be leavened, as well as the "chewiness" of baked products like bagels.

Answer 6

i think it would be better if you go google and search. they have searches for gluten according to
1. Treatment
2. Tests/diagnosis
3. For patients
4. From medical authorities
5. Symptoms
6. Causes/risk factors
7. For health professionals
8. Alternative medicine
it covers a wide range of things to know about gluten from different perspectives.

Answer 7

Hi Sian,

I was going to answer this question properly... but no. Logged on too late. So - whatever all those other nice people said still applies form me too.... except that making seitan (as mentioned above) is a bit tedious. and involves pounding the dough in running cold, cold water. But it can be nice in cooking. In moderation with gluten as with everything (except those things you wanna excess on!)

Have a great day.

Answer 8

It is a protein which is found in a lot of grains but especially wheat.

Some people can get intolerant and some can have true allergies, but if you suspect either you should see you doctor or a dietician to advise you.

Answer 9

a small planet, just past uranus !