To produce successful gluten-free foods it is no longer sufficient to choose basic gluten-free ingredients; it is also necessary to carefully formulate the product so that not only its flavor but also its texture, shelf life and range variety will enable celiac consumers to better benefit from it. As a matter of fact, about a decade ago, gluten-free products were few, very simple and with unsatisfactory taste and appearance than their counterparts. Especially leavened bakery products such as gluten-free bread, cakes and croissants, lacking of gluten shield, are generally less soft and tasty, and thus less inviting as for visual impact on the consumer. These disadvantages have been partly reduced over the years, thanks to constant search for the best formulations, e.g. adding vegetable proteins different from gluten to the dough, or vegetable fibers. These additions also allow improving health and nutritional profile of gluten-free products, which otherwise tended on average to be poorer in proteins and fibers, and richer in fats and simple sugars (trying to increase pleasantness of flavor), compared to non-gluten-free products. Nowadays the consumer who is looking for gluten-free products expects to find not only good taste and texture but also variety and convenience (e.g. both fresh and ATM and frozen products); in theory gluten-free products should even be consumed by the whole family gathered together, including non-celiacs, rather than products that suggest monotonous diets for “sick” individuals. Finally, concerning the production phases of gluten-free food at the food industry, particular attention must be paid to avoid any possibility of contamination, in case the same establishment is also producing foods containing gluten. Machinery, tools and work plans should be carefully washed between one process and another; personnel’s hygiene deserves the same. It is preferable to devote several days to the preparation of gluten-free or not-gluten-free foods, but if this is not possible, production should be started with gluten-free products. In practice, even if gluten is not an allergen in literal terms (because it does not cause allergy mediated by IgE antibodies, but chronic inflammation of intestinal mucosa), the food industry must take all typical measures of treating a food allergen, starting from a good initial risk assessment of the production chain, continuing with an accurate vendor qualification and implementing a strong system of prerequisites.
Bibliography and websites
• Anton AA et al., Hydrocolloids in gluten-free breads: A review. International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition
• Boye JI et al., Analysis of Glabrous Canary Seeds by ELISA, Mass Spectrometry, and based on a Western Blotting procedure for the absence of Cross-Plant “Reactivity with Major Food Allergens. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry
• Gallagher and et al., Recent advances in the formulation of gluten-free cereal based products. Trends in Food Science and Technology
• Gallagher, et al., Crust and crumb characteristics of gluten-free breads. Journal of Food Engineering
• Korus J et al. The impact of resistant starch on characteristics of gluten-free dough and bread. Food Hydrocolloids
• Olexova L et al. Detection of gluten containing cereals in flours and “gluten-free” bakery products by polymerase chain reaction. Food Control
• www.celiachia.it (website of the Associazione Italiana Celiachia – AIC)
• www.ingredion.com/emea
• www.rssl.com
by Rita Lorenzini
