How and why is gluten used in food? Gluten is mainly used to give elasticity to dough, helping it to rise, keep its shape and giving the final product a more chewy texture. The more refinement the gluten is subjected to, the chewier the products become. For example, pizza and bagels. On the other hand), less refinement means softer baked goods, such as pastry products. Bread flours tend to be high in gluten, while pastry flours generally have a lower gluten content. As well as being added to ordinary flour dough, gluten also has the following commercial food uses: • Wheat gluten is routinely added to imitation meats, such as chicken, beef and duck. When gluten is cooked in broth, it absorbs some of the surrounding liquid (including its therefore taste) and becomes firm. As such, it is widely used in vegetarian and vegan foods as a meat substitute. • Many processed / refined foods contain “hidden” gluten, as a result of labelling requirements - see below. For example, frozen potato products are often coated with wheat flour. Similarly, wheat-based thickeners are often found in pre-packed and pre-prepared foods such as gravies, soups, sauces and pie fillings. Gluten labelling requirements The Codex Alimentarius provides a set of international standards for food labelling, which regulates the labelling of products as "gluten free". Interestingly, there is currently no requirement to follow these labelling requirements if the relevant foods naturally contain gluten in their normal form. Hidden gluten of this kind can present a serious problem for coeliacs and people who suffer with gluten sensitivities and have an effect on their health. In the United States, gluten is often not included on labels as an ingredient because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has classified it as “generally recognised as safe” (GRAS). In the United Kingdom, at the moment only cereals need to be labelled, while labelling of other products containing gluten is voluntary. To help you identify hidden gluten, look for the following ingredients on product labels: modified food starch, unidentified starch, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP), textured vegetable protein (TVP), binders, fillers, excipients, extenders and malt. To find out more about the potential effects of gluten on your health, click here. Future Nutrition range Gluten What is gluten? Gluten is a protein found in foods processed from wheat and related cereals, including barley and rye. It is widely used nowadays, both in foods prepared directly from natural sources of gluten and as an additive to foods which would otherwise be low in protein. © Specialist Supplements Ltd 2011  0845 094 3627 [Home] [Benefits of Juicing] [Future Nutrition] [Superfoods] [Protein Powders] [Meal Replacement Powders] [Other Products] [Health Information] [Quinoa] [Contact] [Sitemap] [Colon Cleansing] [Health Blog] [Health Information] [Organic Supplements] [Slimming Information] [Slimming and Nutrition] [Organic Food Supplements] [Diet Info] [Beetroot Capsules] [Montmorency Cherry Capsules] [Health Product Links] [Health Articles] [Own Brand Supplements] [Trade supplements] [Wholesale Vitamins and Minerals] [Own Label Products] [Practitioner Supplements] [Digestion Health] [Diet Foods]