Development of a barley reference material for gluten analysis.

Celiac disease (CD) can be triggered in susceptible individuals by the consumption of gluten, a complex storage protein mixture present in wheat, rye and barley. There is no specific reference material (RM) available for barley and this leads to inaccurate quantitation of barley gluten in supposedly gluten-free foods. Therefore, the aim was to select representative barley cultivars to establish a new barley RM.

Characterization of rye flours and their potential as reference material for gluten analysis.

The safety of gluten-free products relies on accurate gluten analysis, most commonly using ELISA. These test kits are calibrated to gliadins or wheat gluten, because there is no reference material (RM) for rye. Our aim was to select representative samples out of 32 rye cultivars for use as RM.

Investigation of Protein and Epitope Characteristics of Oats and Its Implications for Celiac Disease.

The use of pure oats (oats cultivated with special care to avoid gluten contamination from wheat, rye, and barley) in the gluten-free diet (GFD) represents important nutritional benefits for the celiac consumer. However, emerging evidence suggests that some oat cultivars may contain wheat gliadin analog polypeptides. Consequently, it is necessary to screen oats in terms of protein and epitope composition to be able to select safe varieties for gluten-free applications.

Are current analytical methods suitable to verify VITAL® 2.0/3.0 allergen reference doses for EU allergens in foods?

Food allergy affects up to 6% of Europeans. Allergen identification is important for the risk assessment and management of the inadvertent presence of allergens in foods. The VITAL® initiative for voluntary incidental trace allergen labeling suggests protein reference doses, based on clinical reactivity in food challenge studies, at or below which voluntary labelling is unnecessary.

Further Steps Toward the Development of Gluten Reference Materials - Wheat Flours or Protein Isolates?

Celiac disease is a gluten-induced hypersensitivity reaction that requires a lifelong gluten-free diet. Gluten-free foods must not contain more than 20 mg/kg gluten as laid down by Codex Alimentarius. Measuring the presence of gluten with routine immunoanalytical methods in food is a serious challenge as many factors affect accurate determination.

Characterisation and comparison of selected wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars and their blends to develop a gluten reference material.

The reliability and comparability of gluten analytical results in gluten-free foods is hampered by the lack of reference materials (RM). This is partly caused by the yet incomplete knowledge of the effect of genetic and environmental variability of wheat proteins on immunochemical analyses, which affects the choice of gluten source to be applied for RM production. We investigated the genetic variability and the effect of harvest year on the protein composition of five previously selected wheat cultivars.

Variation in protein composition among wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars to identify cultivars suitable as reference material for wheat gluten analysis.

Gluten proteins of certain cereals (wheat, rye and barley) can trigger hypersensitivity reactions. In special dietary products for people intolerant to gluten, their amount must not exceed the regulatory threshold levels. The source of gluten can influence gluten quantitation due to variability in protein profile of grain cultivars and species.

Development of incurred reference material for improving conditions of gluten quantification.

Celiac disease and wheat allergy are the most common adverse reactions triggered by cereal proteins, mainly gluten, which is one of the 14 allergenic food ingredients that must be labeled on food products in the European Union (EU). To meet the requirements of this regulation, reliable analytical methodology for proper quantification of gluten is necessary. However, validation of presently used methods (ELISA and lateral flow device) is limited partly due to the lack of reference methods and incurred reference materials.

Towards development of incurred materials for quality assurance purposes in the analysis of food allergens.

Food allergy and intolerance became very important problems in food safety and healthcare during the last few decades. Beside the pharmaceutical treatment of the symptoms, effective cure of these illnesses is the avoidance of the problematic food proteins. According to this reason, proper legislation is crucial for protecting sensitive people.