Gluten

• 13 Nov 2024

Source: TH 

Gluten, a protein complex primarily found in wheat, barley, and rye, is celebrated for its utility in the food industry but is infamous for causing gluten-related disorders like coeliac disease, a condition affecting around 2% of the population. 

• Gluten is composed of proteins, mainly gliadins and glutenins, formed when water is added to certain cereal flours. 
  • It provides elasticity to dough, allowing it to rise and imparting chewiness to baked products. 
  • Naturally found, it can be extracted, concentrated, and incorporated into food and other products to enhance protein content, texture, and flavor. 
• Gluten resists complete digestion due to the enzyme protease being inefficient in breaking it down. Undigested gluten may lead to gastrointestinal disorders. 
  • A protease, also called a peptidase, proteinase, or proteolytic enzyme, is an enzyme that degrades proteins into smaller polypeptides or amino acids. 
• Coeliac Disease is an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten that damages the small intestine, prompting the immune system to produce a large number of antibodies that attack the body’s own proteins.  
  • Maintaining a diet very low in gluten is the only effective way to treat coeliac disease at present.

Read more: Celiac Disease - Drishti IAS