Gluten? What is it really?

Every year, Tereos transforms 4.4 million metric tons of wheat, corn, potato and cassava into 2 million metric tons of products that contain gluten. “Gluten-free” diets not only spark debate among the scientific community, but also the general public, and can become a confusing issue for many consumers. That’s why here at Tereos, we want to help unravel the information about gluten!

What is gluten?

The term “gluten” describes a network structure that forms when flour is mixed with water, as a result of particular proteins found in cereals, such as wheat, barley, oats and rye. Cereals are an integral part of a varied and balanced diet and contribute to good health by providing nutrients that are necessary for our bodies to function properly, such as fibers, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, trace elements and proteins. Gluten is also used in certain food manufacturing processes, particularly in baking. It gives the product elasticity, volume and a spongy consistency.

1/ You can be allergic to gluten.

TRUE The majority of consumers have no issues digesting gluten, but the protein does play a role in two pathological processes: wheat allergy and gluten intolerance (involved in celiac disease). Strictly speaking, this means that it is not possible to be allergic to gluten. Wheat allergy covers various wheat proteins, including gluten-producing proteins. Being allergic to wheat can cause different symptoms depending on the person, with the most serious risk being rapid swelling of the skin during an allergic reaction or an anaphylactic shock (very strong allergic reaction). By way of example, only 0.1 to 0.4% of the French population is allergic to wheat. 

(Source: Association Passion Céréales)

2/ All cereals contain gluten.

FALSE Rice, corn, buckwheat, quinoa and millet do not contain proteins that form gluten. In fact, there is now a whole host of gluten-free products available on the market. The global gluten-free food market was worth USD 4.26 million in 2016 and is expected to increase to USD 7.38 million in 2021.

(Source: Statista 2018)

3/ Nutritionists are advising that people reduce their gluten consumption.

FALSE On the contrary, nutrition experts encourage people to eat cereal products as part of a varied and balanced diet. Products containing gluten do not cause any health problems in the vast majority of cases. Be careful with self-diagnosis – a gluten-free diet should be prescribed to meet a real need such as diagnosed celiac disease, wheat allergy or hypersensitivity to non-celiac gluten. For example, three million Americans were on a gluten-free diet in 2017, but only 1% of the population had celiac disease.

(Source: cureceliacdisease.org and Association Passion Céréales)

4/ Gluten intolerance is a disease.

TRUE It is an autoimmune disease called “celiac disease” that develops in people who are genetically predisposed to it. For people with this disease, ingesting gluten causes lesions in the small intestine, which makes the absorption of vitamins more difficult.

To find out more (in French) visit the FFAS website.

If you have any questions, please contact our R&D team: regulatoryscientific@tereos.com