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Gluten Free Information - About Gluten Gluten
in Cereal Grain
Gluten is a form of protein that is contained in varying quantities and qualities
in wheat, rye, barley and oats. The majority of our gluten free products are produced
on equipment which is dedicated to gluten free processing. Where this is not the
case special separation and cleaning procedures are followed prior to gluten free
production runs to ensure that we meet the Codex Alimentarius Standard for gluten
free foods.
Codex
Alimentarius
For a food product to be classed as gluten free it
needs to fulfil the criteria set in the World Health Organisation (WHO) Codex
Alimentarius standard for gluten free foods. The standard classes a product as
gluten free if the total nitrogen content of the product does not exceed 0.05g
per 100g based on a dry matter basis. At
Doves Farm Foods we use dedicated equipment or special procedures to ensure that
gluten free foods are not contaminated with other products. In order to ensure
the gluten free status of our products we train our staff, operate a gluten monitoring
programme and periodically dispatch raw materials or finished product for full
Laboratory analysis. Gluten
in Malt Extract
In simple terms malt extract is made from soaking
grain(usually barley) in water and following enzymatic activity the resulting
liquor is made into a syrup. Although malt extract can sometimes contain a very
small amount of gluten, when you take into consideration the very small quantity
of malt extract used in a multi ingredient product with the dilution factor of
the other ingredients it does not cause the nitrogen content to exceed the limit
set by the Codex Alimentarius. The
Coeliac Society (UK) had in the past recommended products containing malt extract
for all except super sensitive coeliacs. However data from a new more sensitive
test (The Mendez Method) indicates that the full picture is still to be understood.
As a precaution the Coeliac Society (UK) have now removed foods which contain
barley derived malt extract from their Gluten Free Food & Drink Directory. Doves
Farm Corn Flakes are made with rice malt extract which remains acceptable to the
Coeliac Society.
The Mendez method
is an improved way of testing for gluten developed by Prof Enrique Mendez, a specialist
in coeliac disease. It is recognised by the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Methodology,
Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) as offering the best approach. Gluten
in Oats
There is evidence that some coeliacs can tolerate small
amounts of the type of gluten found in oats. While research continues they should
only be included in the coeliac diet under medical and dietary supervision.
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