<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
Joe Hall, Technical Sales Manager at California Natural Products (209) 858-2525
x 224, in cooperation with Imagine Foods, has completed the analysis of Rice
Dream mentioned in prior posts on our Celiac List.  CNP makes the rice protein
used by Imagine Foods in their Rice Dream products.  He sent us the following
fax:
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"For the purpose of this calculation, a conservative approach was taken.  If we
are inaccurate, it should be on the side of overstating the extent of the
problem.  All protein from barley, regardless of solubility, molecular weight,
or the fact that the protein is denatured during processing was assumed to be
"bad" protein.
 
"Summary of Calculations:
 
Rice Dream Beverages:  Under 5 mg protein per 240 ml serving; under 15 mg
barley protein per quart.
 
Rice Dream Puddings:  Under 10 mg barley protein per individual serving.  As of
2/1/596 it is anticipated that there will be zero barley protein on all product
made after April 1996.
 
Rice Dream Frozen Dessert.  Under 15 mg barley protein per quart at present. As
of 2/1/596 it is anticipated that there will be zero barley protein on all
product made after May 1996."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Of course, the natural question is "Is 10 or 15 mg of barley protein enough to
harm a Celiac ?"  A major unknown is what percentage of the barley protein in
Rice Dream is "bad" for celiacs.  I recall that about 80% of the wheat protein
in bread is gluten, but the barley protein in Rice Dream may be proportionately
far less harmful due to the processing involved.
 
Even if the percentage of "bad" barley protein in the 10-15 mg of barley
protein was known, there is no definitive answer to the question of how much
can be tolerated per day.  There is currently an active discussion on cel-pro
(the discussion group for professionals in the celiac field) on this exact
topic, and the listowners will post a summary of their discussion in a few
weeks.
 
Previous posts to this list by Don Kasarda have cited a study where 15 mg of
gluten per day  _did not_ cause observable damage via biopsy, and another study
where 100 mg gluten per day _did_  cause discernible intestinal changes in
celiacs.  Each study had its own limitations and cannot be relied upon as the
definitive answer.  Also, it is inherently difficult to prove that "no damage"
is caused, since one would have to look at every single system of the body, not
just the gut lining.
 
So.... we are each going to have to make our own decision as to whether or not
to include Rice Dream products in our diet.  At least after May, it appears the
desserts will be OK.  And for the beverage, at least we have an upper boundary
on the amount of barley to assist us in our decision.
 
Bill Elkus
Los Angeles