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In <[log in to unmask]>, on
08/21/00

   at 11:33 PM, Dave Westheimer <[log in to unmask]> said:

>>I did not hear Don Kasarda's words at the symposium. However, I have
>>raised a specific issue regarding whether or not the congeners present
>>in virtually all distilled spirits (except vodka) could contain gluten
>>peptides. The chemists at one of the big three distillate manufacturers
>>have been unable to answer this question yet. Are you saying that Don
>>Kasarda, who is not a distillery chemist, has specifically researched
>>this issue and has answered this question?

I forwarded your post on congeners to Don Kasarda and here, in part, is
his reply:

" Congeners are mostly relatively volatile
compounds, such as certain aldehydes and other alcohols. Because amino
acids and peptides are so low in volatility, the likelihood of a
12-residue gluten peptide showing up as a congener seems so small to me
that I would not be willing to put time and money into such research.
Just to be on the safe side, I checked with a couple of our organic
chemists on this.  They agree with me."

Volatility depends in large part on molecular weight, thus the difference
between alcohol and even the gluten fragment peptides. When Don says the
likelihood of gluten distillation is so small, he means any amount thereof
is likely so small that it would be impossible to measure. Remember Maki's
8 year biopsy study with 30 mg. gluten///day failed to show anything in
celiacs. 30 mg. is easily measurable for the scientist

A manufacturer of potato vodka moved to Long Island several years ago and
was interviewed for the newspaper. He was asked the difference between
grain and potato based vodkas. He said they have a different "nose",
meaning a different smell, presumably due to the different volatile,
alcohol-like, congeners from the two sources.

                            Kemp Randolph
                            Long Island

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"Kemp Randolph" <[log in to unmask]>