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I have used methyl cellulose for the past two years, in place of
xantham gum (which upsets my gut almost as much as wheat does).
I get it in bulk from Ener-G foods mailorder; as long as you keep it dry,
it seems to have an indefinite shelf life.

One reservation I have about it is that the major source for this fiber
is cotton seeds, after the cottonseed oil has been pressed out of them.
Cottonseed oil is considered very likely to contain pesticide residues,
since cotton is regulated under fiber (USDA) and not food (FDA) chemical
regulations.

From what I remember from frosh chem, most if not all of the pesticides,
which are oil soluble, would be removed from the methyl cellulose.  In
fact, the stuff looks like a pure crystalline powder, and I'd be real
surprised if there was much of anything in it other than the fiber, but
I could easily be wrong.

I'd be interested in seeing any chemical or clinical info on this stuff,
since I rely on it so much for my baking.

Oh, and re canola - I keep hearing from people who, like me, have problems
with canola oil.  If you are GF and still having gut problems, it's worth
eliminating the stuff for a while to see if it helps.  I'm also allergic
to olive oil (drats!), so I was concerned about finding oils high in
monounsaturated fats.  Some safflower oil is a "high-oleic" variety which
is high in monos; I get some in the health food store that say so explicitly,
but they must use the same stuff in Saffola, judging by the nutrition
breakdown
on the label.  Avocado and almond oils are also fairly high in monos, and
make wonderful salad dressings.

Andrea Frankel - [log in to unmask] - (916) 274-1921
** Right now I'm having amnesia and deja-vu at the same time.
** I think I've forgotten this before.