<<Disclaimer:  Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Comments from Don Kasarda, Albany, CA  <[log in to unmask]>

I am gratified by the response to my comments about vinegar.  I think we are
getting somewhere.  I was trying to get your attention and it seems to have
worked.

I am trying to look into some of the questions about production, possible
contamination, individual response vs. celiac disease, etc., etc., etc.
(sorry, couldn't resist).  But time is very hard to come by, and it may take
a few months before I am ready to comment further.  I do appreciate having
another food scientist, Leanne Wenzel, providing comments to the list
because it is a big job trying to educate non-scientists, non-biological
chemists, about the chemistry side of things.  Everything is very
specialized these days and I often don't understand what the molecular
biologists in the lab next door are doing, so I can sympathize, but if I
spend much more time on celiac disease, I am going to have problems with my
superiors.

For the moment, I am going to take some shortcuts and pontificate because I
just don't have time for more.

Forget gluten testing.  It is for specialists only because it is fraught
with too many possible complications.

Barley malt may not have proteins, but it does have parts of harmful
proteins, called peptides, that are produced during malting or germination
of barley (even some food scientists don't seem to understand that).  Some
of these peptides are likely to be harmful to celiac patients.  The Tesco
supermarket people may or may not understand this and I can't say whether
their barley malt vinegar is or is not safe without knowing how they make it.

To Mike Johnson:  If you will send me your mailing address, I will mail you
a photocopy of an article I wrote many years ago (but I think it is still
not too out-of-date) on gliadin proteins in relation to celiac disease that
I think will help you understand gluten proteins. Gliadins are a major part
of the gluten proteins.

I agree with Leanne that the list can be frustrating to a scientist, but an
enormous amount of good is coming out of it.  If we can just keep the level
of misinformation to a minimum!