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

Gliadin is a fraction of the gluten molecule and gliadin is the real
offender in our disease.  Gliadin is much lighter than the entire gluten
molecule (20% comes to mind, but don't challenge me on it).  The gluten
molecule generally is accepted as too heavy and too large to survive the
distillation process, as is used to produce distilled vinegar.

However, since distillation is a violent process, I have inquired as to
whether or not the gliadin fraction could be separated (denatured) and
carried over into the distillate.  I have not received an answer to this
question (and have been humorously accused of staying awake at night to
think up these questions).

I'm not sure what is implied by "large enough to show up in a clear
liquid".  Certainly, you can't see it.  As I recall, alcohol, not water,
is the solvent of choice for gluten.

Maybe someone could write a short article about the "Life & Times of
Gluten and/or Gliadin" and go looking for some of the properties of both
gluten and gliadin. Certainly, understanding the chemistry involved would
help us ask the right questions on many levels.

Joanne Hameister


On Wed, 14 Jun 2000 08:44:27 -0500 George & Gayle Kennedy <gmk3

> It seems to me that we, as the CELIAC community, may need to tighten
> up our use of terms.  This morning there was a message saying that
> gluten molecules are large enough to show up in a clear liquid, and
> one would know if gluten were in an IV or vinegar, etc.  I feel sure
> that is correct.