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

Leanne Wenzel wrote, in part:

>...I think a great number of people on this list have a very limited
>understanding of chemistry and I find this very frustrating....It
>seems to me there are a lot of people out there starving themselves to
>death because of a lack of knowledge of basic chemistry. The GF diet
>is limited enough...

We have a fair knowledge of chemistry; what we lack is a knowledge of
food technology and the resulting word descriptions.  Most of us know
that glucose is a sugar and gluten free.  Glucose syrup has at *least
one* more ingredient, namely water.  Now, if a product can contain
un-named ingredients, how can you tell if it contains gluten?  Paprika,
the spice, is ground red peppers and totally GF but Paprika, the
coloring sprinkled on food for eye appeal, is ground red peppers *AND
SOMETIMES* wheat flour.  Mono- and di-glicerides are fats so must be GF
but the "carrier" or "vehicle" is frequently wheat flour (In the USA,
the flour need not be listed because it is not an "ingredient" but is
used in "processing and packaging".)  The list goes on and on -- Corn
Tortillas are corn and lime only but they are frequently dusted with
wheat flour to keep them from sticking to the conveyor belt while they
are cooked.

So you see, our problem is not the chemistry but the "full disclosure"
of all items with which a product comes in contact.  Unfortunately,
"full disclosure" is not practical and would make items prohibitively
expensive (should we list the pollen count in the air during the time
that the tortillas are prepared?)  Please use your expertise to help us
understand the relationship of the ingredients to the end product and
where some of the toxic protein sources may be.
Joe S. Warren
Titusville, FL 32796-3902