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hi everyone!

i'd asked whether vanilla extract is gluten free. i got a full spectrum of
responses, but here's the best one:

Vanilla does not contain gluten. The problem is that some people consider
alcohol to have gluten.

However, all alcohol is distilled, and gluten is a large molecule and can
not be present in the final product. (When you distill a product, you heat
it with a special apparatus, which has coils. As the product is heated, its
basic components are separated into liquid (which remains in the original
container) and gas (which travels into the coils). In the coils, the gas is
cooled, turning the vapor into a liquid - but this liquid only contains
what was present in the gas. The larger molecules like gluten will not turn
into a gas, and remain in the original container.)
--
secondarily, one person noted that they have trouble also with vegetable
glycerin, which is found in many vanilla extracts (it was in mine!).  a
third person noted that while recovering, the digestive system is
sensitive, and just the alcohol alone might aggravate it.

so there ya go!
-katja

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