<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Dear List readers, and specifically to "sandybill" who was commenting about the real need for unity in a gluten-free diet. There is progress! A Ph.D. chemist did a distillation experiment at our Sept. Houston chapter meeting. Here is the summary. Note the paragraph at the end commenting on a new development at the CSA Annual Conference. This is exerpted from the November 2001 issue of the Houston chapter Newsletter. DISTILLATION EXPERIMENT - Presented by John Longo, Ph.D. The distillation process, whether it's for alcohol or vinegar, is of interest to John, a recently diagnosed celiac and a chemist. He wanted to have some independent information on the controversy that one sees on the Internet or in a variety of articles about gluten in vinegar. To demonstrate that gluten/gliadin is not transferred to the product during distillation, John used some white vinegar to which he added Eriochrome Black T (EBT), a common coloring agent used by chemists to do titrations. The vinegar had about 300 ppm (parts per million) or 0.03% of the coloring agent which made the vinegar a dark purple. The Europeans and Canadians use 200 ppm as a cutoff for gluten/gliadin. That level, 200 ppm of gluten, is considered okay to digest. To put that into perspective, that's 200 mg. in a whole liter of water. Distillation involves boiling a liquid to a high enough temperature to make steam-like vapors. The original solution of 300 ppm EBT in vinegar was boiling vigorously. What's coming over is whatever is carried over by the distillation process. Only the vapors come up and are cooled by the air, condense back to a liquid and flow into the receiving cup. (In a more efficient distillation process, the vapors are water-cooled.) He showed a jar with just 1 ppm of EBT in the vinegar solution, which was light pink, but the color was still evident. For comparison, He had a separate jar showing the rather dark color of fluid with 200 ppm EBT. He then showed a jar with just plain water - totally clear. The distilled liquid coming through the tubing was also totally clear and had NO COLOR at all indicating that less than 1 ppm of EBT was carried over during distillation. We could smell the vinegar in the front of the room. This was just normal 6% acetic acid. Acetic acid has a molecular weight of 60. That's actually heavier than ethyl alcohol, which has a molecular weight of 46 and is present in all alcoholic beverages. In the alcohol distillation process, the lighter ethyl alcohol molecule gets over easily. Water has a molecular weight of only 18 so it comes across very easily in any distillation. Alcohol and acetic acid also come across easily with water, but molecules like gluten/gliadin are too heavy to be carried over during distillation since the EBT coloring agent with a molecular weight of 460 was not able to come over. For comparison, an amino acid, just one of the components that make a protein, typically has a molecular weight in the range of 110 to 130. Just one amino acid is about double the weight of acetic acid. In the case of gluten and gliadin, we are concerned with proteins, which are the result of linkages of many amino acids. The part of the gluten protein that is of concern to celiacs is gliadin. It is reported to have 19 amino acids strung together in a very specific arrangement. During the process of distillation, gliadin is thus very unlikely to get over since its molecular weight is almost 2500. That's just the gliadin part of the protein in gluten. The whole gluten protein is therefore many, many times larger than the simple acetic acid found in vinegar. The EBT (with a molecular weight of 460) is relatively small when compared to the protein that we are concerned with. The issue of cross contamination was not being addressed here. However, cross contamination is a common problem when talking about gluten. In conclusion, one can see visually that the boiling process of distillation does not allow heavy molecular weight molecules like the gluten/gliadin proteins to be carried over into the product. As a chemist, John is satisfied and will use vinegar that has been distilled. Distilled white vinegar is common in condiments like mustard, ketchup, pickles, etc. There is usually no issue over cider, wine, balsamic, rice vinegars which should be safe if only made from their basic starting material (like grapes/wine, rice, apples, etc.). Be aware of "flavored" or "colored" vinegars that could be contaminated with added agents. There are individuals who are just inherently sensitive to all vinegar, beyond gluten. Look carefully at the labels. One member mentioned that she had learned that celiacs with yeast intolerance may also be sensitive to vinegar and should avoid it (In the book "Feast Without Yeast" by Bruce Semon, M.D., Ph.D.). Note that this is not proven research. John commented that naturally fermented vinegars may still contain the original yeast/fungi that facilitated the fermentation. However, if the vinegar is distilled, the yeast will not be carried into the product since it is too large to make its way over in the distillation process. Yeast is a living thing that contains many large proteins. NEW: Important information learned at the recent CSA/USA conference. All the presenters laid the issue of pure distilled vinegar/alcohol to rest, believing that the process of distillation eliminates gliadin from getting through into the distillate. Therefore, we don't have to worry about pure distilled vinegar any more!! (with exceptions noted below in terms of enhancements, additions, and malt) Also, the single word "vinegar" on a label should indicate only cider vinegar; this interpretation has not been previously understood by all the celiac community, thinking that the word indicated distilled vinegar. This news is so helpful for all celiacs! According to a new 2001 publication from CSA/USA, "Grains+ Glossary", " 'vinegar' or 'apple cider vinegar' or 'apple vinegar' on a food label on a product of the U.S. must be made from apples; CFR, Title 21, Section 525.825, revised March 1995. Note: A segment of those on a celiac diet report reactions to malt vinegar, distilled vinegar, recycled vinegars, enhanced vinegars, stabilized vinegars and color added vinegars. Avoid barley malt and wheat." I am disappointed and frustrated that CSA waited so long to let us know about this "new" labeling feature. Going out to eat is so much easier when we don't have to worry about vinegar in a salad dressing. Just order a vinaigrette dressing; no more hauling a bottle with you! Janet Y. Rinehart Former President, CSA/USA, Inc. Chairman, Houston Celiac-Sprue Support Group [log in to unmask] Celiacs Helping Celiacs