Detection and control of gluten as a food allergen

The chapter begins by describing celiac disease (CD), its symptoms, typical ages of presentation and etiology, before discussing gluten toxicity and the classification of the relevant cereal proteins. The pathogenesis of CD and the adaptive and innate immune responses are then presented. In vitro and in vivo testing for gluten toxicity are briefly presented before the chapter proceeds to discuss EU labelling and codex guidelines and methods of measuring gluten contamination in foods such as malted cereals, communion wafers and oats. Finally, some pointers are given to future methods for diagnosing CD and to possible research priorities.