Visual examination key to gluten detection says gluten-free certifier

Auburn, WA – The safety of grains, seeds, beans, pulses and legumes can be determined in part by visual examination for the presence of gluten-containing grains, says a study by the Gluten Intolerance Group, a U.S.-based gluten-free certification organization.

The study, published in the Journal of AOAC International, looks at gluten detection in intact grains, seeds, beans, pulses, and legumes because the contaminating gluten-containing grains are visible and identifiable to the trained eye or properly calibrated optical sorting equipment.

Its goal was to determine a Gluten Free Certification Organization threshold level for the maximum number of gluten-containing grains within a kilogram of non-gluten grains sold as specially processed gluten-free product. It set about determining the feasibility of this threshold by evaluating visual examination data from two major oat processors.

Read the full study.