Tasty and gluten-free

Cereals are good for you, supplying the body with carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins. Yet some people are intolerant to the gluten protein they contain. Now, researchers are developing new recipes for tasty, gluten-free pasta and pastries.

Not every person can eat what they like; far from it, one in every 250 people in Germany is intolerant to the protein gluten, which is chiefly found in the cereals wheat, spelt, barley and rye. Experts call this intolerance coeliac disease. For those affected, this means giving up bread, pizza, pasta and cakes, while ice cream wafers, dumplings and pretzels also pass onto the list of banned foods. Those suffering from coeliac disease, a chronic bowel disorder, must keep to a strict diet if they are to avoid diarrhea, stomach ache, vomiting and other symptoms. Accordingly, only gluten-free products make it onto the menu.

Indeed, demand for these food products, mainly offered by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), has risen steadily over the past years. Nevertheless, many consumers dislike gluten-free pasta and bakery products because they are unappetising, lack texture and leave a disagreeable sensation in the mouth.

This view has  been confirmed in consumer tests involving coeliac disease sufferers and healthy volunteers. The tests form a key part of the EU project GlutenFree (www.glutenfree-project.eu), which is being coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV in Freising. Partners include ingredient providers and food producers as well as research institutes from Germany, Ireland, Italy and Sweden.

The aim of the project is to enable SMEs to develop premium, tasty gluten-free products that the consumer will eat with real enjoyment and satisfaction. The focus is primarily on bread and pasta, and on improving their taste, smell, appearance, texture and sensation in the mouth.

Gluten is good for baking because it holds the dough together. ''Gluten contains two protein fractions, the gliadins and the glutenins. These form a network-like structure – the dough matrix, if you like – giving the dough good porosity and a viscoelasticity that allows it to keep its shape and remain elastic in the baking process'', says Dipl-Ing. Jürgen Bez, scientist at IVV.