Gluten is a protein complex present in some cereals
(wheat, rye, barley, emmer, spelt, kamut,
triticale) and its ingestion in intolerant patients
(celiac) unleashes a strong immune reaction primarily
in the small intestine.
For this reason the development of a system to detect
gluten in foods is a very important goal, but it
is quite problematic. Various methods for a quantitative
determination can be mentioned: immunological
techniques, PCR (Polymerase Chain
Reaction), biosensors and systems coupled with
liquid chromatography and mass spectrometer.
Nowadays the most widely used technique is the
enzyme immunoassay (ELISA), which is, despite
the shortcomings highlighted in this article, the
reference method for the determination of gluten
in foods and cereal based beverages (beer).
