Efficiency and limitations of immunochemical assays for the testing of gluten-free foods

This review considers the various immunochemical assays developed for gluten quantification and their feasibility for testing gluten-free food consumed by patients with coeliac disease. The first part concerns the major requirements of these assays: (a) detection of prolamins from the different cereals involved in gluten intolerance (wheat, rye, barley and oats) and avoidance of cross-reactions with prolamins from maize, rice, etc.; and (b) sensitive detection of native proteins as well as those denatured by cooking or other treatments. The second part evaluates several immunochemical assays in terms of their specificity, sensitivity and dependence on heat treatments. (C) 1999 Academic Press.