[OT]: Enzyme could degrade gluten in stomach

July 17, 2006

Off-topic, but might be of interest to some here...

Enzyme could degrade gluten in stomach

13.jul.06

Institute of Food Technologists

IFT Weekly Newsletter

A new enzyme originally developed for commercial food processing also breaks

down whole gluten molecules, as well as the T cell stimulatory peptides that

cause celiac disease. The break down is done quickly and almost completely.

Celiac disease is a digestive disease with no current effective treatment, other

than the dietary avoidance of wheat, barley, or rye products.

The enzyme operates best in just the kind of physiological environment found in

the human stomach, and works 60 times faster than an earlier promising enzyme.

That earlier enzyme was not effective in acidic conditions and was inactivated

by pepsin, both of which are found in the stomach.

" On the basis of our results, there now is a realistic chance that oral

supplementation with an enzyme can ensure gluten degradation in the stomach

before reaching the small intestine, where it causes problems for people with

celiac disease, " according to Frits Koning, researcher at the Leiden University

Medical Center, The Netherlands, who headed the team that has published a new

research paper on its work.

The paper, " Highly efficient gluten degradation with a newly identified prolyl

endoprotease: implications for celiac disease, " is in the online American

Journal of Physiology- Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, published by The

American Physiological Society. Research was by Dariusz Stepniak, Liesbeth

Spaenij-Dekking, Cristina Mitea, e Moester, Arnoud de Ru,

Baak-Pablo, van Veelen and Frits Koning of Leiden University Medical

Center, the Netherlands, and Luppo Edens of DSM Food Specialties, Delft.

Celiac disease affects about 2 million Americans and is also found in Europe,

India and parts of the Middle East.

Currently, the only way to elude the disease symptoms is by avoiding wheat,

barley and rye products. " It sounds easy, but gluten especially is widespread in

Western diets, " Koning said. Gluten is often used as a food additive because it

adds protein content inexpensively and also gives dough its elasticity and

stickiness, which helps in manufacturing. For instance, Koning said, " Celiac

patients can eat potato chips, but not if they have added paprika or other

spices because they're 'glued' to the chip with gluten. "

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