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Celiac Disease Future: A Device that Detects Gluten in Food?
- By Jefferson Adams
- Published 10/18/2012
- Celiac Disease & Gluten Intolerance Research
- Rating:
Jefferson Adams
Jefferson Adams is a freelance writer living in San Francisco. His poems, essays and photographs have appeared in Antioch Review, Blue Mesa Review, CALIBAN, Hayden's Ferry Review, Huffington Post, the Mississippi Review, and Slate among others.
View all articles by Jefferson AdamsCeliac.com 10/18/2012 - Currently, there is no convenient way for people with celiac disease to test food for gluten content. In an effort to change that, University researchers in Spain are using Sunrise™ absorbance readers by Tecan, together with Magellan™ V4.0 software to create an accurate, easy to use sensor that can test for gluten in food.
Maria Isabel Pividori from the Sensors and Biosensors Group at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona confirmed the development of the "electrochemical magneto immunosensor for the sensitive detection of gliadin – and small gliadin fragments – in natural or pretreated foods.” Gliadin is the main protein trigger for celiac disease.
The sensor is an important step toward addressing "increasing demand for rapid, simple and low cost techniques for accurate food analysis in decentralized analytical situations," said Pividori.
The research team measured the performance of the electrochemical immuno-sensor by comparing it with a new magneto-ELISA, using optical detection performed on the Sunrise plate reader.
The team conducted ELISAs in 96-well microplates, using a magnetic separation plate to isolate the supernatant before measuring the absorbance in the Sunrise reader.
This enabled the team to conduct immunoassays in a number of various formats for multiple applications – such as evaluating protein coupling to magnetic beads and nanoparticles – as well as allowing assessment of different transducer materials for bio-sensing purposes.
Because it offers "a quick and easy way to optimize reagents and assay parameters," Pividori calls the Sunrise "ideal for research applications."
So just how far off is a commercially viable device that will allow people with celiac disease to test gluten levels in their food? Only time will tell, but stay tuned for more developments as researchers try to deliver such a device.
Meantime, let us know what you think. Would you like a device that could easily and accurately test food for gluten? Would such a device make your gluten-free life better or easier? Comment below to let us know your thoughts.
Full details of this study can be found in: Laube T et al. Biosens Bioelectron, 2011, 27, 46-52.
Source:
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40 Responses to "Celiac Disease Future: A Device that Detects Gluten in Food?"
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18 Oct 2012 1:53:07 AM PDT The problem with this is that the food would have to be bought first, then taken home to test. If it's not gluten-free, the money has been wasted.
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22 Oct 2012 1:42:57 PM PDT Actually I'm thinking of using it at a restaurant when they offer 'Gluten-Free Food" as a double-check!
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18 Oct 2012 6:33:37 AM PDT I would love a gliaden sensor to test food for gluten. Because of other health issues, I can't readily tell if I have ingested gluten and my daughter is asymptomatic. A gluten detector would help keep us from eating contaminated food and lower the stress level of eating out.
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18 Oct 2012 1:50:18 PM PDT It would be amazing. We would buy several to keep in different places. I would think pretty much anyone with celiac disease or gluten intolerance would buy one as long as it was affordable.
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19 Oct 2012 6:12:13 AM PDT Yes... this would be a wonderful device. I've thrown away so much food that people have (with best of intentions) brought me from their kitchens or bakeries claiming to be gluten-free. From experience I've learned that I can not risk eating such items. This would probably allow me to enjoy many more options with the confidence that I won't have a reaction or compromise my health.
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19 Oct 2012 9:46:39 AM PDT I have been on a strict gluten-free diet for years and I still have antibodies. Hidden gluten or cross contamination are the likely sources. I would love one of these at a manageable cost.
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20 Oct 2012 5:03:07 PM PDT I have been wondering why someone can not create a swab to use when we eat out we could stick it in food. Maybe it could change colors like an acidity or urine analysis.
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22 Oct 2012 8:47:38 AM PDT Would love to have one! All good points above. Affordable and easy to use. Would help tremendously away from home.
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22 Oct 2012 9:20:21 AM PDT I would buy one. It would be worth it to keep from getting sick.
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22 Oct 2012 10:09:48 AM PDT As long it was portable and could be carried. Guessing is a poor way to lose.
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22 Oct 2012 11:16:29 AM PDT I would love to have it to see if Modified Food Starch on label is gluten or not. I don't use these foods but I might be able to eat them if I could test them. It would also have to be reasonably priced.
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22 Oct 2012 12:27:44 PM PDT I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have a sensor. It would make eating away from home so much less stressful. I would use it when I go to restaurants - particularly new ones where I wasn't sure they really understood what gluten was.
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22 Oct 2012 3:56:45 PM PDT Yes, Yes, it would make my life much easier. I would use it every time I had anything to eat outside of my home.
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22 Oct 2012 4:37:46 PM PDT This device would simplify my life significantly! I would happily purchase one for myself, my adult son and daughter.
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22 Oct 2012 5:15:31 PM PDT I would certainly buy one. mainly for when eating out. I often feel stressed when eating out so this would be wonderful!!
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22 Oct 2012 5:25:36 PM PDT This would be a great breakthrough for those of us who are new to celiac disease. I would buy one and use it all the time.
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22 Oct 2012 5:52:47 PM PDT I would buy it in a second! ANYTHING to help with this situation would be appreciated.
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22 Oct 2012 6:39:54 PM PDT I would love to have one to prove to my husband how important cross contamination is. He is the cook of the house and insists that he cooked a gluten-free meal. But unless I prepare my on meals I usually get sick. It hurts his feelings when I don't want to eat his meals.
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22 Oct 2012 6:49:14 PM PDT I neeeeeeeed a gluten sensor!
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22 Oct 2012 7:21:47 PM PDT I would love to have this sensor.
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22 Oct 2012 9:44:36 PM PDT Count my vote for it!! I would love it for all the reasons mentioned as well as to check my own cooking for cross-contamination from my kitchen.
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23 Oct 2012 12:52:14 AM PDT I have been saying for a while that I would pay good money for something like this - it would be worth it just to be sure of what I'm eating and to be able to try things that I regularly wouldn't take the risk with. The only problem I have is if a crumb from cross-contamination is enough to upset my body, then I would need to be able to test the entire amount of food, not just stick it in one place and assume that there's no gluten throughout.
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23 Oct 2012 1:42:13 AM PDT I would like to know how sensitive this test is. If it can test below 20 ppm to very low levels of gluten I would be happy. My son gets sick from products that contain 5 ppm gluten...
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23 Oct 2012 1:45:55 AM PDT I would LOVE to have a sensor and have spoken to other coeliacs who all agree. I hope it will be available VERY soon. I can feel a sense of relief already that I will be able to eat safely, especially when I am away from my home.
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23 Oct 2012 1:49:54 AM PDT Yes, yes, yes!! This is wonderful. I feel a sense of relief already at being able to tell if my food is safe to eat, especially when I am away from home. I hope we will be able to have the sensor VERY soon!!!
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23 Oct 2012 4:20:03 AM PDT I'd buy one of these! I don't eat out that often, but this would be really handy to have. I'd also bring it to my in-laws, as I swear they are trying to kill me with holiday dinners. But I could see a lot of use for this - people who travel a lot, for instance, would really benefit from this device. Great idea.
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23 Oct 2012 4:59:30 AM PDT I would buy one as long as the price was reasonable. Use it as a double check especially when eating out.
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23 Oct 2012 7:48:41 AM PDT Great idea, I would love to have one if not too expensive. The swab idea above also sounds good, maybe something like a treated 'Qtip' that one could buy by the 50s or more.
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23 Oct 2012 9:38:48 AM PDT Yes, this would be great, especially in restaurants. Many people now understand what the word gluten means but still have little knowledge of cross contamination.
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23 Oct 2012 11:08:13 AM PDT Yes, if it is reasonably priced -- my gluten-free budget is a huge part of our overall budget. This device would be so terrific to have in a restaurant setting, especially, say, a Chinese place where they vigorously nod their heads when asked if items are gluten-free. Hey, they use soy in lots of ways.
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23 Oct 2012 1:41:51 PM PDT I see this as a most welcome and useful tool! Yes, I would buy it without hesitation. There is way too much guesswork in the gluten-sensitive world, and this would offer some peace of mind and much needed added safety with all the products that leave you in doubt. I'm wondering if this would work on non-food products like toothpaste or lipstick. Whatever it works on, I'm for it!
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24 Oct 2012 7:02:34 AM PDT Fantastic idea. I believe it would make my life much easier!
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24 Oct 2012 7:29:25 AM PDT All the foods that tout Gluten Free on the packaging and then the fine print says "produced in a facility that uses wheat...". I almost exclusively eat Certified Gluten-Free foods now. I would love to have a tester for these products and cross-contamination issues within my own kitchen. I would even sell these in my massage clinic. My clients are constantly asking about celiac disease.
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24 Oct 2012 12:26:02 PM PDT Yes, it would make life so much easier. I hope this is available very soon.
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24 Oct 2012 12:46:52 PM PDT I would love to have one. It needs to be small enough to carry with me. The sensor would make traveling soooo much easier!
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25 Oct 2012 10:47:46 AM PDT This tool would go a long way to ease my anxiety when I choose to eat something that appears to be gluten-free - such that manufacturer labeling is not always accurate and well-meaning friends and relatives may miss a step in avoiding cross contamination.
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26 Oct 2012 12:29:00 PM PDT Great, but there needs to be a portable model.
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26 Oct 2012 10:25:08 PM PDT Yes... it will be really helpful if we have a tool which can detect the possibility of gluten in the food that we eat outside our home, especially in countries like India where awareness about this health problem is not enough.
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29 Oct 2012 9:17:13 AM PDT I’m a Biotech student and sorry but I’m in shock. This device is a laboratory equipment. It is based in ELISA methods: ELISA assays can take 2 hours until you can measure the results even if the results can be read in 6 secs, you need to be a lab technician to manipulate the samples and the device, for sure you must have pipettes and lab stuff, and also: it will cost several thousand dollars... So in my opinion, this cannot be a user friendly device to detect gluten, and you cannot carry easily (its weight: 8 KG).
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07 Nov 2012 5:18:43 PM PDT Yes, of course it would be ideal to have a device to test for gluten if it is actually possible to make such a device.
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