Testing Results

[jerseyangel]

Mike,

How did you test a paper plate with a test strip? Just wondering.

[Mike M]

Mike,

How did you test a paper plate with a test strip? Just wondering.

Sorry for the delay in response, I took the plate and cut it up and put it in a micro food processor with a little water and made a pulp. It was a new plate, not a used one! Name brand product by the way.......I am sure that I am not going to be a popular person on this testing deal. I just want to make folks aware that hidden gluten is rampant. The food system is corrupt in a lot of ways in my opinion. I don't want to mention the names of products on a public forum, in particular when they fail the gluten test. I have never found any bad (positive for gluten) paper towels/napkins. Would not say that there are not any. I switched to plastic plates and only use plastic cups. Another one that was surprising to me was orange juice. Got glutened and knew it was the orange juice, tested it and it failed. So decided to make my own juice. About a week later, bought fresh oranges and squeezed my own. Got glutened again and tested the orange peel, tested positive. My understanding is the oranges can be coated with a wheat paste for longer shelf life. Now I have found an orange juice that has at the time of this post, tested negative every time. It is Tropicana Pure Valentia orange juice. I buy it at Walmart. I figure this orange juice is good because it is not an eating type of orange, goes straight to the juice factory. Had a very similar situation with strawberries. Some pass and some fail, possibly some are grown with straw bedding? Walked into our local health food store went to the gluten free ilse, purchased a gluten free energy bar (in bold letters mind you), took it home and tested it and it showed high positive on the test, called the company and was very polite (they usually put you right on with the owner why you are calling) and I ask, do you folks test for gluten? And they stumble around and say, well......We don't test, but our product does not have any gluten containing ingredients. I can't imagine selling a gluten free labeled product and not at least doing batch testing, can you? I am not talking about a trace amount of gluten here. High positive on this test is a ton of gluten. I could go on and on. All the best, Mike

P.S. I am very detail oriented when I do these tests (very clean and make sure not to risk any CC) I do have a gluten free house as best I can tell. If I get a gluten reaction I track it down and verify with this test. FWIW

[nask]

edit: question was answered

[ShayFL]

Im gonna buy some just because I am a scientist. I cannot make any claims on a product I have not used. They ARE very expensive (25.00 for 2 test strips!! 60.00 for 5), but I will order some tomorrow. I just printed off the order form.

Im going to test 2 things that have KNOWN gluten (out in the garage where my daughter and hubby are allowed to eat gluten products. They arent allowed to bring them in he house at all. I will don gloves and test 3 of their gluten foods.) and 3 things I know do not. Like my homemade coconut milk for example. I have a gluten-free household. Only whole foods are allowed in my brand new kitchen. It has never had gluten of any kind in it. And I am an anal clean freak and clean after every meal. So my homemade coconut milk (brand new Vita-Mix that I got with the new kitchen), some pumpkin puree made by me (skin washed and then peeled off) and some orange juice that I made from our own tree (it is frozen right now). I dont think some evil troll is injecting gluten into the hard coconuts and resealing the hole. Nor into pumpkins. And I know my tree doesnt have gluten. So this should be a pretty clean test.

Will be curious to see if there are false POS and false NEGs. I will report back. I am REALLY curious about this. I would buy more strips but they are EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE!!!

They are in Gainesville FL which is less than 2 hours away from me, so I will get them fast, but will have to pay sales tax on top of their expensive pricing. I will also note if the test fails, I will demand my money back from them.

Oh and BTW, I WOULD name names. I have always believed that keeping someone else from getting sick is WAY more important than protecting a manufacturer. I almost got kicked off of this forum for calling out a product on the Gluten Free Mall. In the end they amended their wording for the product on the site and made it right by me. A good company. But I was willing to risk myself to protect others. Just so ya'll know.

[Lisa]

Oh and BTW, I WOULD name names. I have always believed that keeping someone else from getting sick is WAY more important than protecting a manufacturer. I almost got kicked off of this forum for calling out a product on the Gluten Free Mall. In the end they amended their wording for the product on the site and made it right by me. A good company. But I was willing to risk myself to protect others. Just so ya'll know.

This is a great place to share information regarding Celiac Disease and it's associated illnesses. That's what this site is all about. Many people rely on information that is posted here, therefore, it's extremely important to post the most accurate information as possible, support links or substantiation is encouraged. It is not a written rule, just plain common sense.

Yes, your right Sharon, people's health does rely on information found here. Accuracy is paramount.

[jerseyangel]

Name brand product by the way.......I am sure that I am not going to be a popular person on this testing deal. I just want to make folks aware that hidden gluten is rampant. The food system is corrupt in a lot of ways in my opinion. I don't want to mention the names of products on a public forum, in particular when they fail the gluten test.

Mike, This is precisely the place to mention the brand name of the plates you claim contain gluten. This forum is for people to share knowledge and experiences--this is what we do!

It sounds like you are unhappy with the "corruption" in the "food system", so why protect a company that you feel is hiding gluten in their products? It doesn't add up.

[Rachel--24]

Im gonna buy some just because I am a scientist.

Cool Shay!! I think thats the best way to come to a conclusion about any particular product.....try it out...see if it works.

It will be interesting to see if the testing is accurate. I'm looking forward to hearing how it turns out.

I dont use paper plates....if I did...I would probably test them myself. Either that or switch to the plastic ones. Too bad the strips are so expensive!

[ShayFL]

Im skeptical, but fair. I will report exactly what the tests show. Yeah, the buggers are expensive. I wont be buying them regularly even if they ARE accurate. Im just sticking to whole foods that I wash/clean/peel myself. No grains at all. Eating like this I have had no CC issues in over 4 months.

I've decided to use whole wheat pasta for one test. I have some leftover that I put in the fridge out in the garage. I will pour boiling water over a handful and let them sit and soften overnight. These should test high in gluten. They will be easy to puree with a whisk as they will be so very soft.

Soy sauce for the other. I still have some wheat soy sauce out in the garage fridge.

For the non gluten test will be my homemade coconut milk and some pureed pumpkin.

Im gonna order them tomorrow. Will keep ya'll posted.

[Lisa]

Open Original Shared Link

GLUTEN - PROLAMINS - LUPIN - k-CASEIN

EZ Gluten

[Rachel--24]

I agree with the poster who said it could be helpful if you have 5 different foods and arent sure which one is making you sick. It seems like it can clear up some of the "mystery" glutenings for some people.

But does it work?? Thanks to Shay we should have that answer soon.

I dont think they're afordable for most people to use on a regular basis though.

[ShayFL]

I just cant tell Hubby Im doing it. :huh: He has been extremely compassionate and giving with all of my issues and food changes (and never complains about the money), but he might not go for wasting 53.50 for an "experiment".

And I agree. They just arent practical at all. I am not going to mix up a concoction of my food to test at a restaurant in front of my dinner mates. Wait 10 minutes to see if I can eat the food. And if it tests POS for gluten, then what? "Im sorry Judy and Ron, but I cannot eat here. I know we drove together, so I will just wait outside while you eat your meal." OR "Ill just eat this LaraBar while you guys eat your steak." No it doesnt work for that!!

And at home, I only eat whole foods these days. I rarely use paper plates, but I would know if one bothered me. Cuz I only eat my own whole foods prepared by me. It would be pretty obvious. I sometimes wonder about the teabags when I have hot tea out, but I have not reacted to any yet. And how would you test one of those?

If I ate a lot of processed foods, maybe I would want to test certain items. But then who could afford it?

[Mike M]

I just cant tell Hubby Im doing it. :huh: He has been extremely compassionate and giving with all of my issues and food changes (and never complains about the money), but he might not go for wasting 53.50 for an "experiment".

Hello ShayFl! I have performed well over 300 of these gluten tests (you read that correctly) I really got into the testing of items and still test some but not near as much as I once did. If I may suggest, I would consider testing items that you use daily such as vitamins ect. Ms. Goose said she did not think the test was "certified" for non-food items, may be the case, not sure, however. don't think it will matter as this test solution reacts to the gluten and wicks up the test strip and reacts with the gluten antibody by turning red. It will react with items that contain gluten.

I have been a long time reader of this web site and will never be able to repay everyone for all they have posted in the interest of better health to all of us. Having said this, I just don't think it would be fair to the company that makes this test to post all of the items that I have tested as bad as I want too. I have spoken to the owner of Elisa a couple of times and I honestly do not think they are doing this for the money. I was told that he developed this test for a friend and realized how important it is to those of us who want or need to know. I for one am very thankful this test was developed.

I do want to share this information that may help us. I have tested no less than 10 wines. Red Wine, White Wine, Blue Wine (just kidding on the blue wine) and they have all tested positive at some level for gluten. Also, same for Balsamic Vinegar. I am using these as an example because I see posters come on here and say "I am reacting to red wine! Why? or I am still Ttg positive after 6 years! Why? Well, I don't know for sure if this is why they are having issues but, I do know that a lot of these so called "Safe" items may not be so safe after all. It is a bummer on one hand/blessing on the other to have this test in my opinion. Just depends on how a person wants to look at it. May be more information than some folks want to hear. Don't know.

P.S. I hope you are not sore at me for my slightly aggressive post the other day. I am sorry if I offended you. You are a very helpful and very informative person. Thank you for all you do. We are all in this together! All the best, Mike

[Lisa]

I have performed well over 300 of these gluten tests (you read that correctly)

I have spoken to the owner of Elisa a couple of times and I honestly do not think they are doing this for the money.

You have performed "well over 300 of these tests" and as Shay quoted, two test strips are available for $25.00. Well, I'm really not very good with math, but that totals "well over $3,750. I hate to break it to you, but SOMEONE is getting rich.

[April in KC]

I'm very interested in hearing people's experiences with testing.

If the method ends up being reliable, I have no idea why everyone who test should NOT post the results of their tests here for others to know. It does not seem unethical to do so...if you're worried about the food manufacturers, then just post a disclaimer that this was the result of one test done in someone's home...it might be inaccurate, etc.

It would certainly help our community to share this type of information and begin to build a "database" (informal) of processed foods that pass muster.

It also does not seem unethical to the company that manufactures the test to post results publicly...if anything, posting results would encourage others to buy the tests and add more knowledge to the community. If I began to see a reliable list of foods grow here, you bet I would do my part and order a few tests to add to that knowledge.

Just my perspective on it.

I'm interested in the possibility of false positives...will wait to see how that turns out.

[psawyer]

Mike, I'm thinking a bit about this test, and your assertions.

The test strips are five for sixty dollars. At that rate, three hundred tests cost you $3,600. You are not connected in any way with the company, you say. It seems to me that that is a heck of a lot of your own money to spend on this. Unless your relationship is not at arm's length, and you received some form of compensation or discount from the supplier.

You are saying that some things test positive that surprise some of us. What steps have you taken to ensure that the test is accurate, and does not give false positive readings some of the time? Will you share that with us?

What do you do to ensure that there is NO cross-contamination in your test samples? Do you use a new test tube every time? If not, how do you clean it between experiments to ensure that there is no residue from a previous exercise contaminating the current one?

I may not be from Missouri, but on this you will have to show me.

Two posts were made to the topic while I was composing this.

[Mike M]

Mike, I'm thinking a bit about this test, and your assertions.

The test strips are five for sixty dollars. At that rate, three hundred tests cost you $3,600. You are not connected in any way with the company, you say. It seems to me that that is a heck of a lot of your own money to spend on this. Unless your relationship is not at arm's length, and you received some form of compensation or discount from the supplier.

You are saying that some things test positive that surprise some of us. What steps have you taken to ensure that the test is accurate, and does not give false positive readings some of the time? Will you share that with us?

What do you do to ensure that there is NO cross-contamination in your test samples? Do you use a new test tube every time? If not, how do you clean it between experiments to ensure that there is no residue from a previous exercise contaminating the current one?

I may not be from Missouri, but on this you will have to show me.

Two posts were made to the topic while I was composing this.

Hello Peter, no affiliation I assure you, None. No compensation. I don't normally throw a question back at someone but I will. How much does it cost us to not know if something has gluten? I do understand that some will say, oh a small amount will not do damage so on and so forth, I disagree. I have said this before, the technology now has changed. No longer do we have to go on the word of someone on the other end of the line or email that has this canned and generic answer about our product does not have any, well you know what I am saying.......

I go to extraordinary measures to make sure no CC ect. ect. Kits are a 1 time shot only. New test tube/strip ect. for each test.

We will often do a carry out for P.F.Changs and we all order Gluten Free and I will take a scoop of every ones meal, put it in the blender and test the entire batch. I have never had a positive for gluten test out of P.F.Changs. I have called and thanked the manager many times and he just loves it! This really lowers the cost average of that particular test by the way. I really don't think I have ever gotten a false positive. I react to the smallest amounts of gluten.

I will contact Elisa and get their thoughts on sharing this info. All the best, Mike

[ShayFL]

Oh I am not going to test my vitamins or any UNKNOWN items. This experiment is to test for accuracy NOT whether or not an item I am consuming contains gluten.

Right now I do not trust the test stripes. They have to prove accurate to me first. Any tests performed without testing for accuracy first have no value to me whatsoever.

And they are WILDLY expensive. You may be able to spend 3600 USD on these strips but most of us in here would not. And if you are testing on commercially made products, just because one tests NEG one time, doesnt mean the next batch will. Even blood sugar test strips come with a KNOWN control solution so you can test for accuracy before testing your own blood.

So I will test KNOWN gluten foods and KNOWN non-gluten foods. Please see my previous posts to understand how this will be an EXTREMELY ACCURATE way to tell if these tests really work.

There will be NO CC in my non-gluten foods. Not even a possibility. Fresh homemade coconut milk and cleaned/peeled pumpkin puree in a 100% gluten-free kitchen that has seen only whole foods and is anally cleaned 3 times a day. And the KNOWN gluten foods will be soy sauce and whole wheat pasta (tested in my garage which is the ONLY place gluten is allowed).

Funny that you MUST have read my experiment plans and yet you suggest I try an UNKNOWN???

[ShayFL]

O.k. I just ordered the test strips. I actually decided to tell the person exactly why I was buying them: to test for accuracy. The reason I did this is because I wanted to tell them what I would be testing and to make sure that these foods and the way I was going to conduct my test were the best way to test them for accuracy. So she said that the woman that invented the tests was in a meeting, but that when she got out, she would tell her exactly what I would be testing and that it is a test for accuracy only. She would call me back to let me know if this was o.k.. I gave my credit card number and ordered the tests, but my order will not be processed until she calls me back.

***UPDATE***I just got the green light from Natalie. The test strips are not heat sensitive (I checked cuz I live in FL and those UPS trucks get hot). She said it was fine and that they do store theirs in refrigeration but it was not required. They are designed to be carried in a purse or bag. I should get them tomorrow or Wednesday. Let the games begin!

No matter what this test shows they just arent practical. I read that if you are testing foods say at a restaurant, that you have to make sure you test some of every part of the food. So if you order 9 layer dip at a Mexican restaurant, you have to get some of all 9 layers in the sample, ground it into a fine paste and then test it. How do you grind hamburger meat into a fine paste at a restaurant? Or cheese? Hey ladies, I dont recommend taking your Vita-Mix with you on a first date.

And here is the thing too, let's say you to to your In-laws for Thanksgiving. And you take a sample from each dish whirl it up and test it and all comes back FINE. But you didnt happen to take a sample from where your Mother in law accidentally dropped a few breadcrumbs in the sweet potato caserole. And you eat that piece. You get sick anyway. And you wasted 25.00 bucks!

Oh and I asked about testing paper plates and Natalie said they are not designed for such use and that results from such test could not be vouched for. These tests are designed for food products only. And no testing has been done in their lab on none food items.

[Mike M]

Funny that you MUST have read my experiment plans and yet you suggest I try an UNKNOWN???

Hi ShayFl, I did read about your test plans........Right here on this web site! Trying to save you a little money that is all. If you test wheat pasta, it will show a positive result. No question. It feels strange to see so many old timers attacking the messenger. Oh well, at least you are stepping up to the plate and putting your money where you mouth (er fingers) are. All the best, Mike

[ShayFL]

Testing anything without proving accuracy first will not prove anything to me. I would not believe the test on my vitamins if it came up POS unless I have done this experiment first. So that WOULD be a waste of my money, because I wouldnt believe the results.

I will report back once I have conducted my experiment.

[Mike M]

Testing anything without proving accuracy first will not prove anything to me. I would not believe the test on my vitamins if it came up POS unless I have done this experiment first. So that WOULD be a waste of my money, because I wouldnt believe the results.

I will report back once I have conducted my experiment.

Ok, sounds good.

And to everyone else that may be interested........I spoke with Elisa today about posting the results of the tests that I have ran. They have no problem posting the results, however for my liability I suggested that I not post the positive as mentioned by me, before. They agreed. I don't need a food company on my back right now for posting negative results. I will post my findings once ShayFl has proved the accuracy/inaccuracy of the test.

P.S. Off topic, would you mind sharing that Coconut Ice Cream recipe? I still can not have dairy or soy. I would like to try it. TIA Mike

[happygirl]

How is it that you would have a company on your back? This is an online forum/anonymous.

[ShayFL]

I wouldnt care if a food manufacturer was on my back. It would be up to them to prove their gluten-free status if they are claiming that (gluten-free) on their packages and the ELISA proves otherwise. If they are not claiming gluten-free, then they will have no beef with you at all. So it has gluten, they never said it didnt. Like the paper plates for example.

If this test proves accurate and I tested a product that was labeled gluten-free and it tested POS, I would contact that company ASAP and tell them what I discovered. I would drill them about their testing and it they did not answer me satisfactorily then I would most certainly come on here and post the product.

But hey that's just me. Im a maverick.

[Lisa]

Im a maverick.

You didn't really say that, did you?

[jerseyangel]

You didn't really say that, did you?