Raising agents, baking powder, bicarb of soda etc. smelly gas

[heliz88]

Hi, have been trying to search if this has been talked about before but havn't been able to find anything.

I think I have a problem with anything that has a raising agent in it (except yeast which I seem to be ok with)  4-6 hours after I eat anything with it in like biscuit, cake etc I get the most horrendous smelly gas like rotten eggs.  I first started getting this about 6 months after going gluten free (been diagnosed with gluten sensitivity but wasn't eating gluten when tested for celiac) and thought it was due to milk so I cut that out and I still had episodes of this smelly gas.  It gradually got worse and was starting to last days at a time instead of just a few hours on an evening like it had been before.  I ate very plain foods for a week or so and the gas went away, as I gradually started to introduce different foods it came back and I noticed it was always after eating things like biscuits and cake.  Completly cut everything with raising agent out of my diet for a month and had no issues, had one gluten free muffin at a cafe and the gas returned that evening.

Has anyone else had this problem?  Its rather annoying as quite often the only gluten free food available at coffee shops etc i'm having to avoid.

I take lansoprazole every morning for acid reflux not sure if this could effect it?

[Ennis-TX]

It is probably not the rising agents but the carbs or perhaps contamination issues, when cooked completely rising agents are used up BUT Carbs ferment....and make gas.
Are Eggs alright? Try whisking a tsp of Heinz Feather Light baking powder and 1/4 tsp baking soda into 2-4 eggs and scrambling them cooking completely to use all the activations in them. This will rule out the rising agents being the issue.
Other thoughts, perhaps corn? They are used in most rising agents...hince the Heinz Feather light which is corn free.
Was said muffin gluten free made in a gluten free facility or fad gluten free and contaminated, was it open with gluten things and handle with gluten tongs? Was it dairy free? Many things to consider.

[pikakegirl]

Since going gluten-free 11 yrs ago I have not been tolerating baking soda or chemicals, dyes in food. I get burning pain in my stomach. I stopped eating processed food when this started.

[Ennis-TX]

43 minutes ago, pikakegirl said:

Since going gluten-free 11 yrs ago I have not been tolerating baking soda or chemicals, dyes in food. I get burning pain in my stomach. I stopped eating processed food when this started.

To be honest, I have to use E-ner G baking soda sub in my foods.....baking soda causes odd issues. Unsure if sodium content or the acid neutralizing aspect of it.

[heliz88]

Thank you for a replies.

The muffin was individually packaged and from a dedicated gluten free place.  I don't have issues with corn at all, eat cornflakes most mornings and use cornflour in batter mix etc with no ill effects.

Interesting to see that other people have had problems too, will try mixing baking powder with eggs and see the outcome.

[cyclinglady]

The most popular brand of cornflakes in the US contains gluten.  Maybe check your box of cornflakes for the barley ingredient?  

[IanL]

For years I've had a reaction (burping) after eating especially some breads and some biscuits.  By process of elimination, I've narrowed the cause down to raising agents.  Tested out a crumpet from a bakery where I get my bread.  Bread is fine, crumpet cause immediate spell of burping - started within 5 mins and lasted 30 mins.  The only ingredients in the crumpets but not in the bread are 'Raising agents:E450, E500, E501' so it must be them, and perhaps bicarb generally in others things.  Anyone have the same issue especially with those e numbers?

[Russ H]

Hi IanL,

Do you have coeliac disease, and is the bakery gluten-free?

[IanL]

3 hours ago, Russ H said:

Hi IanL,

Do you have coeliac disease, and is the bakery gluten-free?

Thanks for your response Russ.  No, not diagnosed with coeliac, and don't go with gluten free.  No problem with most things, just the odd occasional item - like crumpets I've discovered!  Also discovered today the problem ingredient must be E501.  I test tried a piece of parkin which had E450 and E500 in - no reaction at all.  So E501 is the only ingredient I've eaten today that wasn't in other things eaten today.

[IanL]

14 minutes ago, IanL said:

Thanks for your response Russ.  No, not diagnosed with coeliac, and don't go with gluten free.  No problem with most things, just the odd occasional item - like crumpets I've discovered!  Also discovered today the problem ingredient must be E501.  I test tried a piece of parkin which had E450 and E500 in - no reaction at all.  So E501 is the only ingredient I've eaten today that wasn't in other things eaten today.

My further research today has found, on website National Library of Medicine / PubChem, the following:

"The use of compounds containing bicarbonate is showed to produce the release of CO2. This effect has been one of the problems of the use of potassium bicarbonate as it can cause eructation."

That certainly seems to prove guilt!  I'll experiment further!  So pleased that today I seem to have identified the specific ingredient after years of wondering.

[trents]

IanL, what made you post on this website? Just curious as you say you do not have celiac disease.

[IanL]

40 minutes ago, trents said:

IanL, what made you post on this website? Just curious as you say you do not have celiac disease.

I internet searched for 'Raising agents and eructation' and up popped a previous forum entry which had some relevance.