Modified Food Starch?

[Monklady123]

Sorry for asking this... I know it's on the forum somewhere but for some reason I can't get the search function to work for me this morning.

Anyway...for three days in a row now I've been getting bad indigestion not long after eating some cheesecake I made. And then I realized I've been waking up with a headache. I used a gluten-free mix for the graham cracker crust, but just bought that Philadelphia brand cheesecake-in-a-tub. I read the ingredients quickly in the store, but did note that under the allergens it just said "milk."

So I looked again this morning and one of the ingredients is "less than 1% food starch - modified." Is there gluten in this maybe? Since it doesn't say "corn starch"?

If there isn't then I have some stealth gluten somewhere. sigh...

(and it's not the lactose because I take lactase, which always works)

[psawyer]

Modified food starch is usually tapioca or corn. If it is wheat (very rare), in the US that must be declared. Some people, including some celiacs, are sensitive to tapioca.

Philadelphia is a Kraft brand. Kraft will always clearly disclose any gluten source in the ingredient list.

[Kay DH]

You may need to call Kraft to confirm, but modified food starch can be derived from wheat, corn, or other food starches. As such, "modified food starch" is generally off-limits unless the ingredients indicate it is from corn, soy, or other safe sources. Sometimes the source of the starch changes through time, so if you call them you might need the number that is near the bar code on the tub.

[psawyer]

You don't need to call Kraft to confirm gluten-free status. Kraft will ALWAYS CLEARLY DISCLOSE gluten sources in the ingredient list. If it doesn't say wheat, it isn't.

[lovegrov]

Peter is right in that Kraft will clearly list any gluten, so no need to call them. AND, Kay DH, you have it backwards, at least for the U.S. You do NOT need to look for MFS starch to list safe ingredients; all you need to do is make sure it doesn't say wheat, which by law must be listed. In reality, MFS is generally not off limits whatsoever. It virtually never has gluten.

richard

[cassP]

it could still be the cheesecake... i dont always do well with dairy.. im not as lactose intolerant as i was in the past when i was eating gluten... sometimes i handle it just fine- but cheesecake is really heavy, a lot of fat, and cheese

and does lactaid always help for you?? years ago when i was more lactose intolerant- the lactaid only worked 1/2 the time for me.

[Monklady123]

Thanks for the replies. Good to know about the modified food starch always being safe unless it specifically says "wheat".

It could have just been the richness of the cheesecake. So far the lactaid pills have worked fine but that's just been for a smallish bowl of cereal in the morning. Maybe the cheesecake just overloaded it.

Well, we'll see... I will make it again because I LOVE cheesecake and I'm thrilled to find the gluten-free graham cracker crust. Next time I'll take a smaller piece and two pills and see what happens.

[T.H.]

Even if there's not gluten ingredients listed, it's always possible that the cheesecake in a tub was CC'd at some point during its production. I don't believe they test for gluten levels, do they? Does the company making the gluten-free mix list what level of gluten they test for, or do they test for it at all?

If it's three days in a row, that seems pretty indicative that something from the cheesecake ain't good for you. Suppose you could always go buy another batch of the mix and another batch of the cheesecake in a tub and try them separately (yes, the sacrifices we go through for our disease, forced to eat cheesecake ). Although if it IS one of them, it's likely to make you sick again.

Or...could have just been a contaminated batch and a new batch would be fine.

Jeesh - SO hard to tell sometimes, isn't it? At this point, I tend to try something twice, and if I feel sick both times, I chuck that batch. If I get sick with the next batch I buy, I don't buy the product again.

[Lisa]

And do remember, that all roads don't lead to Celiac. It could be just a bug, or an unrelated tummy issue.

[cassP]

i LUV cheesecake... where did u find a mix for gluten-free grahm cracker crust???

[MelindaLee]

i LUV cheesecake... where did u find a mix for gluten-free grahm cracker crust???

Kinnikinick's (sp??) has gluten free grahm cracker crumbs. I used it for pie and then today for layer bars. It does seem to stay a little moister, so today I mixed in just a bit of rice flour. Half the pan of bars is gone and even my dh loved them, and he doesn't usually like gluten-free carbs.

[cassP]

Kinnikinick's (sp??) has gluten free grahm cracker crumbs. I used it for pie and then today for layer bars. It does seem to stay a little moister, so today I mixed in just a bit of rice flour. Half the pan of bars is gone and even my dh loved them, and he doesn't usually like gluten-free carbs.

could the Kinnikinick's have given u your reaction?? ive never seen their gluten-free grahm cracker crumbs.. but i made their vanilla cake mix once- and had horrible sinus attack- im guessing the pea protein flour??? would that be green pea? or chickpea?? idk i have issues with fructans & legumes

[ravenwoodglass]

Thanks for the replies. Good to know about the modified food starch always being safe unless it specifically says "wheat".

It could have just been the richness of the cheesecake. So far the lactaid pills have worked fine but that's just been for a smallish bowl of cereal in the morning. Maybe the cheesecake just overloaded it.

Well, we'll see... I will make it again because I LOVE cheesecake and I'm thrilled to find the gluten-free graham cracker crust. Next time I'll take a smaller piece and two pills and see what happens.

What is in the crust mix? You may be intolerant to something other than gluten that is in that. You could try making a crustless cheesecake and see if you suffer the same effect.

[Monklady123]

It's Kinnikinnick brand of graham cracker crumbs. There's a whole bunch of stuff in there but the first ingredient is "pea starch" and further down is "pea protein". But the thing is, I eat peas and beans with no problems. One of my staples is hummos, and I love baked beans for lunch.

I'm going to go with the richness of the cheesecake, although I will try the crustless one also.

This is like a science experiment, isn't it? Trying to find out what makes us sick. sigh..

But, that cheesecake sure was good!

[psawyer]

"Pea" in an ingredient list refers to the familiar green pea. Chickpeas will be listed as chickpeas.

[Monklady123]

"Pea" in an ingredient list refers to the familiar green pea. Chickpeas will be listed as chickpeas.

Hmm... so, I think I'll serve peas for dinner this week, with something plain like mashed potatoes and some kind of meat, and we'll see what happens. I've eaten peas a lot in the past, of course, but all bets are off now.

Thanks for the info!

[cassP]

"Pea" in an ingredient list refers to the familiar green pea. Chickpeas will be listed as chickpeas.

thanks for the clarification. im so confused now as to what in their cake mix threw me into an allergy attack?? cause i can usually handle a normal amount of peas... and i can do a little hummus... but chickpeas in whole bean form kill me.. hmmm

[cassP]

now i want cheesecake :P :P

[Takala]

I tend to avoid "modified food starch" in any processed foods that do not specifically say "gluten free" or "starch was derived from corn" right on the label, precisely because of these reactions.

I know my reactions are real, and I know what supposedly "safe" foodstuffs they came from.

Unless the company is willing to say what country and what manufacturer in that country was used, the raw ingredient starch can be, in fact, derived from anything and anywhere.

This country imports a lot of raw, base ingredients, and they get resold through importers and distributors.

Assuming that modified food starch is not ever going to be a problem, imo, is a huge mistake.

I did multiple internet searches at large and at the search engine at the kraft website for their products and kraft gives me a "not found" for this cheesecake filling product and its ingredients. I have an idea of what is in it from another website discussion where somebody read the label a few years ago and discussed it. They also had emailed kraft requesting an ingredient list for this product and did not get it, only a nutrition analysis. Normal cheesecake ingredients are the cream cheese, which is cream and milk, eggs, vanilla, a dash of salt, and sugar, sometimes over a crust, a very uncomplicated recipe. I can pull up the ready made cheesecake bars product from the kraft website.

My philosophy has always been if you're not going to tell me what could be in it, I don't feel motivated to risk it most of the time, plus, the more ingredients, the more likely substitutes will be made from batch to batch, and the more ingredients, the more likely something is in there that can be reacted to. Most manufactured foods that are traditionally made of dairy fat such as butter or cream, when morphed into a spreadable product that is supposed to be "lower fat" (sells better to the people who want to be on a diet and have their cheesecake, too ) use milk which has lactose, and then starches and gums to imitate the texture of the missing fat, plus they'll whip some air into it to make it less dense and more malable.

ingredients

philadelphia cream cheese spread, cheesecake flavor

PASTEURIZED NONFAT MILK AND MILKFAT, SUGAR, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, WHEY, STABILIZERS (XANTHAN AND/OR CAROB BEAN AND/OR GUAR GUMS), SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE, NATURAL FLAVOR, VITAMIN A PALMITATE. CONTAINS MILK.

ingredients

philadelphia cream cheese snack bars classic cheesecake (this product is packaged over a ready made wheat crust)

Ingredients: MILK, SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN, PALM, AND COTTONSEED OILS, ENRICHED BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR (BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), CREAM CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK AND CREAM, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, STABILIZERS [XANTHAN AND/OR CAROB BEAN AND/OR GUAR GUMS]), SKIM MILK, GLYCERIN, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, WATER, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, EGGS, MINERAL REDUCED WHEY, LACTOSE, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, SODIUM CASEINATE, EGG WHITES, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, MOLASSES, CHEESE CULTURE, HONEY, SALT, SOY LECITHIN, CITRIC ACID, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, HYDROXYPROPYL METHYLCELLULOSE, CALCIUM PROPIONATE AND POTASSIUM SORBATE AS PRESERVATIVES, AMMONIUM BICARBONATE, CARAMEL COLOR, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CAROB BEAN GUM, HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL, YELLOW 5, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, APOCAROTENAL (COLOR). ALLERGY INFORMATION: MANUFACTURED ON EQUIPMENT THAT PROCESSES TREE NUTS. MAY CONTAIN TREE NUTS.

quite a bit more complicated than cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, sugar over something made of flour or nut meal, butter, salt, and water.

[Monklady123]

Takala, that's very interesting, thanks! I think the best thing would be for me to make my own cheesecake! It can't be too difficult I wouldn't think. Then I wouldn't have any additives at all. In fact, I might do that but still use this Kinnikinnick crust which definitely says gluten-free.

It's worth a try, since I love cheesecake.