# Does corn have gluten, or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-corn-have-gluten-or-not/443707 "2008-04-02T19:54:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-corn-have-gluten-or-not/443707/1 "2008-04-02T19:54:21Z")
On _You Bet Your Garden_, a radio show out of Philadelphia, Mike McGrath pushed the use of corn gluten on early spring lawns as a pre-emergent herbicide. Mike’s a former editor of _Organic Gardening_, so he’s a no-chemicals guy. I thought it was interesting, but I didn’t rush out to buy any. A few weeks later, on the Food TV Network, one of the shows asserted that corn has no gluten. :smack: So, was the Foodie fibbing, or is McGrath boosting an imaginary product? This question is not about whether corn gluten really works as herbicide, but you can address that if you like. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-corn-have-gluten-or-not/443707/2 "2008-04-02T20:04:31Z")
As [Wikepedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten) notes: > [@](#): > > The seeds of most flowering plants have endosperms with stored protein to nourish embryonic plants during germination, but true gluten, with gliadin and glutenin, is limited to certain members of the grass family. **The stored proteins of corn and rice are sometimes called glutens, but their proteins differ importantly from wheat gluten by lacking glutenin.** I imagine the person talking about “corn gluten” was really referring to corn seed proteins. ---
**Author:** ![supergoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@supergoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supergoose)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-corn-have-gluten-or-not/443707/3 "2008-04-02T21:55:12Z")
The food show was probably talking about gluten in terms of celiac disease/gluten intolerance, and corn does not contain gluten. From wikipedia: “Coeliac disease is caused by a reaction to gliadin, a gluten protein found in wheat (and similar proteins of the tribe Triticeae which includes other cultivars such as barley and rye).” > **[Coeliac disease](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease)** > > Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine, where individuals develop intolerance to gluten, present in foods such as wheat, rye and barley. Classic symptoms include gastrointestinal problems such as chronic diarrhoea, abdominal distention, malabsorption, loss of appetite, and among children failure to grow normally. This often begins between six months and two years of age. Non-class Coeli... ---
**Author:** ![Carson\_O\_Genic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Carson\_O\_Genic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carson_O_Genic)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-corn-have-gluten-or-not/443707/4 "2008-04-02T22:22:54Z")
AFAIK,corn gluten is removed in milling and used for an animal feed adjunct.It has gained popularity as a pre-emergent herbicide in the last few years.Some use it as an organic fertiliser. I’m guessing if left in corn meal it promotes rancidity.