# What do they do with the glutin that has been removed from foods? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 20, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373 "2015-08-20T20:23:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/1 "2015-08-20T20:23:16Z")
I’m assuming some gluten free products have had the gluten removed. What do they do with it? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/2 "2015-08-20T20:27:42Z")
There isn’t any gluten in those foods in the first place. Most use flours and grains other than wheat and barley, with oat and rice being chief among them. The problem is that rice flour etc. does not cook or bake the same as wheaten flours, so many other substitutions and additions have to be made to make, say, a cake that is both gluten-free and in any way like the original. ETA: I am not sure there is any way to “remove” gluten from wheat- based foods. Not using wheat or barley flour in the first place is the only way to make a gluten-free product. (There may be exceptions, but I’d bet against it being very common.) You can buy gluten from baking suppliers, to add to bread recipes when you want more elasticity, bigger bubbles, etc. We stock it. I’d love to have a t-shirt with the old-timey label. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/3 "2015-08-20T20:37:40Z")
Right now, it is not that the gluten is removed, it is that it isn’t put in in the first place. For example, something that would normally use wheat flour (which contains gluten naturally), might be made with rice flour instead (which does not contain gluten naturally). Gluten sneaks in in a lot of ways though, for example instead of waiting for a product to naturally ferment they might introduce wheat products as a way of speeding up the process. If they wait and do it without the added wheat products, there’s no gluten. So on and so forth. It just so happens that wheat products are very useful for a wide range of processes and therefore gluten is in a lot of processed foods you may not expect (such as mustard or soy sauce). With a bit of effort many companies can do without it though. ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/4 "2015-08-20T20:37:53Z")
A few years ago it was a fad among organic gardeners to tell one another to use ‘corn gluten’ as a pre-emergent weed control. I never understood. Share what you know about corn gluten. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/5 "2015-08-20T20:47:10Z")
I’ve tried using corn gluten meal as an organic pre-emergent. As far as I could tell, it did nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/6 "2015-08-20T20:52:17Z")
As far as I know only wheat, barley, and rye contain natural gluten. Anything else called gluten is just sort of a layman’s term for a similar thing that isn’t quite the same. A person with celiac disease will not have an adverse reaction to corn so long as it hasn’t come into contact with the grain products listed above. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/7 "2015-08-20T21:00:10Z")
> [@janeslogin](#): > > A few years ago it was a fad among organic gardeners to tell one another to use ‘corn gluten’ as a pre-emergent weed control. I never understood. Share what you know about corn gluten. I know what [Wikipedia knows](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_gluten_meal) (after I asked Google and he very politely referred me to Wiki): > [@Wikipedia](#): > > Corn gluten meal (CGM) is a byproduct of corn (maize) processing that has historically been used as an animal feed. It can also be used as an organic herbicide. > > The word gluten here is inexact; there is no true gluten in corn, but simply corn proteins. The expression “corn gluten” is colloquial jargon that describes corn proteins that are neither gliadin nor glutenin. Only wheat, barley, and rye contain true gluten, which is formed by the interaction of gliadin and glutenin proteins. So, “corn gluten” isn’t. It’s just assorted corn-kernel proteins. ---
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/8 "2015-08-21T03:40:05Z")
Gluten was a prime ingredient in Greenies, until dogs started dying. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/9 "2015-08-21T04:01:06Z")
They don’t remove it, they use substitute ingredients. It’s like asking what they do with all the peanuts that are removed from nut-free chocolate chip cookies. It’s not like decaffeinated coffee (FTR, I understand a lot of that ends up in caffeine pills and other caffeine containing products). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/10 "2015-08-21T07:53:27Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > They don’t remove it, they use substitute ingredients. It’s like asking what they do with all the peanuts that are removed from nut-free chocolate chip cookies. > > It’s not like decaffeinated coffee (FTR, I understand a lot of that ends up in caffeine pills and other caffeine containing products). What about all the egg yolks that restaurants separate out so they can offer egg white omelets to idiot customers? I’d kinda like a couple of those added to my whole egg omelet. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/11 "2015-08-21T09:59:52Z")
I’ve read that if you knead dough under water for a while, you can wash the “flour” away from the gluten so that you can get a big ball o’ raw gluten. Presumably, if you let the water evaporate, you’ll get a gluten-free white powder. Though I presume that it’s largely useless for most purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/12 "2015-08-21T12:21:44Z")
You’re washing the starch away from the wheat protein when you do that. The resulting product is called “seitan” and is used as a meat substitute, among other things. It’s not a powder unless after the washing you grind it up again. It’s been used for cooking since the 6th Century in China, so it’s not really a new thing. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/13 "2015-08-21T16:10:26Z")
> [@janeslogin](#): > > I’m assuming some gluten free products have had the gluten removed. What do they do with it? They come around when you are sleeping and inject it into your butt. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/14 "2015-08-21T17:46:38Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > You’re washing the starch away from the wheat protein when you do that. The resulting product is called “seitan” and is used as a meat substitute, among other things. It’s not a powder unless after the washing you grind it up again. It’s been used for cooking since the 6th Century in China, so it’s not really a new thing. Seitan (pronounced see-tan) is good! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/15 "2015-08-21T17:50:58Z")
Gluten is separated from wheat starch to make some food products. I will assume the remaining gluten is sold as gluten which is often added to dough. If I understand correctly the gluten usually sold for baking purpose has a lot of wheat starch still in it, so the gluten removed would be a purer form. I don’t know if that purer form is desired for baking or not but it is a nutritious protein that most people can tolerate. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/16 "2015-08-21T20:43:17Z")
Seems to me that some indie filmmaker is probably out there making a horror movie about gluten terrorizing a neighborhood. I can totally picture Syfy doing that–maybe the next Sharknado will have gluten, too. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/17 "2015-08-22T18:41:29Z")
> [@Whatever4](#): > > Gluten was a prime ingredient in Greenies, until dogs started dying. :eek: Still is, though they are calling it “wheat protein isolate.” It’s the new, unloaded name of gluten. > **[Dental Treats, Pill Pockets, & Supplements For Dogs | GREENIES™](https://www.greenies.com/collections/all-dog)** > > Shop all GREENIES™ dog products online and save with a subscription for your dog on all of our dental treats, pill pockets, and supplements. The death(s) were caused, not by the poisonous gluten that is killing all Americans :rolleyes:, or even by celiac disease, but because of intestinal blockage caused by the dog(s) swallowing those big, fake toothbrushes whole rather than chewing them, as intended. Avoid Greenies if your dog is a “gobble guts” or cannot read the manufacturer’s instructions. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/18 "2015-08-22T20:38:42Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > Seems to me that some indie filmmaker is probably out there making a horror movie about gluten terrorizing a neighborhood. I can totally picture Syfy doing that–maybe the next Sharknado will have gluten, too. I understand the working title is _Gluten Tag_. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/19 "2015-08-22T21:42:17Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > You’re washing the starch away from the wheat protein when you do that. The resulting product is called “seitan” and is used as a meat substitute, among other things. It’s not a powder unless after the washing you grind it up again. It’s been used for cooking since the 6th Century in China, so it’s not really a new thing. I think he’s talking about the other end - if you washed the starch out and caught in in a bowl of water, you’d have seitan at one end. If you took the bowl of starchy water and let it evaporate, you’d presumably have something - although not something I’ve ever heard of people using for anything other than sizing in sewing and laundry and hat making. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373/20 "2015-08-22T22:29:31Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > I think he’s talking about the other end - if you washed the starch out and caught in in a bowl of water, you’d have seitan at one end. If you took the bowl of starchy water and let it evaporate, you’d presumably have something - although not something I’ve ever heard of people using for anything other than sizing in sewing and laundry and hat making. Next week, one of the congloms will mix it with the massive amounts of acidic whey left over from greek yogurt production, and find a completely new product to sell us. Wheyrch Chips! New from Nabisco! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-do-with-the-glutin-that-has-been-removed-from-foods/728373.md?page=2)