Gluten
From ArticleWorld
Gluten is found as an amorphous ergastic protein combined with starch in some cereals, particularly wheat, rye and barley.
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Properties
Gluten makes up about 80 percent of proteins in wheat. It is composed solely of gliadin and glutenin, both proteins. It gives kneaded dough an elasticity that allows it to be leavened. It can also be credited with the chewy texture of some baked products (bagels, for instance).
Extracting gluten
Gluten can be removed from wheat flour — and from other grains — simply by washing the starch out. One accomplishes this by rinsing a dough of flour and water with plain water and kneading it until the water that is running over the dough no longer has starch or bran in it. When the result of an extraction will not be used to produce a food product, a saline solution will provide better results. The gluten that remains would be stringy and sticky with a texture that resembles that of chewing gum.
Use
Cooked gluten can soak up broth and the taste that the broth contains. When cooked, it is firm. For this reason, it's a useful vegetarian and vegan cuisine: One popular version is seitan. Some people use seitan as a way to imitate meat (especially duck) when the broth around it is correctly flavored. When baked, gluten keeps the fermentation of gases in dough, which allows for dough to rise. Once baked, the gluten (then coagulated) ensures that the bread product keeps its intended shape. It is found in some cereals and the products made from them. Kamut and spelt are some forms of gluten; many people who are intolerant of gluten can digest these two varieties.
Health
People who have an intolerance to gluten are said to have a celiac disease. They must maintain a gluten-free diet. In these people, gluten consumption has been related to damage in the small intestine, which causes normal digestion to become impossible.
People with certain health issues, like autism or Asperger's syndrome, may be particularly sensitive to gluten and a protein that is found in milk called casein. In these people, these two substances have an opiate-like effect, which is attributed to gluten exophines and gliadorphin.