Development of a Reliable Gluten Detection Lateral Flow Device

Introduction: Gluten-free labeling regulations were enacted and gluten limits for gluten-free foods were established in United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2013. These gluten limits, which were based on Codex standards, allow items with gluten content of less than 20 ppm to be labeled as “gluten-free.”

Purpose: Growing need of determination of gluten, easier test method was requested. We developed the new extraction method without heating step for Morinaga Gluten (Gliadin) Lateral Flow device to improve usability although the original extraction method was necessary to heating step for extraction.

Methods: The new extraction method was evaluated by comparing with the original extraction method, Morinaga Wheat/Gluten (Gliadin) ELISA Kit announced as a gluten determination method of US-FDA Gluten Free Food Labeling Rule. In addition, it was compared the both methods with commercially available gluten lateral flow devices to show usefulness of gluten detection.

Results: The new extraction method showed to detect gluten in most of commercially available gluten labeled foods and incurred foods as well as the original extraction method. Both of original and the new extraction method showed the good consistency with Morinaga Wheat/Gluten (Gliadin) ELISA Kit in soft processed and liquid food analysis. It showed the original method detected gluten in processed foods which are not detected by other commercially available lateral flow devices.

Significance: The new extraction method of Morinaga Gluten (Gliadin) Lateral Flow device provides reliable, quick, and user-friendly quantitative gluten analysis in foods, including unprocessed foodstuffs and processed products.