{"id":309977,"date":"2021-07-28T09:31:42","date_gmt":"2021-07-28T06:31:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/common-weed-could-spell-bellyache-for-gluten-intolerant\/"},"modified":"2021-07-28T09:31:42","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T06:31:42","slug":"common-weed-could-spell-bellyache-for-gluten-intolerant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/common-weed-could-spell-bellyache-for-gluten-intolerant\/","title":{"rendered":"#Common weed could spell bellyache for gluten intolerant"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Common weed could spell bellyache for gluten intolerant<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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New research has identified proteins in a common weed which could play havoc for Australian farmers growing gluten-free crops, such as millet, buckwheat and sorghum, and people suffering from gluten intolerance.<\/p>\n


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The gluten-like proteins found in ryegrass could be mixing with crops commonly used as gluten-free products or wheat replacements and causing a reaction among people with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance.<\/p>\n

The work, led by Edith Cowan University (ECU) and Australia’s national science<\/a> agency, CSIRO, identified the proteins in 10 cultivars of ryegrass (Lolium <\/i>species), a costly and invasive family of weeds commonly found in Australian cereal crops.<\/p>\n

Dr. Sophia Escobar-Correas, a researcher based at ECU and CSIRO said the team identified 19 proteins found in ryegrass which had similar properties to gluten proteins.<\/p>\n

“We have developed a method to detect these ryegrass proteins that allows us to distinguish them from other grains,” she said.<\/p>\n

“While these proteins aren’t strictly defined as gluten, they have the potential to trigger reactions for people who are coeliac and those with a gluten intolerance.”<\/p>\n

This fundamental research helps understand whether ryegrass might be a problem so science can start to determine the impact it might\u2014or might not\u2014be having and devise solutions that give the best outcomes if it is.<\/p>\n

Dr. Escobar-Correas said the next step is to undertake clinical studies to investigate whether these proteins trigger a coeliac response.<\/p>\n

“If these proteins cause a reaction for people with gluten intolerance, then it’s important that we develop tests to detect their presence in food products which are otherwise gluten-free,” she said.<\/p>\n

A burgeoning market<\/b><\/p>\n

Professor Michelle Colgrave from ECU and CSIRO was a co-author on the research and said it has identified an important potential challenge for gluten-free products<\/p>\n

“In 2019, the global market for gluten-free foods was worth around $6.3 billion and its growth shows no sign of slowing,” she said.<\/p>\n

“This research will help give consumers and producers confidence that products labelled as gluten-free are free from other proteins which may trigger reactions resulting from agricultural co-mingling.”<\/p>\n

Top class weed<\/b><\/p>\n

The WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development defines a close relative of the species studied in this project, annual ryegrass as one of the most serious and costly weeds across Southern Australia.<\/p>\n

Several cultivars of ryegrass are used as feed for livestock and is commonly used as a turf for sports pitches, particularly winter sports, and is famously the grass of choice for tennis courts at Wimbledon.<\/p>\n

‘Perennial ryegrass contains gluten-like proteins that could contaminate cereal crops’ has been published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition<\/i> and can be accessed<\/a> on the journal’s webpage.<\/p>\n\n

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Consumer health: Summer eating with celiac disease<\/a>\n <\/div>\n

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\n More information:<\/strong>
\n Frontiers in Nutrition<\/i>, DOI: 10.3389\/fnut.2021.708122<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n
\n Provided by
\n Edith Cowan University
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Citation<\/strong>:
\n Common weed could spell bellyache for gluten intolerant (2021, July 28)
\n retrieved 28 July 2021
\n from https:\/\/phys.org\/news<\/a>\/2021-07-common-weed-bellyache-gluten-intolerant.html<\/p>\n

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