Newswise — CHICAGO--Celiac disease has increased in the last 50 years, but causes have not been fully determined. The research team found that einkorn wheat, an ancient wheat having one-grained spikelets and grown formerly in poor soils in central and southern Europe and southwest Asia, is promising for producing few or no immunotoxic effects in celiac trials. Without understanding why wheat sensitivity has increased in the population, the problem remains unsolved.

To help inform consumers, medical professionals, and researchers, a new article in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), provides a comprehensive summary of the different types of wheat sensitivity; the differences in reactivity among ancient, heritage, and modern wheat; and the impact of processing methods on wheat sensitivity. Furthermore, wheat products made with germination and fermentation technologies can have reduced amounts of immunoreactive compounds. Such products can help slow disease development in populations genetically-predisposed to celiac disease and wheat allergy.

Although the cause of increased prevalence of wheat sensitivity over the last several decades remains unknown, modern wheat processing techniques may have increased consumer exposure to immunoreactive compounds.

Read the full article in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety here.

About IFTFounded in 1939, the Institute of Food Technologists is committed to advancing the science of food. Our non-profit scientific society—more than 17,000 members from more than 95 countries—brings together food scientists, technologists and related professionals from academia, government, and industry. For more information, please visit ift.org.