Determinação de glúten em produtos de panificação por teste Elisa e por Imunocromatografia

Abstract

Celiac disease (CD) is characterized by a systemic autoimmune disorder, triggered by the ingestion of gluten in food or absorption through the airways. It is characterized by chronic inflammation of the small intestine mucosa causing atrophy of the intestinal villi, inadequate intestinal absorption and other clinical or asymptomatic manifestations. Gluten is a set of proteins that is present in cereals such as wheat, rye, barley and malt. The constitution of gluten occurs by the junction of the proteins gliadin and glutenin, the gliadin is responsible for the extensibility of the gluten being dispersed among the glutenin developing a strong elastic film that surrounds the starch granules. The occurrence of CD occurs in individuals with a genetic predisposition to the disease, being observed mainly in childhood, but can occur at any stage of life. The only treatment for CD is based on the total exclusion of gluten foods from the diet. The success of diet therapy for CD patients is related to the individual's adaptation to the diet, the reliability of food labels and the elimination of cross-contamination of food. Food product analyzes are necessary to ensure food reliability. Gliadins can be detected by mass spectrometry, high performance liquid chromatography, DNA analysis and immunological methods (ELISA). Therefore, the objective of the study was to carry out an online questionnaire with celiac people about the main products consumed by them and their knowledge about the disease, and to analyze glutenfree bakery products (breads, cakes, cookies and cheese bread, among others) through the ELISA test and by immunochromatographic tapes. Most respondents to the questionnaire were women, with higher education, all respondents said they knew what gluten is, 92% follow a gluten-free diet and 81% consume glutenfree bakery products. The most consumed gluten-free product for them was bread and for almost 50% of the interviewees the greatest difficulty was eating meals outside the home. By the ELISA method, all samples showed negative results for the presence of gluten and for the immunochromatographic strips four of the analyzed samples were positive for the presence of gluten. With these results we can conclude that the majority of consumers of gluten-free products have celiac disease and still find it difficult to eat meals outside the home. The results of the immunochromatographic tapes differed with the ELISA R5 test, however the tapes do not show an exact number of the concentration, only a value range. The use of the immunochromatographic test demonstrated an excellent option to guarantee celiacs the quality of their food in relation to the gluten content, in addition to being a faster and easier analysis.