Who could ever have imagined that the initials GF would be almost as prominent in the American consciousness as GE and GM? But a quick peek at the number of hits on Google shows “Gluten Free” closing in on General Electric and General Motors. It has already far surpassed General Foods.

There is no denying that gluten-free is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, food trends of the 21st century.

Numbers Don’t Lie
U.S. consumer sales of gluten-free products reached $4.4 billion in 2011 on 20% growth, according to Nutrition Business Journal, Boulder, CO, which also predicted the rate of increase will remain in the mid to high teens (around 15-20%) over the next several years.

In January of this year, Dieting Monitor, a publication issued by The NPD Group, Port Washington, NY, a global information and advisory service, reported that a record number—about a third of U.S. adults—currently say they want to cut down or be free of gluten in their diets. In March, the same organization’s website, www.npd.com, stated, “The incidence of consumers ordering food described on the menu as gluten-free or wheat-free has grown over time and is now more than double what it was four years ago—accounting for over 200 million restaurant visits in the past year.”

“Mention gluten-free, and food marketers, manufacturers and the media begin to salivate,” said The Hartman Group, Inc., a Bellevue, WA-based consulting organization.

“There’s certainly no shortage of chatter in the trade press or news media on the topic, and sales have yet to peak as the market for gluten-free products and menu options continues to burgeon,” a Hartman newsletter pointed out. “We have been examining consumers’ engagement in a gluten-free lifestyle, and … it’s clear to see that gluten free has hit its stride in the mainstream marketplace.”

One key reason, Hartman said, is that today’s consumers seem more determined than any previous generation to control their own health and wellness. The newsletter explained, “Digestion is the single most important theme around which serious health and wellness issues converge (inflammation, weight management, immunity, energy, and food sensitivity).”

Thus, even though only a very small percentage of Americans actually have celiac disease (CD), for which a gluten-free regimen is medically prescribed, there is a large number of consumers who choose to be gluten-free for a variety of other reasons.

“For these consumers,” Hartman emphasized, “gluten free symbolizes less processed. They believe that the overconsumption of processed foods has caused their bodies to turn against their own immune systems, expressing themselves in a variety of symptoms related to food sensitivities and allergies.”

Celiac & Gluten
At the Omaha, NE-based Celiac Sprue Association (CSA), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals with celiac disease, executive director Mary Schluckebier Seward said, “In people with CD, eating certain types of grain-based products sets off an immune response that causes damage to the small intestine. This, in turn, interferes with the small intestine’s ability to absorb nutrients found in food, leading to malnutrition and a variety of other complications. The offending amino acid sequences are collectively called ‘gluten’ and are found in wheat, barley, rye, and to a lesser extent, oats. Related proteins are found in triticale, spelt and Kamut.”

According to Ms. Seward, about one in 133 people—adults and children—have CD, but most have yet to be diagnosed. Common symptoms, she noted, are abdominal cramping and bloating, anemia, constipation, diarrhea, energy loss, fatigue, infertility, irritable bowel, joint pain, mouth sores or cracks in the corners, tooth enamel defects, weakness and weight loss.

Common nutritional deficiencies in celiac sufferers, she added, are calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12, C, D, E and K and folic acid.

Since gluten is found in a wide variety of foods—including not only the obvious grain products such as bread, pasta, cookies and cake, but also in such varied items as French fried potatoes (where it is used as a coating), and soy sauce and rice cereal (where it appears as malt)—Ms. Seward said careful label reading is essential for those seeking a gluten-free diet. However, since the word “gluten” rarely is used in ingredients listings, consumers are often left adrift.

Sealing the Deal
A little shopping assistance is clearly in order, and it is available. The CSA publishes a 400-page Gluten-Free Product Listing that includes both store and national brands, descriptions and contact information for businesses specializing in gluten-free products, an expanded glossary of terms, celiac-friendly business listings by state, and tips on restaurants, travel, hospital stays and more.
Further, the association awards a seal of recognition to products that it has tested to verify they are “free of wheat, barley, rye and common oats.”

Identifying seals are also issued by the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG), Auburn, WA. Two seals are offered: Certified Gluten-Free covering retail grocery products through the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) program (www.GFCO.org) and Certified Food Service covering restaurants and other outside dining options (www.GFFoodService.org).

At the Natural Products ExpoWest trade show held in Anaheim, CA, in early March, more than 150 exhibiting companies displayed GIG’s gluten-free logo. The standard that these products had to meet was 10 ppm or less gluten in finished products.

“We hear from consumers every day, expressing how much difficulty they have identifying foods that are safe,” said Scott Mandell, president and CEO of Enjoy Life Natural Brands, Schiller Park, IL. “Now, we can provide them the safety assurance that GFCO provides, and we’re already seeing increased business as a result.”

Gluten-Free Options
As consumer demand has swelled, the number of gluten-free ingredients and finished products has proliferated. The following is just a small sampling of items currently available.

“Creating great tasting gluten-free bakery items is very difficult,” said Aaron Reed, bakery applications specialist at Minneapolis, MN-based Cargill. “Without gluten to entrap air, baked goods lack the chewy, plump goodness that make them so worth the calories. Fortunately, Cargill has developed gluten-free baking bases that may relieve the frustration and guesswork.”

According to Mr. Reed, Cargill’s gluten-free cake base is available in white, yellow and chocolate. “With seeds or grains, our bread base becomes a hearty multi-grain loaf; with fruits and spices, it’s a fragrant cinnamon-raisin loaf.”

OptiSol 5000 and 5300 from Glanbia Nutritionals, Fitchburg, WI, are flaxseed-based hydrocolloid ingredients that can aid in the development of gluten-free products. Marilyn Stieve, the company’s business development manager, said, “They have strong water-binding capability and can help manage and retain moisture during the shelf life of many nutritional supplement products. At the same time, both products have a strong wheat-like flavor profile that can help bring back some of the flavor notes that are typically missing in gluten-free formulations.”

Calling itself “the nation’s leading gluten-free pizza manufacturer,”  Venice Bakery of El Segundo, CA, unveiled its new chocolate chip cookies, wraps and pastas at the International Pizza Expo in mid-March in Las Vegas, NV. Company president Jimmy DeSisto said, “Our pizza crusts, flatbreads, topped pizzas and regular dough balls and calzones provide food service, distributors, grocery stores and pizza chains and restaurants across the country with a cost-effective way to expand into the gluten-free market.” As the demand for gluten-free products grows, he added, Venice Bakery will continue to expand its product line and innovate new trends.

Joseph O’Neill, president and general manager for BENEO Inc., Morris Plains, NJ, said his firm’s rice derivatives sold under the Remygel and Remyline brand names are hypo-allergenic and naturally free of gluten and lactose. “Rice is well-balanced and nutritional, with a low level of fat and high levels of carbohydrates. The essential amino acid profile of rice proteins and ease of digestion are the main reasons why rice derivatives are so widely used in baby food, and also why rice-derived ingredients are ideal for adult food formulations, especially in the presence of special sensitivities.”

A new line of plant-derived gluten-free snacks from Earth Balance, located near Boulder, CO, includes Vegan Buttery Flavor Popcorn, Vegan Aged White Cheddar Flavor Popcorn, Vegan Aged White Cheddar Flavor Puffs and P.B. Popps, a sweet and salty popcorn treat. The company also offers a line of gluten-free buttery spreads, shortenings, nut butters, soymilk, soy nog, coconut spread and alternative mayo.

Pulsing with Promise
According to Margaret Hughes, vice president of sales and marketing for Best Cooking Pulses, Inc., Portage la Prairie, Canada, pulses, the edible seeds of various leguminous plants such as chickpeas, lentils and beans, are high in protein, fiber and other nutrients, yet low in fat. The company’s gluten-free offerings include non-genetically modified Pulse Flours from peas, beans, chickpeas and lentils, and Pea Fiber (>90% total dietary fiber on a dry weight basis).

At Westchester, IL-based Ingredion Incorporated (formerly Corn Products), bakery marketing manager Patrick O’Brien said the company’s many ingredients based on tapioca, corn, rice and potato have been successfully used in providing taste, texture and nutrition to gluten-free products. He also noted that the addition of the firm’s Hi-maize 260 resistant starch provides clean taste, increases versatility in different applications and helps maintain the texture, mouth-feel and appearance of regular baked goods.

Mr. O’Brien identified several challenges facing formulators of gluten-free products, including difficulties with flavor, texture and appearance. Even the nutrition profile of these products can be significantly different from wheat-containing products due to a lack of protein, fiber and other nutrients. Additionally, high levels of sugar and fat may be introduced to mask the texture and flavor weaknesses.

Noting that solutions offered for gluten-free formulation should be designed to minimize process changes, Mr. O’Brien said the answers can be found in functional flours, modified starches, cold-water soluble starches and gums. Based on the formulation, all or some of these may be required. “Optimization needs to be done to match the rheology or flow rate of gluten-free dough to that containing gluten,” Mr. O’Brien explained.

One of the texture issues facing gluten-free formulators is poor crust color and development; short shelf life also may be a problem. In Delray Beach, FL—where many people go to vacation or retire—Jack Lotker and his team believe they have come up with a solution. In February, his firm, Better For You Foods LLC, introduced a new “shelf-stable” Gluten Free Pizza Crust under the Better4U Foods label.

Mr. Lotker, the founder and CEO, said, “The new gluten-free pizza crusts are consistent with our mission to develop products that not only taste great, but are also significantly better for you.” He said the new product is designed for consumers who yearn to create their own gluten-free pizza, topped with individual choices of favorite ingredients.

Almost 32 years ago, Betty Lou Carrier of McMinnville, OR, launched a business making and selling a line of gluten-free snacks. “I always believed that there is a connection between what we eat and how we feel,” said Ms. Carrier. Her two sons—then in school—were the first taste-testers for the firm known simply as Betty Lou’s, Inc.

Today, the company produces a line of 36 gluten-free choices. “Each day, we challenge the notion that healthy, all-natural, gluten-free products have to compromise on taste,” Ms. Carrier said. “We’ve proven that the opposite can be true.”