Gluten-free products in celiac disease: Nutritional and technological challenges and solutions

Abstract

In celiac patient exposure to even only a small amount of gluten can lead to malabsorption of some important nutrients including calcium, iron, folic acid, and fat-soluble vitamins because of small-intestine inflammation. A strictly followed gluten-free (GF) diet throughout the patient's lifetime is the only effective treatment for celiac disease; however, elimination of gluten from cereal-based product leads to many technological and nutritional problems. This report discusses different substitutes to replace gluten functionality and examines the economic and social impacts of adherence to a GF diet. Better knowledge about the molecular basis of this disorder has encouraged the search for new methods of patient treatment. The new and common GF sources and different challenges encountered in production and consumption of these products and different solutions for improving their properties are discussed in this review.