AOAC Grants Performance Testing Methods Status to Gluten Detection Kit

Online, June 16, 2011 (Newswire.com) - ELISA Technologies, Inc., announced that its EZ Gluten® Test Kit has earned Performance-Tested MethodsSM (PTM) certification from the AOAC Research Institute (AOAC RI). EZ Gluten® was developed to help food industry and consumers detect gluten in food and beverages. The EZ Gluten® Test Kit delivers highly accurate results in about 15 minutes.

EZ Gluten® is an easy to use kit that will quickly detect the presence of gluten in foods and beverages. It is sensitive enough to detect levels of gluten as low as 10 parts per million (ppm.) The AOAC granted Performance-Tested MethodsSM status after trials at ELISA Technologies and an independent laboratory demonstrated that the method delivered consistent, accurate results that would allow food companies and consumers to screen their products for gluten at or above 10 parts per million (ppm.) For more than 120 years, AOAC has been a proactive, worldwide provider and facilitator in the development, use and harmonization of validated analytical methods and laboratory quality assurance programs and services.

Gluten is the common name for a combination of water-insoluble proteins (gliadin and glutenin) found in the seeds of wheat, rye and barley. Sensitivity to gluten affects nearly 1% of the populations of Europe and North America. Persons with gluten sensitivity, or celiac disease, have a heightened immunologic response to ingested gliadin and glutenin, resulting in a range of symptoms.

For persons with gluten sensitivity, celiacs, the only treatment for these conditions is adopting a gluten-free diet, avoiding foods containing wheat, rye, barley and other related cereal grains.

EZ Gluten® offers celiac disease sufferers and food manufacturers alike a way to rapidly and accurately test food or beverages for the presence of gluten. Detecting as low as 10 ppm, EZ Gluten® can insure compliance with the Codex Alimentarius Commission Standard 118-1979 which applies to foods for special dietary uses that have been formulated, processed or prepared to meet the special dietary needs of people intolerant to gluten.
According to the Codex Standard, food labeled "gluten free" may not contain wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut, or crossbreed varieties, and its gluten level may not exceed 20 parts per million (ppm).

For more information about EZ Gluten® please visit http://www.ezgluten.com , call (352) 337-3929 or email: [email protected]