Triticeae glutens

It is the sticky substance in bread wheat which allows dough to rise and retain its shape during baking.

Triticeae glutens are primarily important to a developing definition 'gluten-free' in dietary treatments for gluten sensitivity which are intended to exclude pathogenic proteins from the diet of susceptible individuals (such as coeliac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, or inflammatory bowel diseases).

Prolamins and to a lesser degree glutelins are excellent substrates for deamidation particularly by mammalian tissue transglutaminases (tTG).

Gliadin also has a small peptide that appears to alter the distribution of transglutaminase in the gut but is not crosslinked, the mechanism of its 'innate' behavior is not clear.

The role of tTG in the extracellular matrix is to crosslink lysine side chains of proteins such as collagen to proteins, however glutens appear to infiltrate into the small intestine, interfering with this process and resulting in a false immune recognition of the matrix and surrounding cells as foreign, leading, ultimately, to the destruction of the intestinal mucosa.

[8] These properties of certain alpha-gliadins appear to have evolved to prevent long-term or dedicated consumption of certain wheat grasses by certain species.

The DQ restricted class II mediated presentation of gliadin to T-helper lymphocytes appears to be the primary process involved in coeliac disease.

The industry of wheat goes back to before the Neolithic period when people process grain berries (or corns) singly by hand.

During the early phase of cultivation wheats were selected for their harvestability and growability under various climate conditions resulting in the first cultivars.

These grains were capable of being used for soups (speltoids) or tediously ground into simple flours and baked goods.

During the second phase an Emmer wheat was produced that was an alloquadraploid species and this contained more gluten, making baking more efficient.

Corn is prepared by boiling in water with alkali then ground, resulting in a de-skinned material called nixtamalized masa.

The glutenins, for example, stretch, but can also fix their shape at high temperatures, causing bread to maintain its characteristic rise.

When the flour is combined with water and yeast the dough can be risen and subsequently fixed by heat resulting in a hard outer shell with a soft palatable interior.

Wheat or semolina flour can be added other ingredients such as fish, meat or milk to create food pastes.

Later the prolamins are broken down to provide the young seeds with a source of nitrogen and energy giving the Triticeae seedling a great boost during early life.