WINNIPEG (Staff) – Gluten is much more than a food additive for bread, cereals, pasta and pet food, according to Nick Kalin.
“Gluten is a very unique protein,” he said. “There’s nothing like it.”
It looks like milled flour. When water is added, it forms a gummy elastic substance.
Gluten is used in:
- Processed meats, fish and poultry.
- Simulated meat products such as soyburgers.
- Fish food. Gluten holds the feed together and prevents it from dissolving in water or sinking to the bottom. Kalin said fish farms in Japan and China are major markets for gluten.
Kalin said several new uses are being researched and developed, including:
nBiodegradable plastics and
paper coatings.
- Cosmetics.
- Pharmaceuticals, to coat tablets.
- Sausage casings.
- Adhesives. If there are larger volumes and thus lower prices, Kalin said gluten could have industrial uses such as a filler for cracks in drywall.
