Update on Gluten

The April 1977 Ensign (p. 67) featured an article entitled “Wheat Meat,” which described the process for extracting gluten from wheat and using it as a substitute for meat in casseroles, etc. According to John Hal Johnson, associate professor of food science and nutrition, Brigham Young University, the quality of protein in gluten is inferior to meat protein: “Gluten making is a novel process of extracting the major proteins from wheat flour by washing away the starch granules after the dough is developed. Unfortunately the wheat germ, which is higher in nutrition, is also washed away, as are most of the water soluble B vitamins and the small percentage of water soluble protein in the wheat. As the wheat kernel protein is not a high quality protein to begin with, the loss of the wheat germ protein and the water soluble protein is significant.

“Though somewhat wasteful of nutrients, time, and food, using gluten is not a harmful practice unless people get the wrong idea of using it as a meat substitute. It has approximately one-half the quality of meat protein in sustaining growing children.”

Our thanks to Sister Ann Holfeltz of Boise, Idaho, for bringing this information to our attention.

Illustrated by April Lani Perry