Gelatin vs Gluten: What Is The Difference?

on October 23, 2022

Gluten and gelatin are two things that have very similar sounding names and are widely used in food. However, what is the actual difference between the two things, and what do they do?

Gelatin and gluten are both forms of protein but they are derived from different sources. Gelatin is produced from animals and is a mixture of peptides and proteins which act as a gelling agent in many dishes. Whereas gluten is a protein that is most commonly found in grains such as wheat and rye. It is an important component that affects the physical characteristics of bread doughs which in turn affects the texture of the final product.

Gelatin is typically sold as a separate product that you can usually get in the baking aisle of your local grocery store. It normally comes in hard sheets that look like plastic that will dissolve readily in water and help to gel solutions to create jelly-like substances.

The product itself is virtually tasteless and will not affect the flavor of any product that you put it into which means that is extremely handy as you can pretty much add it to any dish that you want to get to without affecting its flavor. The gelatin itself is derived from by-products within the meat industry which include bones, skin, and connective tissues.

Gluten on the other hand is generally not sold separately as an additive to food but rather is one that naturally exists in grains such as wheat and rye. However, as mentioned above it plays a pivotal role in the texture of bread which anyone that has eaten gluten-free bread will attest to.

Why Are Products Made Gluten-Free?

The main reason that products are made without gluten is that there are many people in our community that have an allergy to gluten which is often referred to as coeliac disease. This disease most commonly appears among people that are descended from the UK and Ireland.

Those that have coeliac disease have a reduced ability to absorb nutrients from the food that they consume because the gluten protein irritates the villi within the small intestine which is the section of the digestive tract where nutrients are absorbed.

The villa themselves are small spikes on the surface of the small intestine that help to increase the surface area and therefore increase the rate of absorption of nutrients. The villi in those people with coeliac disease tends to either become inflamed or lay down on the surface of the small intestine reducing the surface area available to absorb nutrients.

As a result of this, it can produce a number of long-term health issues such as issues with anemia, bone density, and a range of other health issues. It has been relatively difficult to diagnose historically because a lot of the symptoms which include things like diarrhea and stomach pains are typically quite generic.

It has only been in the last 30 years or so that the rate of diagnosis has increased which is why you are seeing an increased prevalence of these products appearing in your local supermarket.

Are Gluten-Free Products Very Different From Gluten-Containing Products?

The degree of difference between gluten-containing and gluten-free products does vary substantially depending on the nature of the product itself. There are some products such as bread and wraps that are hugely different whereas there are other products such as gluten-free chips or sauces that are almost indistinguishable.

Generally, those people that are moving to a gluten-free diet due to a coeliac diagnosis will most commonly have to deal with eating gluten-free bread which frankly is not particularly nice when compared to wheat-based breads.

The reason for this is that the gluten protein within the flour that are used plays a vital role in controlling the texture of the bread as the protein is elastic in nature which means that the bread is allowed to expand to create that light fluffy texture.

However, when bread is made without gluten it is extremely dense and the texture is relatively crumbly which generally produces a relatively unpleasant product. As a result of this most people that purchase gluten-free bread tend to toast it rather than eat it fresh as toasting it doesn’t prove the texture somewhat.

The other areas that are significantly noticeable are things like gluten-free pasta and wraps, both of which tend to have slightly different textures to wheat-based products.

How Do You Tell If A Product Has Gluten In It?

Generally, the simplest way to tell if a product is gluten-free is to check the labels on the product itself. In most countries around the world, manufacturers are required by law to declare the presence of any allergens which include gluten, soy, and milk products to name a few.

As a result of this, any product that is derived from wheat needs to be declared on the label and many manufacturers will also provide a general declaration at the bottom of the ingredients list as well.

However, what you will also find is that many companies that produce products that do not contain any gluten but are made in the same facility as gluten-containing products will often have a statement at the end of the ingredients list which says the product “May Contain Gluten”.

Generally, this means that the products are safe to eat for coeliacs as the risk of cross-contamination is minimal particularly given the batch sizes of most products. As this will dilute any gluten that is present to a level that is negligible in most cases.

The other area that often causes confusion for coeliacs when they are first diagnosed is the fact that many sugars that are derived from wheat are actually safe for coeliacs to eat because the level of processing that occurs in the production of these products is sufficient to remove any gluten that was present initially.

This means that any product that contains sugars such as glucose or dextrose that are derived from wheat are actually suitable for coeliacs to eat. However, due to the laws in most countries, it means that the manufacturer still has to declare the presence of wheat.