Celiac News

Hydrolysed Vegetable Protein

The internet is both a great boon and a great bother. It's a boon because it carries a lot of readily available information; it's a bother because the information is often wrong. A case in point is the description of hydrolysed vegetable protein picked from the net recently by several newsletter editors.

In the first case, often the spelling is incorrect. Many sites, particularly in the USA, spell it "hydrolyzed", which is acceptable, but even "hydrolized" appears in print. The word comes from the Greek word "lysis" denoting disintegration or loosening, and "hydro" which means water. "Electrolysis" for example, mean disintegration by the use of electricity. "Hydrolysis" means disintegration or splitting (lysis) of a substance with the addition of water (hydro). A substance which has undergone hydrolysis is hydrolysed, and this process can be brought about by the use of acids, bases or enzymes.

There are many substances which can be hydrolysed. Complex carbohydrates are hydrolysed into simple sugars; fats are hydrolysed into fatty acids; proteins are hydrolysed into amino acids. During hydrolysis the gigantic protein molecules gradually break down into products of successively lower molecular weight, called peptides, and if hydrolysis is complete, into individual amino acids.

A variety of vegetable proteins, including wheat gluten, corn protein, soy protein and sometimes peanut protein, are hydrolysed commercially for use in foods as flavouring agents, and sometimes as texturizing agents. However, hydrolysis of these proteins is a long slow process, and it is very difficult to determine when they are completely broken down into amino acids. In fact, many never reach 100%. That is why organic chemists may be deliriously happy if a reaction produces even an 85% yield. The hydrolysis of the hydrolysed vegetable protein in a can of soup may be only 75% complete.

This is where the relationship with Celiac Disease comes in. When hydrolysed plant protein is clearly identified in the ingredient list as being from soy, corn or peanut protein (e.g. hydrolyzed soy protein) it is safe for people with Celiac Disease. However, when hydrolysed plant protein is made from wheat protein people with Celiac Disease cannot eat it because they cannot guarantee that it has been completely hydrolysed. So remember, if hydrolysed plant protein is made from wheat, or if the plant source is not identified, don't eat it.