Patent: Wheat-based Products in Foods for the Wheat Intolerant

We survive on grains such as rice, wheat, rye and barley that provide us with our cereals, breads, pasta and baked goods. Allergies are not uncommon in this world but allergy to some of the commonest grains such as wheat, barley and rye though not common causes a significant effect on a section of the population allergic to it. Love for sandwiches, biscuits, ready-to-eat soups and pasta is found universally among people and when someone exhibits allergic reactions after consuming these foods there is a sense of foreboding and doom prevalent within the individual.

Wheat-based products commonly cause allergies in many people and there is a strong hint that these individuals might suffer from celiac disease. Celiac disease is a serious autoimmune disease that occurs in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. Every 1 in 100th person living in this world is affected by it. Gluten is nothing but a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Individuals affected by celiac disease must avoid foods containing wheat, rye and barley. Even consumption of morsels of these foods can lead to abdominal discomfort, bloating and flatus, symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBS is generally managed with a low-FODMAPS diet. Wheat flour contains increased quantities of FODMAPS which digs the path for yet another health condition known as wheat intolerance or non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS). With this knowledge, let’s look into a significant patent that’s been designed to improve the quality of life of people with wheat intolerance.

Significance of the Patent
Statistics show that almost 14% of Western consumers whose staples include bread and other wheat-based foods develop wheat intolerance. A group of researchers have come up with ways that make food products containing wheat gluten protein tolerable for the generally wheat-intolerant person by including ingredients that medically meet the requirements of low FODMAPS content.

The patent deals with the ideas of creating a low FODMAPS wheat gluten protein-based flour (WGPF) that can be used by wheat-intolerant individuals without succumbing into developing symptoms of wheat intolerance. This doesn’t conform to wheat flour alone but also extends to non-wheat sources such as barley, soy, pea, corn, lentils, tapioca and any other source that can provide low-FODMAPS contents that goes well with wheat-intolerant individuals.

Though gluten-free foods and wheat-free items are available many of our favorite baked goods and even our breads contain gluten that cause heavy damage to the health of the person consuming it. With the help of the low-FODMAPS WGPF (wheat gluten protein-based flour) products the inventors achieved a great milestone in preparing wheat breads, croissants, muffins, doughnuts, scones, tortillas, biscuits, pastry, white noodles, pasta and breakfast cereal that can be consumed by those with NCGS. The invention comes as a blessing to those with NCGS providing them with a varied variety of foods that please their taste buds and comforting their satiety needs.

The patent was published on 13th August 2015. For more details and briefs on the patent please click any of the links given below:

European Patent Office: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/originalDocument?FT=D&date=20160714&DB=&locale=en_EP&CC=AU&NR=2014381312A1&KC=A1&ND=4

World Intellectual Property Organization: https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=AU181666857&tab=PCTDESCRIPTION&office=&prevFilter=&sortOption=Pub+Date+Desc&queryString=FP%3A%28wheat-based+products+wheat+intolerance+FODMAPS%29&recNum=3&maxRec=5
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United States Patent & Trademark Office: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=55&f=G&l=50&d=PTXT&s1=weight&s2=nutrition&co1=AND&p=2&OS=weight+AND+nutrition&RS=weight+AND+nutrition