What does that mean?

An allergy (from the Greek for ‘altered reaction’) is the defensive response of the immune system to certain and normally harmless substances (allergens). Typical symptoms are often accompanied by inflammatory processes such as diarrhoea, watery eyes, a runny nose, asthma attacks with shortness of breath, a rash, redness, swelling and itching of the skin. Coeliac disease (gluten intolerance) is not an allergy, but an autoimmune disease.

An autoimmune disease is a medical term for illnesses that are caused by an overreaction of the immune system towards the body’s own tissues. The immune system erroneously recognises the body’s own tissue as foreign matter that must be attacked. This causes serious inflammatory reactions, which lead to damage of the affected organs.

The baking bag (also known as the bake stable bag) is film packaging for bread and baked goods from HUTTWILER glutenfree. The special film is heat-resistant and can therefore be baked in the oven. The baking bag protects the gluten-free products from being contaminated with gluten, whilst also locking in flavour. The film material is also cold-resistant and can be frozen.

Coeliac disease (synonyms: gluten-sensitive or gluten-induced enterop- athy, intestinal infantilism; in adults, also non-tropical or endemic sprue, gluten intolerance, Heubner-Herter disease) is a chronic illness of the mucous membranes in the small intestine due to hypersensitivity to the components of gluten, which is present in the gluten protein of many types of grain. Intolerance is a life-long condition, is partially genetically determined and cannot currently be cured.

With coeliac disease, the consumption of foods containing gluten leads to an inflammation of the mucous membranes in the small intestine, often with extensive destruction of the villi. As a result, nutrients are poorly absorbed and remain undigested in the intestine. Possible symptoms are signs of deficiency, diarrhoea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, depression, infertility, tooth enamel defects, osteoporosis and growth and devel- opment problems.

The AOECS (Association of European Coeliac Societies) is the umbrella organisation for the national coeliac societies in Europe. The organisation was founded in 1988 as an independent, non-profit organisation with headquarters in Belgium. Its aim is to coordinate international activities to represent the interests of people with coeliac disease. IG Zöliakie der deutschen Schweiz und die Deutsche Zöliakie-Gesellschaft e. V. is also a member of the AOECS.

Contamination (from the Latin contaminere = tainting, corruption) is generally used in technology and medicine to refer to the soiling or pollution of people or objects with chemical or biological material.

With a food intolerance, the immune system classifies certain constituents of a food as foreign and dangerous, and activates a defensive process to fight them. Every time this food is consumed again, the immune system triggers an allergic reaction within a few hours at the latest, which above all affects the mucous membranes, eyes, nose, bronchi and skin.

In the case of a food intolerance, the sufferer is unable to digest and absorb certain foods. It does not cause an allergic reaction, but rather triggers hypersensitivity when the food comes into contact with the body tissue. A food intolerance should therefore not be confused with a food allergy.

Gluten is contained in foods made using wheat, barley and rye, as well as their derivations and hybrids, such as triticale, spelt, green spelt, kamut, Einkorn wheat and emmer. Malt and drinks containing malt also contain gluten. As do many highly processed products, which use flour containing gluten as a thickening agent, stabiliser and structure enhancer.

Also known as gluten incompatibility. See coeliac disease.

Sensitivity to gluten is a weaker form of gluten intolerance (coeliac disease) with less serious symptoms. Antibodies against gluten can be found in the body; degeneration of the intestinal villi is, however, not present. Despite this, following a gluten-free diet is recommended for better over-all health.

Unprocessed foods like rice, corn, wild rice, millet, brown millet, teff, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, soya, sesame, linseed, chestnut flour, car- ob gum, lupin flour, guar gum flour, arrowroot flour, kudzu, tapioca, manioc, sago, hemp, banana flour, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, nuts, milk, eggs, meat, fish, poultry, fats, oils, etc.

Gluten-free nutrition means avoiding foods containing gluten. Nowadays, this is easy since alongside all of the foods that are naturally gluten-free, there are also a multitude of products that are produced without gluten, including gluten-free bread and pastry products. Nevertheless, it is still important to check the list of ingredients on all foods to see whether they contain ‘gluten components’ or ‘wheat components’, since many corn and rice products are made in facilities that also manufacture products containing gluten. In such premises, the contamination of supposedly gluten-free foods is possible. Products from HUTTWILER glutenfree are made in the Huttwil plant, which is used exclusively for the manufacture of gluten-free products.

The symbol with the crossed-out ear of wheat is a registered trademark of the AOECS (Association of European Coeliac Societies). It is used to distinguish products that comply with the established scientific and medical food standards in relation to gluten-free foods. Companies that wish to use the gluten-free symbol must sign a licensing agreement with their national coeliac association and are subject to strict regulation. The gluten-free symbol may only be used in conjunction with the registered products that display the corresponding registration number. The symbol is widely recognised by people who are gluten intolerant and immediately provides the reassurance that the product in question is certified as gluten-free. HUTTWILER glutenfree is a registered trademark of JOWA AG. As a Swiss manufacturer, JOWA AG is therefore the license holder and is registered with IG Zöliakie der deutschen Schweiz.

When water is added to flour, gluten forms a rubbery, elastic mass. This is why it has a very important effect on the baking properties of flour. In people with a predisposition to coeliac disease, certain components of gluten may cause an inflammatory condition in the intestinal mucosa with wide-reaching health-related consequences.

The immune system (from Latin immunis, which translates literally as ‘untouched’, ‘free’, ‘pure’) refers to the biological defence system which prevents damage to the body’s tissues by pathogens. It removes micro-or- ganisms and foreign substances that have entered the body and is also capable of destroying cells that have become abnormal.

Intestinal villi are leaf- and finger-like projections of the small intestine and primarily serve to reabsorb nutrients. In the case of gluten intoler- ance, the intestinal villi may be degenerate. This results in reduced food metabolism and nutrient absorption.

Proteins (also known as albumen) are biological macro-modules made up of amino acids. Proteins can be found in all cells and not only give them their structure, but also function as ‘molecular machines’ that transport metabolites, catalyse chemical reactions and identify signalling substanc- es.

Resorption (from the Latin resorbere = ‘to suck in again’) is understood as the uptake of substances in biological systems. In humans and verte- brates this particularly refers to the uptake of substances from digested food in the intestine during digestion (for instance fission products from dietary components such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, etc.).

Sprue refers to two illnesses which are classically associated with diarrhoea: 1. Coeliac disease, technical term gluten-sensitive enteropathy, which was formerly known in adults as endemic sprue; 2. tropical sprue, which is thought to be caused by an infection.

A wheat allergy is an allergic reaction to wheat proteins; rye, barley and oats are tolerated. Symptoms particularly affect the skin, bronchi and intestine.