Gluten free beer – A review

• Codex Alimentarius Commission guidelines on the labelling of gluten free food stuff are discussed.
• Methods for the determination of gliadin malt/beer are compared.
• Review of available publications on reducing gluten content in beer.
• Review of available publications on brewing with gluten free raw materials.

Beer is one of the most frequently consumed alcoholic beverages. However, the consumption of conventional barley beer is not safe for coeliac patients. The availability of tasty gluten free beers significantly improves gluten-sensitive peoples' well-being. This review summarises legislation for the labelling of gluten free products and compares state-of-the art techniques in gluten content determination. Several technical solutions exist for the reduction of hordein levels in barley based products, including precipitation and enzymatic hydrolysis. Furthermore, gluten free beers can be produced using gluten free cereals and pseudocereals. A third approach is the production of yeast fermented beverages based on fermentable sugars/syrups.