Gluten-free snap, crackle, pop draws attention to celiac disease
The malt flavouring is gone! Celiac sufferers are no longer limited to listening to the snap, crackle and pop of Rice Krispies! They can actually eat the cereal that has been music to the ears of legions since 1928 but has been verboten for anyone with a sensitivity to gluten, the mixture of proteins found in wheat, barley and rye. Rice contains no gluten and is in general a staple for celiac sufferers. But malt flavouring, a standard ingredient in Rice Krispies, can harbour a trace of gluten, enough to cause misery.
So what makes puffed rice speak to its fans? Some neat technology: First, the rice grains are treated with steam to introduce moisture, which performs a dual function. As more heat is applied, moisture provides the pressure needed to expand the grain of rice. Simultaneously, the water acts as an internal lubricant, or plasticizer, allowing the molecules of starch to slide past each other to meet the needs of the increasing surface area of the grain. As heating continues, water is expelled from between the starch molecules, which then form bonds to each other, setting up a rigid network that traps pockets of air. At the same time, some of the sugar, the second ingredient in Rice Krispies, dissolves and then forms a tough film as the water evaporates, further strengthening the walls that surround the air pockets.
It is these air pockets that differentiate silent cereals from the musical ones. Every orchestra needs a conductor, and in this case the baton is wielded by the milk. As the cold liquid is absorbed by the cereal it squeezes out the trapped air, which then fractures some of the thin walls that separate the pockets, producing the resounding snap, crackle and pop! It seems, though, that when Rice Krispies were introduced, Kellogg’s was not satisfied with a cereal that entertained the ears, it also had to entertain the palate. And that’s when malt flavouring made its entry.
Remember going down to the “malt shop” with a date for a “malt?” If you do, you date yourself, but will probably recall the soda jerk spooning some powdered “malted milk” into a glass, adding water, stirring and then plunking in a big scoop of ice cream. The frothy, sweet goo with a hint of caramel flavour was then ready to be sucked through a straw.
As the name suggests, malted milk is a mix of malt and milk powder. And what is malt? Take some grain, soak it in water until it germinates, dry with hot air and you have malt. During the process, enzymes are released that break the grain’s starch down into sugars, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltose, which are responsible for the malt’s sweetness. But the characteristic flavour is due to maltol, a compound that forms when proteins undergo enzymatic degradation. Unfortunately, any malt made from wheat, rye or barley may contain some residue of gluten and is a no-no for celiacs.
Since malt adds more than just sweetness, the taste of gluten-free Rice Krispies is not identical to the original version. Sugar, still the second ingredient, provides the sweetness, but the taste is now due to whole grain brown rice instead of refined white rice.
Gluten free Recipes with Bill & Sheila
_____________________________________________________________________
If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest. This site is hosted by (click on the graphic for more information)
Return from gluten to Home Page
If you want to increase your site popularity and gain thousands of visitors – check out these sites THEY ARE FREE. Spanishchef more than doubled its ‘New Visitors’ last month simply by signing up to these sites:
Follow spanishchef.net on TWITTER
