Scientists discover bacteria that could reduce gluten toxicity
Researchers from the University of Seville have identified a microorganism that degrades and neutralises the components found inside cereals and grains that are harmful to coeliacs.
Scientists have found a way to reduce the toxic components found in gluten that are harmful to people with coeliac disease.
Gluten alternatives are becoming ever more important as the presence of coeliac disease continues to increase across Spain. According to the Spanish Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, currently one in every 71 children and one in every 357 adults are coeliac.
People with coeliac disease must follow a lifelong gluten-free diet, as even small amounts of gluten can cause serious health problems.
Researchers from the University of Seville in collaboration with the company Biomedal, have confirmed that a specific type of bacterium decreases the toxic gluten content in cereals and grains. This protein is able to neutralise the majority of the proteins responsible for causing a negative immune reaction for coeliac sufferers.
This the first time that researchers have been able to isolate and successfully identify an enzyme called prolyl-endopeptidase (PEP) from the bacterium Chryseobacterium taeanense sp. 2RA3, which could reduce the level of proteins in gluten that cause severe gastrointestinal problems.
The PEP enzyme reduces the content of immunogenic gluten peptides (GIP) in some cereals and other products, such as beer, which trigger immune reactions in coeliac patients.
"Specifically, we consider that the enzyme PEP 2RA3 must be combined with other specific enzymes to achieve the complete elimination of GIP in the raw material or during food processing, since nothing can remain in the final product to be suitable and safe for coeliacs," says the University of Seville researcher María de Lourdes Moreno Amador.
The study collated together research in microbiology, biotechnology and genetics - demonstrating the most comprehensive gluten toxicity research to date. A range of experiments were carried out to test how this enzyme could be used to the best of it’s capacity to reduce the toxic components found in gluten.
The team established the genetic make-up of PEP and this information has now been added to Genbank, an open access genetic sequence database that is managed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, in the USA.
The discovery of a bacteria that could reduce the harmful impact of gluten for coeliacs, opens up a whole new avenue for research in the search for alternative food and therapeutic options for those with this disease.
The team will continue to investigate how different bacteria can be combined to reduce toxicity levels in gluten containing products, with the aim of achieving the ideal additive that will ensure that “gluten-free” products will be safe for consumption by coeliacs.
These findings could eventually help lead to diagnostic or new therapeutic approaches to coeliac disease.
Reference:
María de Lourdes Moreno Amador, Miguel Arévalo-Rodríguez, Encarnación Mellado Durán, Juan Carlos Martínez Reyes, Carolina Sousa Martín. "A new microbial gluten-degrading prolyl endopeptidase: Potential application in coeliac disease to reduce gluten immunogenic peptides". PlosOne. 2019. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0218346
