Is distilled white vinegar gluten-free?
A. Traditionally, vinegar derived from wheat, barley or rye was not allowed in the gluten-free diet. Concern about this continues because on one side sensitive celiacs continue to report abdominal symptoms when they ingest this vinegar or products made from them. On the other side, the distillation process is said to make the inclusion of gluten (peptides) in vinegar not physically possible. Research we are able to locate to date is limited to a Flemish study and a Dutch study that appear inconclusive because, admittedly, the methodology for testing was not designed to detect “small (but still toxic) peptides” that have recently been discovered. White vinegar can be manufactured from corn, potato, rice, barley or wheat. Corn derived vinegar is the most widely used vinegar in manufacture of food in the USA. For those of us who react to white vinegar derived from wheat, barley or rye, the FDA advised us that if the vinegar is derived from wheat, it must declare this on the label accordin
