Wheat starch
Wheat starch: high in gluten. If you're sensitive to any of these, check it against your profile before eating.
Intolerances
- GlutenContains
Wheat starch is the one entry here that is not a simple yes. Washed to Codex grade and tested below 20 mg/kg, it may legally be labelled gluten-free in the EU and is used in prescription gluten-free bread, where it gives a crumb no other starch matches. Un-washed and un-tested, it is wheat. The label carries the whole difference.
Sources· 2
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II (cereals containing gluten must be declared)
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 (gluten-free at or below 20 mg/kg)
- Histamine (+liberators / DAO inhibitors)None
- TyramineNone
- SalicylateNone
- SucroseNone
- FODMAPsNone
Wheat starch is the starch washed out of wheat flour, and washing is what separates this product from the grain: the fructans that put wheat high on this axis are water-soluble and leave with the water. What it does NOT wash out is the gluten, and the product is only suitable for coeliac disease when it is the specially purified kind that carries the gluten-free claim. The axis people buy it to avoid is the one that survives.
Sources· 3
- Biesiekierski J et al., J Hum Nutr Diet 2011, short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals
- Noonan SC & Savage GP, Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 8 (1999)
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 for the gluten-free threshold
- LactoseFODMAPsNone
- OligosaccharidesFODMAPsNone
The fructans of wheat are a chain of fructose units, water-soluble, and the wash that isolates the starch takes them with it. That is the specific reason wheat starch carries none while the grain is high: not a milder wheat, but the one fraction of it that the oligosaccharides do not follow.
Sources· 3
- Biesiekierski J et al., J Hum Nutr Diet 2011, short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals
- Noonan SC & Savage GP, Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 8 (1999)
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 for the gluten-free threshold
- SorbitolFODMAPsNone
- FructoseFODMAPsNone
- NickelNone
- OxalatesNone
Wheat starch is the starch washed out of wheat flour, and oxalate is water-soluble, so it leaves with the same wash. Wheat FLOUR is where it stays - milling grinds the grain rather than rinsing it - and the two products sit one shelf apart in the same aisle under names that differ by one word.
Sources· 3
- Biesiekierski J et al., J Hum Nutr Diet 2011, short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals
- Noonan SC & Savage GP, Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 8 (1999)
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 for the gluten-free threshold
Intolerance levels are based on our documented scientific sources. See sources →
React to Gluten? Check these too
More in Flour
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Buckwheat flour- Carob seed flour
- Cassava flour
- Chickpea flour
- Coconut flour
Corn starch- Flax flour
- Gluten-free flour
- Lupin flour
- Oat flour
Potato starch
Frequently asked questions
Which intolerances does wheat starch affect?
Wheat starch is notable for gluten. Clear on histamine, tyramine, salicylate, sucrose, FODMAPs, lactose, oligosaccharides, sorbitol, fructose, nickel and oxalates.
Does wheat starch contain gluten?
Yes — wheat starch is high in gluten. Wheat starch is the one entry here that is not a simple yes. Washed to Codex grade and tested below 20 mg/kg, it may legally be labelled gluten-free in the EU and is used in prescription gluten-free bread, where it gives a crumb no other starch matches. Un-washed and un-tested, it is wheat. The label carries the whole difference. Amounts vary by brand and recipe, so always check the label of the exact product.
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