Engineering gliadin degrading enzymes for gluten-free bread production

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Gluten is a mixture of glutenin and gliadin proteins, with glutenin mainly being responsible for the nice chewy texture of the bread while gliadin is responsible for several gluten related diseases. There are over 13 million people in the UK who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome that is triggered by the digestive system's response to the gluten proteins found in wheat, barley and other grain flours, which are used in bread, pasta and many of our daily food staples. Many more people suffer from gluten sensitivities, whilst around 600,000 individuals in the UK have the potential life-threatening allergy to wheat gluten known as coeliac disease.Our increasing awareness of the health issues arising from gluten has led to enormous growth in gluten-free food. Over one in five UK shoppers now regularly buy gluten-free products, and almost all of our supermarkets offer a wide selection of gluten-free bread, cakes, pasta and beers. However, consumers are often disappointed by the texture and flavour of their gluten-free bread which is usually being sold at an elevated price.Our project aims to revolutionize the bread-making industry by developing a novel solution that will make gluten-free bread taste and feel like traditional bread. Current solutions rely on using gluten-free flours (rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch) leading to increased costs and a noticeable difference in texture and taste. **Our solution is unique and it involves a new set of enzymes that can selectively destroy specific parts of the gliadin protein**, which is responsible for gluten-related issues, while leaving the rest of the gluten protein intact. By targeting these specific parts, we hope to eliminate the gluten-related problems without affecting the overall texture and flavour of the bread.The project involves several stages. We are currently characterising the enzymes, which will be followed by optimizing their activity to achieve the desired gluten content in bread. We will then proceed to the bread-making stage, where we will confirm that the enzymes do not affect the texture of the bread. Finally, we will conduct sensory tests to ensure that the gluten-free bread tastes like traditional bread. Our method uses gluten destroying enzymes extracted from microbes to selectively degrade gluten in wheat flour that cause health problems. Our solution offers an authentic and healthier alternative that resembles conventional bread in texture and flavour at a reasonable price.