Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Chocolate Processed With Alkali

StrongerToday

Recommended Posts

StrongerToday Enthusiast
StrongerToday
Posted

what do you know about chocolate alkali? Is it safe? When I first went gluten free and researched it some old information said ketchup, vanilla, some alcohol wasn't safe... is this the same for chocolate alkali? That perhaps it was thought not to be safe - but is it? I've been known to eat my fair share of it and never had a problem, but some just told me today it's not gluten free, so I'm very curious.

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


larry mac Enthusiast
larry mac
Posted

First off, alkali is not alcohol. Even if it was, the alcohol would be evaporated. Some think some alcohol products made from grains could present a gluten problem. Same for some grain vinegars. I'm not one of them.

Secondly, chocolate processed with alkali is called dutch chocolate. The alkali, a base chemical, removes some of the acidity, makes it more water soluble, and gives the chocolate milder properties. I've always preferred it for chocolate milk. I'm no chemist, but I don't see why this would give the chocolate gluten ingredients.

Anyone?

best regards, lm

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Gfresh404 Enthusiast
Gfresh404
Posted

Yes, it is gluten-free.

Alkalized Cocoa --> https://www.celiac.com/articles/181/1/Safe-...ents/Page1.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Nadia2009 Enthusiast
Nadia2009
Posted

Are most chocolate safe? What should I be looking for to make sure it is gluten free? Thanks for sharing your tricks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
larry mac Enthusiast
larry mac
Posted
Are most chocolate safe? What should I be looking for to make sure it is gluten free? Thanks for sharing your tricks.

Whether the ingredients list wheat, barley, or rye. It's really that simple. There are no tricks. :rolleyes:

best regards, lm

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lizard00 Enthusiast
lizard00
Posted

I've come across barley malt in some lindt truffles before. The bag was an assortment, and it didn't look like all the flavors contained the barley malt, but it's something to look out for.

I didn't eat any of them, just because I wasn't sure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 years later...
leftiejenessie Newbie
leftiejenessie
Posted

there are actually a lot of things to consider. This goes for all food, not just chocolzte. I thought barley, wheat and rye were the only things to look for, but there are a lot of derivatives of those things that aren't lzbeled as derived from wheat, rye or barley. If it has modified food starch and doesn't specify that it's from corn, it may be from wheat (or potato). Malted barley syrup, malt, barley malt, dextrose, wheat dextrose (in quite a bit of chocolate products), soy sauce, seitan, some chocolate is sweetened with grains, so you have to ask. Imitation meat or imitation seafood is often a problem, gravy, salad dressing, artificial flavors are sometimes derived from gluten-containing grains and don't specify what they are. Ice cream often has gluten products in it. There's probably more, but i've exhausted my brain of ideas for now.

Whether the ingredients list wheat, barley, or rye. It's really that simple. There are no tricks. :rolleyes:

best regards, lm

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

there are actually a lot of things to consider. This goes for all food, not just chocolzte. I thought barley, wheat and rye were the only things to look for, but there are a lot of derivatives of those things that aren't lzbeled as derived from wheat, rye or barley. If it has modified food starch and doesn't specify that it's from corn, it may be from wheat (or potato). Malted barley syrup, malt, barley malt, dextrose, wheat dextrose (in quite a bit of chocolate products), soy sauce, seitan, some chocolate is sweetened with grains, so you have to ask. Imitation meat or imitation seafood is often a problem, gravy, salad dressing, artificial flavors are sometimes derived from gluten-containing grains and don't specify what they are. Ice cream often has gluten products in it. There's probably more, but i've exhausted my brain of ideas for now.

There is very little fact in that post. You are working from very out-of-date material. Wheat must be clearly disclosed. Rye doesn't hide (never did). Chocolate which is sweetened with barley malt will say so in the ingredients list.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

There are no nasty surprises in chocolate, thank heavens. As others mentioned Lindt truffles have barley malt, and in most chocolate with "krispies" the crisp rice has barley malt in it. It will be clearly listed in the ingredients.

Occasionally you'll see a label warning "made on shared equipment with wheat". It's so easy to find chocolate without any wheat warning at all, like Ghirardelli, that I skip those brands.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
Lilychic Rookie
Lilychic
Posted

Lindt and Godiva are pretty clear that they are not gluten free. Dagoba and Scharffenberger are gluten free. Lecithin can be wheat-derive but usually the manufacturer will label the source. Guittard is gluten free also.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

I have NEVER seen wheat-derived lecithin and I've been reading labels for seven years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
alex11602 Collaborator
alex11602
Posted

Also as far as the Lindt brand is concerned they have many plain chocolate bars, if not most of them, that have no gluten ingredients. My children and I get the 90% cocoa bars about once a month as a treat and for the bit of iron that is in dark chocolate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      125,641
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Megalightful
    Newest Member
    Megalightful
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.8k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • cristiana
      Vomiting - celiac or constipation

      By cristiana · Posted

      @sh00148 Hello and welcome to the forum, I'm a coeliac based in the UK and I have only just spotted this thread.  Reading your posts about PALs I imagine you are based in the UK too? I am so sorry for all your daughter has been going through but congratulations on your achievement on getting an appointment.   I would definitely recommend you join Coeliac UK, and get their food and drink shopping app if you use a smartphone.  They still print copies too and it is a fantastic help, particularly in the early days of your journey. I would also recommend you pursue a formal diagnosis for your daughter, if you can, because generally speaking most UK coeliacs will get a lot of help from the NHS, such as a nutritionist, annual blood tests and reviews with a gastroenterologist to check for dietary compliance and any complications that can arise from coeliac disease, monitoring for osteopenia/porosis, which is something that coeliacs can be prone to, extra vaccinations where required, and in some regions of the UK, gluten-free staple foodstuffs on prescription.  Also, it has been my experience that once being on the books of a gastroenterologist means I have been able to make appointments direct with the hospital to see one, rather than being re-referred by a GP which saves so much time. If for some reason your appointment isn't very helpful tomorrow -  I do hope it will be - you may wish to think of one other option: going private just for the diagnosis.  I did this, with a Nuffield based gastroenterologist, who also works for the NHS.  This sped up the diagnosis process by a few months and once diagnosed by him, he offered to put me straight into the NHS for a nutritionist and the other benefits listed above.  If interested, you can ring their offices and find out how much it will cost.  Usually their secretaries are very conversant with the system so should be able to give you the info you require. Cristiana  
    • sh00148
      Vomiting - celiac or constipation

      By sh00148 · Posted

      Thanks. My email to PALs worked last night and I have got her an appointment for tomorrow. I’m thrilled. Don’t think it’s with gastro, back with paeds, but like you say, might be enough for them to see that her results were so high so no further testing required.    I’m hoping I can go gluten-free shopping tomorrow to celebrate. Would you recommend signing up to celiac Uk charity membership?
    • marip
      Could this be celiac?

      By marip · Posted

      It was 1 short episode at night.  I was fine eating my dinner several hours before this.
    • trents
      Vomiting - celiac or constipation

      By trents · Posted

      Many celiacs are what we call "silent". That is, they don't have classic GI symptoms but begin developing other medical problems such as you describe with your husband.  Also, it is unfortunate that many doctors, and in some cases their hands are tied by stingy healthcare system protocols, do bare minimum testing for celiac disease which would consists of a single test known as the tTG-IGA. This may be the best single test for celiac disease (and inexpensive) but in reality it can miss some who actually do have celiac disease for a variety of reasons, including being IGA deficient. The tTG-IGA should never be ordered apart from the "total IGA" test (for IGA deficiency). There are also other IGA celiac antibody tests available and there are several IGG antibody tests available and a full celiac panel would include all of these. Makes me wonder if when you were tested at 20 if the results would have been different if a full panel had been ordered. Here is an article outlining celiac disease blood antibody testing:   
    • sh00148
      Vomiting - celiac or constipation

      By sh00148 · Posted

      Thank you. Yes I’d looked into both of these causes. My only thoughts on a triggering event were when my daughter was born and she had breathing difficulties so was in NICU.    It’s all quite fascinating. My husband shows signs of celiac. Low immune system, b12 deficiency, peeling skin and more recently severe and intermittent allergic rhinitis.    We will all get testing, I’m sure. 
×
×
  • Create New...