Welcome to my lab. The first Gluten Test Kit I used is Reveal 3-D for Gliadin by Neogen. I started using EZ Gluten by ELISA Technologies, Inc., but have found information indicating that it does not work on fermented products. April 5, 2022 – an update to the original post: ELISA Technologies, Inc confirmed that EZ Gluten does test accurately for fermented products. This is great news, since it is a cheaper alternative to Reveal 3-D.
This page describes both kits, the timing, and materials and shows the lateral flow device that reads the outcome. If you want to see the Test results for beers that I have tested, check out the Beer Results Table page.
Reveal 3-D for Gliadin
Reveal 3-D for Gliadin is used to test both surfaces and liquids to 5ppm. I was seeking a wheat-only kit, but the antibody in this kit also detects rye and barley.
The gluten test kit comes with Extraction Buffer in a bottle, sterile swabs and the Reveal device. I had to buy a pipette that measured 250ul. It was easy to find one on Amazon.
Pic below is the one I used and link to Amazon
The device has a T, an O, and a C under the window. Distinct lines should show up in positions O & C in any test. Here is how to read the results:
- Negative result: No line at Position T (test)
- Positive result: Any intensity of line at Position T (test)
- High positive result: No line is at Position O (overload) AND a line is faintly visible or absent at Position T (test)
- Invalid Results: If no line appears at position C (control), then the test is invalid
Here is an example test reading that indicates case #1, or a Negative result
The process takes about 6 minutes. The results so far have shown very faint lines for the tests that came back positive. I had a second pair of eyes validate the reading and I also had to use these, in some cases, to see if there was any red line under the T.
EZ Gluten
EZ Gluten is used to test both foods and liquids to 10ppm. Unlike Reveal 3-D, it is designed for people with allergies that want to test for dietary consumption. It does NOT test for fermented products such as beer. April 5, 2022- an update from EZ Gluten: EZ Gluten DOES test for fermented products!
This kit also comes with Extraction Buffer in a bottle, test tubes, and a strip that measures similarly to the Reveal device, but with different markings. It also comes with a disposable pipette for each testing kit with no specific measurement.
The process takes about 30 minutes.
The device has a T, an H, and a C under the window. Distinct lines should show up in position C in any test. Here is how to read the results:
- Negative result: No line at Position T
- Positive result: Any intensity of line at Position T , H, and C
- High positive result: No line is at Position H, AND lines at positions T , and C
- Very high positive result: line only at position C
- Invalid Results: If no line appears at position C (control), then the test is invalid
Final Thoughts
There are several other kits out there, the key when you are testing beer is to ensure the kit uses an established antibody, and can test for gluten and wheat proteins in fermented products. As indicated, I use Reveal 3-D uses R5 competitive. You can find results on the test page and on each beer review post. You can refer back to this page anytime to refresh on how to read results. Enjoy!
So glad I found this site. My son is allergic to wheat (not gluten). And he’s headed off to college. So this site is invaluable as he heads to finally live on campus this fall. Thanks for your work! Cheers.
Hey again, don’t hate me haha. I’m 99% sure Reveal 3-D and EZ Gluten are both sandwich lateral flow assays. However they are better than Imutest and GlutenTox since those tests do not have a overload / hook line, so those assays get a lot of false negatives. I still think Reveal 3-D and EZ Gluten are good options for testing beer for gluten. I hope to do a competitive ELISA in the future maybe we can collaborate or something. Cheers!
-Dante (CookingAlDante.com)