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- The Hybrid SocialSpectraScan Gluten: the pocket-sized gluten detector for celiacs
SpectraScan Gluten: the pocket-sized gluten detector for celiacs
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Italiano (Italian)
For about seven years I have been living with celiac disease, a condition I was diagnosed with after a long period of widespread and unexplained malaise. The symptoms were continuous and debilitating: abdominal bloating, persistent meteorism, acid reflux to the point of taking away my voice, shortness of breath, and frequent intestinal discomfort. As is the case with many, the initial responses I received from various specialists were limited to palliative care based on gastroprotectants and prokinetics. Each time I discontinued treatment, it only took a few days to find myself back to square one.
At some point I decided to turn to Prof. Antonino Gasbarrini, chief of Gastroenterology at Policlinico Gemelli in Rome. Thanks to a comprehensive evaluation, including blood tests, serological tests and histological examination on intestinal biopsy, the definitive diagnosis came: overt celiac disease.
Incredulous, I had to accept a new reality: I, who for years had eaten bread, pasta, and pizza without any problems, had activated, through a combination of genetic and environmental factors, the autoimmune response typical of celiac disease.
A silent pandemic: more than 80 million people with celiac disease worldwide
According to the most widely accepted estimates, there are more than 80 million people in the world with celiac disease, a number greater than the entire population of Italy. If we also include those suffering from non-celiac gluten intolerance, the total figure reaches 500 million individuals. A figure that confirms how gluten has become, for an increasingly large segment of the population, an invisible but real enemy.
But why is there so much talk about celiac disease today? In part, the apparent growth is related to improved diagnostic tests: only since the 1980s have reliable serologic tests such as anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) and anti-endomysium antibodies (EMA) been available; and only since the 2000s has the use of anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibodies, now considered the gold standard for diagnosis, become widespread. Previously, many celiac patients were misclassified with “irritable bowel,” “generic intolerance,” or not diagnosed at all.
However, the increase is not just statistical. There are industrial and agricultural factors that have contributed to increased exposure to gluten. Modern wheat varieties have been selected to contain more gluten in order to improve elasticity, tightness in cooking, and yield in industrial processes. An example that removes all doubt? Anyone who remembers pasta from the 1990s knows that it only needed to be cooked an extra minute to find itself with good glue for sticking posters. Today, pasta stays “al dente” much longer, and this is thanks (or fault) to a much higher presence of gluten than in the past. In individuals genetically predisposed to the development of celiac disease, this greatly increases the activation of genes that lead to the overt disease. To paraphrase, it would be as if a person is genetically prone to developing lung cancer and smokes three packs of cigarettes a day. This lifestyle only incredibly increases the risk of developing that form of cancer.
In search of a cure for celiac disease
Anyone who receives a diagnosis of celiac disease, especially if they have any familiarity with technology and the Internet, almost inevitably performs the same act: opening Google and typing in phrases such as “definitive cure for celiac disease,” “can you recover from celiac disease?”, “gluten vaccine,” or “enzymes for eating foods with gluten without getting sick.”
It is a natural reaction: you look for a way out, a solution, a remedy that will allow you to return to a normal life, where a pizza or a plate of pasta does not pose a potential health hazard.
Unfortunately, to date, there is no definitive cure for celiac disease: the only effective treatment is a strict gluten-free diet, to be followed for life. However, scientific research is very active, and in recent years there has been increasing experimentation on enzyme drugs, vaccines, and cell therapies that could one day complement, or perhaps replace, the gluten-free diet.
This constant search for solutions shows how widespread, and often underestimated, is the need for practical, immediate, and reliable tools to detect gluten in foods before consuming them.
Research avenues: drugs on the way for celiac disease?
Although celiac disease today has no definitive cure, the scientific community is at work on several experimental therapies that could, in the future, radically change the management of the disease. From inhibitor drugs and digestive enzymes to cell therapies and gut modulators, the avenues being pursued by research are numerous and in development.
ZED1227 – transglutaminase 2 inhibitor.
One of the most promising candidates is ZED1227, an oral drug that blocks the enzyme transglutaminase 2 (TG2), which is central in the activation of the autoimmune response to gluten. It has successfully completed Phase 2a clinical trials, demonstrating that it can prevent intestinal mucosal damage in celiac subjects.
If, and we stress if, Phase 3 confirms efficacy, it could reach the market no sooner than 5 years.
Pill based on egg yolk antibodies
This innovative pill uses antibodies extracted from egg yolk to bind gluten directly in the gut, preventing its absorption and thus the immune reaction. It has passed safety tests, and the first clinical trials on effectiveness will begin soon.
It could become available in about 4 years, but only if it passes the next stages of testing.
Cell therapy with regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg)
A more radical approach involves the use of engineered regulatory T lymphocytes, capable of restoring tolerance to gluten without suppressing the entire immune system. Currently, the therapy is still in the preclinical stage in animal models, with promising results.
In case of success, we are still talking about at least 10 years before possible clinical application.
Enzyme therapies (TAK-062, latiglutenase)
These drugs contain enzymes that degrade gluten in the stomach before it can trigger the immune response. They are designed to be taken before meals. Candidate TAK-062 is in Phase 1, while other formulations are further along.
Estimated time frame: 7 years before eventual commercial launch.
Larazotide acetate – Intestinal barrier under control
Larazotide acts on the tight junctions of the intestinal epithelium, reducing intestinal permeability and preventing gluten from crossing the barrier and activating the immune system. It is already in Phase 3, with promising data.
If confirmed, it could be available within 4 years.
These therapies are not yet approved, but they hold out hope for future pharmacological management of celiac disease, which could complement, or perhaps one day replace, the strict gluten-free diet.
The summary of the situation: between expectations, ignorance and daily risk
If you have come this far, you will have realized one key thing: cures for celiac disease are still a long way off. The drugs in development promise a lot, but they are still in the clinical trial stage. And every promise comes with a huge “IF”: if they work, if they are safe, if they pass all the stages, maybe they will come to market in 4, 5, 10 years.
Meanwhile, for millions of people, the only real solution remains one: to follow a completely gluten-free diet. And this is where a second, dramatic chapter opens: that of accidental contamination.
Those living with celiac disease have happened – too many times – to go to a restaurant and, when asked the fateful question, “Are you equipped for celiacs?”, be lightly answered:
“But you-how celiac are you?”
A phrase of “sheeple,” completely unfit for the role they play, which sounds like a stab, but more importantly shows dangerous ignorance. Because celiac disease has no degrees: there is no such thing as “a little” or “a lot” celiac. Celiac disease is a systemic autoimmune condition: either you are celiac, or you are not. One mistake, one contamination, can cause days if not weeks of intestinal discomfort, systemic inflammation, nutritional deficiencies, chronic fatigue. And in the most susceptible individuals, the consequences can be very serious.
Those working in the food service industry have an enormous responsibility. And with the exponential increase in food intolerances, allergies and genetic disorders–from celiac disease to favism–they can no longer afford to ignore these conditions.
Think of those suffering from favism, a genetic disorder caused by deficiency of the enzyme G6PD, which makes red blood cells fragile to oxidative stress. If a person with favism ingests fava beans or fava derivatives, he or she may experience an acute hemolytic crisis: red blood cells are destroyed en masse (hemolysis), leading, in severe cases, to kidney failure, cardiovascular collapse, and death if a transfusion is not administered immediately.
It is not a matter of food preference as most fools think. It is not a gluten-free eating fad for the celiac. It is a matter of public health !
Need training and proven awareness, otherwise no food and beverage license.
Why an objective detector is needed: monitoring contamination is a necessity, not a luxury
Returning to the case of celiac disease, in the real world, living with celiac disease means having to entrust one’s health to those who cook for us. But those with celiac disease know that entering a restaurant is often a real act of trust. We rely on the goodwill, training, and in many cases, let’s face it, the honesty of the staff. Some restaurateurs conscientiously prefer to forgo a celiac customer to avoid risk. Others, unfortunately, provide reassurance just to make a few extra euros, without having any real expertise on gluten, cross-contamination, and food safety.
And it is precisely in these situations that the need for a reliable, objective, rapid tool arises.
Not surprisingly, online searches for people living with celiac disease increasingly contain phrases such as, “how to know if a food contains gluten,” “gluten food analyzer,” and “gluten detector at a restaurant.”
The need is clear: people are looking for a pocket-sized device that can analyze food directly at the table, providing a reliable result in seconds, expressed in parts per million (ppm).
What does “ppm” mean and why is it so important for people with celiac disease?
The unit of measurement ppm (parts per million) is commonly used to express extremely low concentrations of one substance within another. In the case of celiac disease, it indicates how many milligrams of gluten are present in one kilogram of food.
For example:
- 20 ppm gluten means 20 milligrams of gluten per kilogram of food
- In percentage terms, it is equivalent to 0.002% concentration
This is precisely the threshold that defines a “gluten-free” food according to European and international regulations.
Yet, exceeding 20 ppm can already trigger an immune response in celiac subjects, with even serious consequences.
This is why objectively monitoring the presence of gluten is not a health nut fixation, but a clinical and practical necessity, especially when one is in uncontrolled environments, such as bars, restaurants, cafeterias, or while traveling.
The current state of technology: chemical sensors, good but (still) impractical
To date (May 2025), the market offers a few solutions for detecting gluten in food, mainly based on immunochemical tests. These devices use gluten-specific antibodies embedded in disposable capsules containing chemical reagents. Operation is simple in theory: a small food sample is placed inside the capsule, the container is closed, and the device grinds the sample and mixes it with the reagents.
If gluten is present, a reaction takes place that is optically detected and translated into a visual result (e.g., an icon or message on the display).
However, despite the efficacy of the immunological principle, these tools have some practical issues, especially for those who would like to make daily use of them or take them with them to restaurants all the time.
- Cost of single-use capsules: each test requires a single capsule that costs about 4 euros. This means that to test a first course, a main course, and a side dish, the total cost of testing would rise to about 12 euros per meal, not counting any tastings, mixed appetizers, or desserts.
- Waiting time: the chemical process takes time to complete. On average, the result arrives after 2-4 minutes, which can become inconvenient if you are dining out, perhaps with friends or in quick settings such as cafeterias and buffets.
In summary, the devices available today are scientifically sound, but logistically and economically unsustainable for frequent use. A cheaper, faster, and reusable solution capable of detecting gluten without disposable consumables and with an almost immediate response would be needed.
It is on this concrete need that the SpectraScan Gluten project, which we will explore in more detail in the following paragraphs, is grafted.
Toward an optical, reusable and affordable solution
Those who have been following me for some time may remember the series of articles in which I talked about my project on the automatic divider for recycling collection, a system based on artificial intelligence, computer vision and spectroscopy to identify materials in real time.
Just during the development of that project, I asked myself a question that was as simple as it was important:
What if spectroscopy could also be used to identify gluten in foods?
Indeed, gluten is a molecule, or rather, a collection of proteins; and like any molecule it interacts with light in specific and measurable ways. This gave rise to the idea of exploring a technology that could detect gluten optically, without using chemical reagents or disposable capsules, and most importantly, within seconds.
I relied on scientific sources, publications and, yes, even ChatGPT. The result of the research was surprising:
near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy can indeed be used to detect gluten within foods, especially when combined with advanced chemometric models such as Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression.
This discovery kicked off what is now a concrete, ambitious project that is already under development: the SpectraScan Gluten, the first pocket-sized, reusable detector for optical measurement of gluten in food, designed for people with celiac disease and designed to be used outside the home, independently and without recurring costs. Of course, I am not going to give my opinion before conducting actual trials, however, the theoretical elements are very encouraging.
SpectraScan Gluten: the optical technology that detects gluten in seconds
NIR spectroscopy is an advanced technique that analyzes the way light interacts with matter. Each molecule, including gluten, absorbs and reflects light differently depending on its chemical structure. Using a miniaturized micro-spectrometer, SpectraScan Gluten captures the diffuse reflectance spectrum of the surface of the food to be analyzed.
At that point a chemometric mathematical model comes into play, more specifically a PLS (Partial Least Squares) regression, which interprets the spectrum and translates it into a numerical figure: the concentration of gluten, expressed in parts per million (ppm).
Thus, SpectraScan Gluten will be able to detect within seconds whether a food contains more or less than the critical limit of 20 ppm, which is the threshold above which a food can no longer be considered “gluten-free” according to international regulations.
All with no chemicals, no capsules to dispose of, and a pocket-sized, lightweight, easy-to-use device designed for people like me and millions of others who live with celiac disease every day and want greater autonomy and security when eating out.
Open but protected technology: here’s how the project will be shared
I deeply believe that innovation should be accessible and shared, especially when it can tangibly improve the quality of life for millions of people.
For this reason, the technical documentation and various papers on which SpectraScan Gluten rests will be made public, but only after the first model is released to the market. Sharing will take place under a BSL (Business Source License) or similar license, which allows personal or research use but prevents any form of unauthorized commercial use.
In other words, anyone: developers, makers, associations, students, will be able to study, replicate and even improve the device for noncommercial purposes, but they will not be able to sell it or exploit it for profit without a formal agreement. Just to say that I am not willing to lose hours of sleep every day so that the first manufacturer can come along and steal the product idea to make himself even richer…
How is SpectraScan Gluten used in practice?
Operation is simple and designed for daily use by people with celiac disease.
Simply place the sensor on various points on the food surface and take multiple scans to get a complete picture.
Because it is an optical technology based on NIR reflectance, spectroscopy is sensitive only to the first few millimeters of the surface-it cannot “see inside” a closed food.
For example, if you want to check a stuffed dumpling, it is essential to cut it and also analyze its inner contents. This small gesture can mean the difference between a safe meal and a dangerous mistake.
Accuracy and reusability
SpectraScan Gluten is designed to be:
- Reusable a virtually unlimited number of times, without consumables;
- Fast: returns results in seconds, not minutes;
- Accurate, with an estimated sensitivity of ±2-3 ppm in the most critical range for celiacs: between 5 and 30 ppm.
This means being able to detect in real time whether a food exceeds the 20 ppm safety threshold, which is recognized at the European level as the upper limit for being able to define a product as “gluten-free.”
Conclusion: real innovation for those living with celiac disease every day
NIR spectroscopy, hitherto reserved for laboratories and industrial applications, can now be brought into the daily lives of millions of people with celiac disease.
With SpectraScan Gluten, we are transforming an advanced technology into a pocket-sized, accurate, fast, and affordable tool designed to tangibly improve the food safety of people with celiac disease.
This project is not just a technological challenge, but a gesture of responsibility to a community that now lives with limitations, uncertainty and constant risk every time it sits down to eat outside the home.
If you are a patient, parent, physician, developer, disseminator, investor, journalist, or simply someone who believes insocial impact innovation, I invite you to follow SpectraScan Gluten‘s journey closely.
In the coming months I will share updates, prototypes and real results. And when the time comes, I will make the documentation public for others to learn, replicate and contribute.
Want to receive updates, write an article, or get in touch for a partnership?
Write to me at my personal address info@simonerenzi.com or at my corporate email address info@renor.it.
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