Weekend Edition Hot off the Press #16: Shelf Life of Gluten Free Products

After you peruse the grocery aisles and take home your favorite gluten-free foods, have you noticed that some of them spoil much faster than their gluten-containing counterparts? Believe it or not, besides being tasty, food is a science. Even though they're sometimes unrecognizable on the label, every ingredient has a purpose. When food manufacturers make a gluten-free version of a food, it changes the entire recipe, and can affect the shelf life as well.

Gluten-free bread is one food that is most susceptible to spoilage. Since bread's main ingredient is wheat flour (i.e. tons of gluten), food producers must use various combinations of gluten-free flour to create breads for the gluten intolerant community. The issue is that these newly substituted flours may spoil faster than wheat flour if they are left in the wrong environment. For example, both brown rice flour and soy flour contain more oil than wheat flour. If more fat is present in the flour, then its chances of going rancid quickly increase. Another flour made from millet is sometimes used in GF breads. This flour won't necessarily go rancid, but it will cause the bread to absorb more moisture if it's left out. Added moisture is one factor that can also make food spoil (think about how long dried fruit lasts).

Usually, gluten-free breads should last about seven to 10 days at room temperature. This shelf life is usually true for other flour-containing GF products, too, like cookies or cakes. If you want your foods to last longer, then place them in the fridge or freezer and only thaw out the serving you need each time. Freezing the bread should extend the shelf life by months.

If you are searching for longer lasting gluten-free foods, then try to shift your focus to foods where no flour substitutions have been made (e.g. not breads). Obviously there are plenty of gluten-free foods that occur naturally. Eat foods like nuts, fruits, lean meats, or dairy products and store the foods as you usually would.

By Julia L.