Gluten

(gloo'tn.) [L., glue.) (Chem.) One of the most important constituents of the varieties of corn used for food. It is a viscid elastic substance which remains, when flour, wrapped in coarse cloth, is washed under a stream of water until all the soluble matters and starch are carried away. The peculiar toughne and viscidity of wheaten flour are due to it. G. contains nitrogen, and therefore, in some measure, approximates to animal matter. This causes it to give out a very disagreeable odor when putrefying. Dried in the air or in a stove, G.diminishes considerably in size, becomes hard, brittle, glistening, and of a deep-yellow color. It is insoluble in ether, in fat, and in the e ential oils, and nearly so in water. Form. C2420N307. [s. 412]