Table 2.

Analytical techniques for the detection and quantification of gluten.

	Strengths	Weak Points
ELISA immunoenzyme assay	Simple to perform, fast, inex-pensive, high sensitivity, does not produce cross-reactions.	False negatives can occur when proteins are denatured by changes in pressure, temperature, or salt concentration.
POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (PCR)	Very high sensitivity in the detection of DNA, allows one to identify the species from which the gluten comes, useful to identify the origin of cross contamination.	Time and qualified personnel are required in the analysis, indirect technique to detect gluten (does not quantify the presence of gluten).
WESTERN BLOT	Highly specific and sensitive, suitable for determining the gluten content in raw and processed foods.	Slow method, requires adequate training and specialization of analysts.
MASS SPECTROMETRY (LC–MS)	Speed, reproducibility, precision.	Complex instrumentation, expensive equipment, not a quantitative technique, etc.
CHROMATOGRAPHY	High capacity for the separation of different peptides.	Time consuming, difficult to automate for many samples.
IMMUNOCHROMATOGRAPHIC STRIPS	Very simple, fast method, visual interpretation.	It does not show the concentration of gluten in the sample.