Is your meal really gluten free?

For people with celiac disease or gluten intolerances, dining out can be stressful. Even trace amounts of the protein - found in wheat, barley, and rye - in a whole plate of food can cause adverse reactions. Now MIT spinout Nima - co-founded by CEO Shireen Yates MBA '13 and Chief Product Officer Scott Sundvor '12 ' has developed a portable, highly sensitive gluten sensor that lets diners know if their food is, indeed, safe to eat. According to the National Institutes of Health, celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that leads to intestinal damage when gluten is eaten, affects around 1 percent of the U.S. population, or roughly 3 million people. According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, millions more may suffer from nonceliac gluten intolerances. Nima's sensor, also called Nima, is a 3-inch-tall triangular device with disposable capsules. Diners put a sample of food - about the size of a pea ? or liquid into the capsule, screw on the top, and insert the capsule into the device, which mixes the food into a solution that detects gluten.