Reactivity of gluten proteins from spelt and bread wheat accessions towards A1 and G12 antibodies in the framework of celiac disease

•A great variability in the A1-G12 reactivity was observed for spelt and wheat accessions.•The A1-G12 reactivity was on average higher for spelt than wheat accessions.•There was no difference between landraces and varieties of spelt and wheat in the A1-G12 reactivity.•No correlation between the A1-G12 reactivity and protein content and Zeleny index was established.•No link between the breeding strategies and A1-G12 reactivity could be established. In the framework of celiac disease, this research aims at evaluating the reactivity of 195 wheat accessions and 240 spelt accessions to A1 and G12 monoclonal antibodies. A great variability in reactivity was found among the accessions of both subspecies. On average, spelt showed very slightly higher reactivity than wheat but accessions with low reactivity were encountered in both subspecies. In both wheat and spelt, there was no significant difference in the level of reactivity between varieties and landraces. Similarly, there was no significant difference in reactivity between old, mid and new varieties of wheat. In contrast, new spelt varieties showed lower levels of reactivity than old and mid ones. No relationship could be established between level of reactivity, protein content and the Zeleny index. This research did not establish a link between the breeding strategies for baking quality improvement and A1-G12 antibodies reactivity.