EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR ANIMAL FOODS-THE SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Cloning are two technologies, emerging as potential solutions to get high quality foods from animals. But how far these foods are free from any future health problems is a matter of conjecture. The raging controversy regarding the safety of GM foods is an example of a modern technology caught in the web of uncertainties because of lack of unanimity amongst scientific communities in different countries regarding any likely long term health consequences by the consumption of foods produced by the new technology. What is not clearly understood by the vast majority of people concerned with the safety of IVF and cloned animals is that these technologies are too expensive to be used widely for producing commonly consumed animal based foods. The cloning cost for a cow is about $17000 while for pigs it is more than $ 4000. If this is true what is the issue about which people are concerned? It is all about the safety of the products from the off springs of the cloned mother.

Breeding and reproduction are the at the very core of animal derived food chain and quality and safety of these products depend very much on the parent stock and breeding technology. IVF was first used in rabbits in 1959 and later in 1968 first IVF lab mouse was created. First human baby was born in 1978, commonly referred to as test tube baby as the embryo was developed in the lab before implantation. First live calf through IVF arrived in 1981 and this technology is widely used for improving and expanding genetics. A genetically superior cow can be produced from an inferior one using IVF technology and subsequent generations are expected to inherit the vastly improved qualities of the former. Basically IVF is a procedure that involves retrieving eggs (oocytes) and sperm from the male and female and placing them together in a lab dish to facilitate fertilization. Fertilized eggs are then allowed to develop in vitro and after several days, transferred into females reproductive tract for further development of the embryo. The animals produced through IVF possess superior traits that are desirable and further propagation by normal process provides a better quality source for better products derived from them. IVF, thus, is a route to produce better performing animal generations by the breeders.

Reproductive cloning, an extension of the IVF technology, is based on the process of 'somatic cell nuclear transfer' (SCNT) that is part of the assisted reproduction technologies (ARTs) currently used in agriculture. Many mistakenly believe that cloned animals are genetically modified which is not true. SCNT transfers genetic material from the nucleus of a donor adult cell to an egg whose nucleus has been removed. The reconstructed egg containing the DNA of the donor cell has to be treated with chemicals or electric current in order to stimulate cell division. Cloned embryos need to be transferred to the uterus of a female host to develop till birth. Clones from cattle, swines, sheep, goat and many animal species have been produced in significant numbers all over the world and safety authorities in USA, Canada, Japan and several other countries have cleared commercialization of the technology having found no risks in consuming products from the off springs of cloned parents. How ever cloning is beset with some logistical and practical problems like low rate of success compared to sexually derived products. Dolly, the first cloned sheep, was a result of 275 unsuccessful attempts and it lived for 6 years as against the normal life span of 12 years though it became mother of 6 off springs during its life time.

According to FAO almost one third of global meat trade is affected by one or the other animal diseases and it considers this a lost business to the tune of $ 10 billion out of $ 35 billion total world exports. USA and Canada account for more than 25% of world beef production and they have a heavy stake in cattle breeding free from diseases. For developing countries like India cloning provides a viable route to upgrade its population of buffaloes, cows, sheep and pigs, provided the safety issues are resolved to the satisfaction of our scientists, administrators and consumers. Better, higher and cheaper milk production can be one area of immense interest,more than the meat products, as a vast majority of people in the country depend on milk for their essential nutrition. Meat exports, which fetch good returns to the livestock sector, can also benefit by evolving disease-free animals which will have far lesser problems in meeting ever-stiffening global quality and safety standards.


V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/

THE COOKING DILEMMA-GAS, ELECTRIC OR NUKING?

Ever since man discovered fire, cooking is a ritual firmly ingrained in his culture. Heating any food before consumption is an instinctive behavior special to man because he wants the food to be safe from dangers associated with contamination and spoilage. It was only later that man learned how cooking enhances the sensory pleasure and many developments in cooking technology made it easy to create a variety of eating sensation through aroma, taste and texture. Cooking does destroy some nutrients naturally present in the food but also increases the nutritive value of many foods by inactivating undesirable enzymes and reducing levels of harmful constituents.

Domestic cooking till about 5 decades ago was centered around open hearths using fire wood, charcoal, dried cow dung, agricultural wastes and similar fuels easily available at close proximity. Advent of fossil fuels and organized generation of electricity reduced dependence on smoke-spewing open hearths and scientifically designed stoves using gas and/or electricity became the norm. Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) has become ubiquitous in to day's urban house holds with almost 100% coverage and it is percolating down to rural homes near towns, cities and semi urban areas. Electricity is losing its edge due to uncertainty of supply from the public grid, uncontrolled price escalation and inefficient heating mode. With international prices of crude oil fluctuating wildly, uncertainties associated with LPG supply and cost, its reliability is also under a cloud. Large scale oil exploration within India has raised hopes that the country may have comfortable sources of cooking gas which are being piped in some cities for delivery to users, in stead of the bottled version.

What about the most convenient and customer-friendly microwave cooking? It is doubtful whether this mode of cooking will ever be able to have a strangle hold on Indian house wives, as is the case in many industrialized countries. Microwave heating, ever since it was accidentally discovered in 1940 in the US, is based on non-ionizing microwave radiation at a frequency of 2.45 giga herz (GHz). When passed through the food the latter absorbs the energy, makes the molecules of water and other liquids which are bipolar in nature, rotate to align themselves with the electric field created and generating heat in the process of colliding amongst them selves. Fat or oil, though less polar than water, exhibits faster rate of heating due to its lower specific heat which is less than half that of water. Dissolved salts, being ionic in nature also generate heat in the electric field, due to theses ions colliding with each other. A typical MW oven has a rating of 1100 watts load but the out put is about 700 watts of microwave power but wastage of energy for heating the container is avoided making it as efficient as conventional heating

There are some misconceptions and apprehensions about microwave use (MW) for heating foods. Just like normal heating MW heating also heats up the surface first though many mistakenly believe that MW heats the core first before heating outer layers. True, MW has high penetrating power and in relatively dry foods, the surface does not get heated fast since MW penetrates into the center of the food heating it first and the heat conducted outward there after. MW is not related to ionizing radiation as with X-rays or irradiation and fear of cancer causing artifacts like dioxines, is totally misplaced. Nutritional damage to foods is much below that caused in conventional cooking, though blind opposition to MW makes at least some people believe this canard. MW ovens are designed to make them user friendly and accident proof by integrated electronic circuitry and most ovens do not leak radiation beyond 5 milli watts per square centimeter at 2 ft distance from the surface of the oven as per international specifications.

Containers used for MW heating pose much more danger if no proper attention is paid in their selection. Ceramics with safe glazes and glasses with no trapped micro-air bubbles are considered safe while plastic containers do raise some pertinent safety questions. Lack of awareness about the dangers of using non-food grade plastics for food contact applications is one of the risks using MW heating. Since temperature in MW oven can be as high as 100C, high melting plastics only are suitable for fabricating MW compatible containers and manufacturers have to declare this information on each of these containers. Use of brown papers, plastic grocery bags, aluminum foil, paper towels made with recycled fiber and dyes or chemicals, thin storage bags is not advisable. Explosive spurting of over heated water and bursting of closed containers without vents can also pose some danger to the users. Convection microwave ovens are designed to take care of higher temperature needs like baking. New designs incorporating high power halogen bulbs help to heat surfaces to get desirable browning or crust are emerging to lure more customers.

Why MW ovens may not catch up n India? In a country like the US 90% of the house holds have at least on MW oven where as in India the corresponding figure is an abysmally low, being less than 1%!. The annual sale of 1.2 million pieces of MW ovens, claimed to be growing at 25% per year, reflects the lack of universal acceptability of this system in the country. The severe limitations of container system, frequent power failures, high temperature cooking practices involving frequent stirring, non uniform heating, perceptional non-satisfaction with foods cooked with MW and mistaken association of MW with irradiation, all contribute to this situation. Probably MW oven may at best be an occasionally used kitchen appliance, just for heating foods before serving rather than as a gadget for cooking.


V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/

FOOD FORTIFICATION PRACTICES-NEED FOR A RELOOK

Advent of synthetic chemistry has led to the founding of a roaring business involving vitamins, minerals, biologically active nutrients and others. Modern industrial society is relying heavily on processed foods which are often fortified with many micro and macro nutrients. Food technology strives to protect foods from the ravages of vectors and extent the supply during all seasons besides providing variety and convenient foods to the the consumers of today. But in that process many natural foods lose part of their nutrient content and depletes its health value. Enrichment and fortification technologies attempt to compensate for such losses and some time making them more nutritive than their unprocessed counterparts.

According FAO-WHO Codex Alimetarius Commission definition, fortification is" the addition of one or more essential nutrients to a food, whether or not it is normally contained in the food for the purpose of preventing or correcting a demonstrated deficiency in the population or specific population groups". Global concern about chronic deficiency of some vitamins, iodine and iron has given an impetus to fortification efforts in many countries to protect their populations. Commonly it is understood that the term 'enrichment' refers to restoration of nutrients lost during processing while fortification involves addition of nutrient to a food which does not contain the particular nutrient in its original form. Industry resorts to nutrient addition as a part of the process to maintain uniformity in the final product. Most cases of fortification pertain to vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, essential amino acids and proteins.

Nutrient supplementation of food finds mention since 400 BC when the Persian physician Melanpus advocated addition of iron filings to wines to increase the potency of soldiers to fight wars. In 1813 addition of iodine to salt was suggested in France. Ever since then, products like margarine (Vit A & D ), Milk ( Vit D), flours ( Vit B1, B2, Niacin and iron) are routinely enriched in many countries. To day a wide range of processed foods come, enriched or fortified with many nutrients as permitted by the food laws that exist in each country. These include iodine in salt, vit A & D in milk and margarine, Vit A in sugar, MSG and tea, iron in infant formulas and cookies, calcium in soy milk and orange juice, omega-3 acids in orange juice, vitamins and minerals in RTE cereals, diet beverages, enteral and parenteral solutions.

Three issues which create some concern amongst the consumers are the bioavailability of nutrients incorporated in the food, their stability during processing, storage and cooking at home and the level of addition of the nutrients. Vitamin C is not stable at pH levels above or below 7 while it is susceptible to air and oxygen besides resulting in 100% loss during cooking. Similarly folic acid is stable only above pH 7, unstable in presence of air and oxygen, heat labile losing 100% during cooking. Vitamin A is unstable at acidic conditions and cooking losses can be as high as 40%. Niacin is lost to the extent of 75% during cooking while Vit B12 is fairly stable with cooking losses being less than 10%. Minerals are generally stable during processing as well as cooking though ferrous compounds can be oxidized to ferric forms in presence of air and oxygen. In India, except for iodine fortification of salt no organized efforts are visible to incorporate nutrients in processed foods though some proprietary products are marketed containing many nutrients.

With a wide range of products fortified with vitamins and minerals, some stray reports highlight over consumption of some of these nutrients which benefits only the pharma industry manufacturing them. There are also apprehensions that some of the vitamins and minerals, when consumed at high levels can pose danger to consumer health. Some of the risks include nerve damage (pyridoxine, folic acid), kidney disorders ( Vit C, Calcium and magnesium), liver problems (Vit A ), heart problems (Vit D, magnesium), cancer (iron) and osteoporosis (Vit D and phosphate). While water soluble vitamins, when ingested in excess get flushed out limiting the risks of over dosing, fat soluble vitamins get concentrated in the body when consumed in excess posing some real danger. However overdosing through food route may not be wide spread though from the economic point of view they are considered sheer waste.

A national policy must be evolved on fortification of foods centered around the health and nutrition status of the population. Nutrients like iodine, iron , calcium and phosphorus, vitamins A,D and E, essential amino acids, essential fatty acids are some of the relevant ones deserving attention and food processing industry must take the lead to produce foods fortified with them. Restoring the nutrients lost during processing should also be made mandatory. Fortification as a general policy needs to be based on calorie concentration in each food so that when a consumer takes 2000 kc he is assured of receiving what is needed only and avoid excess consumption.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/

HEIRARCHY, BUREAUCRACY AND RESEARCH-THE ABSURD 'COMBINATION'

Research is nothing but pursuit of truth and vision and creativity and honesty are at the core of success of any research endeavor. Research followed by development is supposed to lead to innovations of practical significance. While basic research establishes new principles and theoretic foundations, applied research is the route to commercial development and industrial technologies. In India R & D activities are more or less confined to 8400 universities and a dozen GOI Departments. There are hundreds of universities spanning the country but very few have sufficient reputation to stand tall in the world of science while a large number of them are suffering from low quality infrastructure, manpower and grossly inadequate resources.GOI funded R & D in CSIR Labs, DBT institutions, BARC, ISRO, ICAR group, ICMR group, DRDO group and others are specific task oriented with links to end users. Private sector research is largely profit oriented ending up in the patent office for protection under intellectual property rights.

Since public funds for R & D are provided in GOI budgetary plans, the agencies, organizations, institutions and projects receiving financial support have to conform to the hierarchical and bureaucratic procedures being followed by GOI ministries with minor changes. The characteristic features of GOI working method are based on rigid bureaucracy and tight hierarchy amongst the administrative personnel. Each cog in the GOI wheel has definite designations, power and responsibility. Time is not the essence of working in GOI establishments. Unfortunately by adopting such a system by research agencies, most of them claiming to be autonomous (on paper?), creativity and innovation potential amongst scientists are severely curbed as governance is invariably based on the surmise that "every body is dishonest unless proved otherwise". Proving to be honest is like the proverbial chastity belt and to prevent misuse of government funds, elaborate rules and regulations have been put in place with a heavy administrative machinery vested with overseeing the spending by the scientists. As time is not as important to the administrative personnel as much as the procedure to be followed, stifling of the enthusiasm and initiatives amongst the scientific community lead to mediocre research of little significance.

Hear what Mr Ratan J Tata, the senior member of Tata family which founded the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) at Bangalore 100 years ago and the living Titan in the industrial landscape of the country, has to say about the crisis in India vis-a-vis scientific research, spoken at the centenary celebrations of this premier scientific and training organization. According to him "the IISc must seek to cover new grounds instead of building a fortress around us. IISc has to change and the hierarchy has to be demolished. Money, quality life, opportunities and facilities including the freedom to work are the primary reasons for the brain drain. We need to equip our institutions in a way where all the facilities are available". Well said but is there any body in Delhi taking seriously what Mr Tata had to say? Unlikely!

The archaic procedures, cumbersome purchase mechanisms, delays in releasing funds for required expenditure, compelling scientists to bow before administrative and accounts staff, hierarchical power structure that gives very little power of spending to working scientists and exploitation of credits due to the less powerful working scientists by more powerful 'bosses' up in the hierarchy have made the S&T sector almost moribund during the last 2-3 decades. Paying high salaries to scientists without providing them with the tools and motivation to perform cannot be expected to enrich our scientific temper by any stretch of imagination.


V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/

'SWEET' SUGAR VS 'BLAND' SUGAR-THE CONSUMER PERCEPTION

Most of the consumers, if not all, believe that the cane sugar or glucose powder is the main source of energy with fast absorption and assimilation. The diabetics, whether of Type I or Type II, scrupulously avoid sweet foods made from sugar as they believe it can adversely affect their blood glucose control achieved through medication. It is least realized that any carbohydrate with high glycemic index(GI) can have equally same effect on blood sugar as human digestive and metabolic system is very efficient in extracting energy yielding sugars from the food ingested.

 

From the nutritional perspectives, a normal adult human requiring 2000 kC of energy per day, is expected to derive 50-60% of this need from carbohydrates working out to 275-300 gm. Complex carbohydrates should preferably be the source of 50% of daily energy demand while 10% can be accounted for by simple carbohydrates like sugars. Three mono saccharides, glucose, fructose and galactose are most important in human metabolism while three disaccharides, sucrose, maltose and lactose also play important role in the energy logistics of the body. Natural foods like sugar, corn syrup, HFCS, honey, malt, maple syrup, invert syrup and milk provide these vital energy ingredients directly while processed foods requiring sweet sensation use these ingredients to impart the desired organoleptic quality. Complex carbohydrates which are poly saccharides like starch, glycogen and dietary fiber need predigestion for deriving energy through the glucose route. While glycogen is confined to animal species, starch is wide spread in plants and they can be considered as the 'bland' sugar since they contain the basic sugar glucose in a bound form but is converted in vivo into glucose in the body.

 

Starchy foods after cooking lend themselves to further break down on ingestion using a series of amylolytic and hydrolytic enzymes like salivary amylase, pancreatic amylase and enzymes such as sucrase, lactase etc secreted by cells of the small intestine, ultimately yielding the mono saccharides for absorption across the intestinal wall into the blood. D-glucose and D-galactose are actively absorbed in the small intestine while D-fructose absorption is not still understood well. Only glucose goes directly to the cells requiring energy whereas galactose and fructose are transported to the liver for conversion to glucose before reaching the cells. It is a relevant question whether simple sugars can deliver energy faster than starchy foods for normal adults because of the high pitched and aggressive promotion of glucose as a palliative for "instant energy" in people during their normal work schedule. We have glucose biscuits, glucose drinks, glucose bars all aimed at the vulnerable consumer who can be carried away by the dicey commercials flashed across their television, day in and day out. Where does the truth lie?

 

When it comes to utilization of sugar by the body there is very little difference between sweet tasting foods and starchy foods because they go through the same route before manifesting as glucose in the blood. The only difference may be the time it takes for the first dose to reach the blood from the food material, glucose having a slight edge because of the time saved, which otherwise is necessary for conversion of starchy foods into glucose. Considering that glucose also has to reach the small intestine for absorption which cannot be instant, delay for starch derived glucose to appear in the blood may not be of much significance for a normal healthy person. Glycaemic Index (GI) which is a measure of efficiency of glucose absorption from foods can predict the behavior of each food vis-a-vis its ability to deliver glucose into the blood. The GI scale constructed with 138  as maximum for pure glucose gives an idea of different foods regarding their glucose 'yielding' behavior in the body. There are foods like rice cakes with a GI of 123, white bread ( GI 101), instant rice (GI128), puffed rice (GI 123) and many others which can match pure glucose in pumping 'energy' into the body. 

 

Food technologists are to day in a position to design foods with low as well as high GI suiting the needs of every consumer and already scores of such foods are in the market. It is ludicrous to go for a flavored glucose powder in the name of health while more nutritionally balanced wholesome food products are available, serving the same purpose! 

 

 

 

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/

THE 'OMNIPOTENT' WATER AND THE 'POWERLESS' TECHNOLOGIES

A modern day kitchen is not complete unless there is a water purification system installed for continuous supply of safe water because people's trust and confidence on the ability of the civic authorities to supply safe water to their houses are at an all time low. As mentioned in an earlier post in this blog, unsafe water in India has spawned a whole gamut of business for the industry that makes bottled drinking water and an array of equipment for water clean up, the most preferred being the reverse osmosis system using selective membranes to remove minerals and microorganisms. Process water for commercial processing and bulk supply is made using large scale systems involving filtration, decolorization, deodorization, ion exchange treatment and disinfection. Current WHO guidelines for safe water lay down upper limits of many minerals, insecticide residues and other parameters.

With country's surface water sources not being able to supply adequate water to the burgeoning population in the urban settlements, ground water is being extracted in large scale all over the country by going down to as much as 500 ft below the surface of the earth. The chemical, physical and microbiological quality of water from underground vary enormously and they are often found to be high in hardness Hard water, though not unsafe by itself, is not liked because of its taste and the tendency to form hard scales inside the supply lines, corrode taps, reduce the cleaning capacity of detergents, take longer time for cooking and cause stains on utensils, containers, walls and flooring. In many towns and cities, houses in the main areas are supplied with 'treated' water while those in suburban and extensions get bore well water with varying degree of hardness.

It is beyond the capacity of an ordinary family to invest individually in large treatment systems that can ensure clean water for all the house hold activities though for drinking purpose small purification gadgets are installed. Are these citizens left with no choice but to depend on hard water for their sustenance? Probably there is some hope if the claims by two innovative technologies, using no power for water treatment, are true. Water can be categorized based on its hardness scale into very soft water (0-70 ppm hardness), soft water (70-140 ppm), slightly hard(140-210 ppm), moderately hard (210-320 ppm), hard (320-530 ppm) and very hard (>530 ppm). Hardness in water is due to presence of mineral salts, carbonates, sulfates and chlorides, especially that of calcium and magnesium which get precipitated inside the pipes and appliances like geysers, washing machines, dish washers etc reducing their life in the process.

In one of the technologies an alloy of about 12 noble and semi-noble metals is used in a housing over which water flows and according to the theory electrons are 'added' to the water, completing the missing electrons in the constituent elements of the minerals contained in the input water. The electro-physical changes in the minerals neutralize the scale producing properties of minerals such as silica, alumina and calcium sulfate and prevent their adhesion to pipes and equipment. The minerals, though still present in the out put water flow through without causing any scale build up. It is claimed that this technology is in use in over 30 countries across the world, working satisfactorily in house holds, hotels, factories, industries, farms, nurseries, municipalities etc. Weak electric fields through which water is passed, in conjunction with venturic effects stemming from unique configuration of the core alloy prevent adhesion and cohesion of the water borne mineral particles. The flow rate must be about 1-3 meter per second and the device has to be grounded. At Rs 15-20 thousand rupees for a 1 inch pipe unit, the system deserves consideration.

The second technology on spotlight is magnetic purifiers where water is passed through or over a magnet having high level of energy and a reduction in pH level increases the Carbonic acid formation through break down of calcium bi carbonate. The de-scaling is initiated and argonite, a soft hydrated version of calcite is formed which is in a fine colloidal form to be flushed along with the flow. There is electromagnetic or electronic variant of the system. The cost for a small scale unit is estimated at about Rs 18000, considered reasonable as a one time investment. Both the technologies claim absolute freedom from regular maintenance and replacement of parts for a period of 10-20 years.

While these technologies are not India-specific, reasonable confidence can be placed on their claims but the problem lies in the manufacturers of these systems whose credentials are yet to be established. There is some scope to bring down the cost to less than Rs 10000 if organized mass production materializes due to consumer confidence on the system. Probably a government agency like National Environmental Engineering Institute at Nagpur could give the potential users the required assurance regarding their feasibility under Indian conditions.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/

FOOD TECHIES, BE ON ALERT, ENEMY IS REGROUPING!

Food technologists have the onerous job of developing ways and means to protect food from spoilage of any type and save the people from the adverse consequences of consuming spoiled foods. Food infection is as old as human history and man has been striving hard to preempt such incidences of food related damages to the society. The recent food contamination episodes in the most powerful nation on earth, United States of America have compelled its president to overhaul the food safety monitoring system there, on a war footing to preempt such mishaps in future. How far man will succeed in his cherished goal of achieving absolute safety remains to be seen.

Living creatures in nature are endowed with amazing ability to survive adversity and the the fundamental basis of evolution is centered around this phenomenon of adaptation. There are millions of instances when living organisms in different shapes, sizes and complexity of structure and intricacies of the working systems were able to outlive the calamities facing them through sheer ingenuity and marvelous adaptive capabilities endowed on them by Mother Nature. If man has been able to attain a higher degree of survival in the ladder of evolution, it is because of his superior attributes conferred on him during the development process. When it comes to single cell organisms like bacteria, their simple structure masks their ability to survive under most trying circumstances and it is a tribute to their strength that man's superior intelligence has not wiped them out of this planet. The way the recent H1N1 virus was able create a global scare still haunts the world with WHO declaring it as pandemic and despite tremendous advances in the field of virology, no one can predict when the next mutated virus is going to appear on the horizon to cause havoc!

There are many pathogenic bacteria that haunts food industry and the restaurant sector and these include Salmonella, Listeria, virulent E. coli, etc. Food scientists have been able to design excellent technologies to make food safe from these infecting vectors with endo- and exo- toxins. Annihilation of these disease causing organisms in the food, through thermal, chemical, physical, irradiation and biological techniques has been possible with reasonable assurance of safety. Modern machinery designs incorporate CIP(Clean In Place) features that enable food technologists to ensure freedom from contamination between batch operations. Still contamination of processed food continues to pose dangers to the processors as well as the consumers. Of course one can always find the reason in many cases, most of them being management failures but it does not help unless the food safety regime is able to prevent such system failures.

It was almost two decades ago microbiologists raised the alarm after discovering the ability of bacteria to form biofilms which are colonies of these microorganisms, tougher to destroy than planktonic cells. Quorum sensing(QS), known in higher forms of living creatures like insects, was found to be existing in bacteria also which enables them to form biofilms on inter face between liquid and a solid surface. Using signaling molecules called auto inducers or pheromones, the bacterial cells can communicate with each other in the same species or with other species for coordinating through QS and often act as multicellular organism capable of making, detecting and integrating information from multiple auto inducers for cohesive action. While oligopeptides are used as signaling molecules by Gram positive bacteria, homo serine lactone serves the same role for Gram negative bacteria. QS controls such varied activities like bioluminescence, secretion of virulent factors, biofilm formation, sporulation and exchange of DNA.

Biofilm formation occurs on solid surfaces in contact with a liquid. Organic and inorganic material in the liquid sediment on to the solid material. Biologically active microorganisms are attracted to the solid surface and adhere to it for initiating growth for forming an attachment matrix for developing into a complex community. Such biofilms are common on solid surfaces in contact with many different kinds of liquids like fresh water, sea water, oil, milk and others. Cleaning and sanitizing practices generally focus on food contact areas and non-food contact surfaces are not given much attention where biofilms can form with potential for contaminating foods processed in the area. Bends in pipes, conveyor belts, cutting boards and tables, water recycling systems, filters and such areas are vulnerable to biofilm formation and subsequent spread of bacteria into the food materials. This is where food technologists will have to pay more attention to preempt such possibilities. Technology needs to be upgraded to include meeting the challenges posed by biofilms to the safety of processed foods coming out of factories and knowledge emerging about the QS properties of microorganisms will help in designing more reliable approaches to preempt any potential threat.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/