DESPERATE SITUATION-DRASTIC REMEDY

A recent report implicates food contaminants as one of the causes of uncontrolled weight gain and these include thousands of chemicals used in foods during processing for achieving different functional features and these include growth hormones, antibiotics and migratory chemicals from plastic packing materials. This is contrary to the common wisdom that is prevalent currently blaming over consumption of high calorie foods much beyond the normal needs of the body. These unnatural substances introduced into the food under one or the other justification are collectively being classified under "obesogens" and they are capable of causing heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol that can lead to further complications with aging.

If this is true, exercising control over eating may not be sufficient to deal with the problem. Though statistics about "fat" population in India cannot be reliable in the absence of any organized survey by government agencies, it is guesstimated that it could be around 1% working out to a staggering number of 11 millions. Percentage-wise Americans score over Indians in this regard as 3% of males and 7% of females are reported to be obese with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 40. Being thin is often taken as healthy or slim to distinguish from being fat and many thin looking people could be afflicted with the so called "normal weight obesity"(NWO) which is difficult to be noticed under normal health check up regime.

There is a mistaken impression that BMI is the most reliable indicator of a healthy body and those with BMI less than 25 live blissfully thinking that they are immune to disorders commonly associated with over weight. Those with low BMI can have high visceral fat content or the so called 'internal' fat surrounding the internal organs which can be equally dangerous if not treated in time. How ever no reliable information is available regarding the number of people affected by NWO. This probably explains increasing number of patients looking normal, undergoing cardiac by-pass surgery these days because of arterial blocks, caused by high triglycerides and cholesterol. Most commonly adopted procedure to treat over weight problem is controlled dieting, physical exercise and resorting to drug therapy. In a freak finding, scientists from Germany have recently reported that fat people can lose their body weight significantly by spending some time in mountainous places, much above sea level because of the rarefied air that enhances metabolism and reduces appetite.

Dieting itself is under a cloud because of the potential for dieters becoming compulsive over eaters after denying food for themselves for some time, probably due to changes in brain activity involving the hormone norepinephrine. Such considerations compel people to go for Bariatric surgery which is emerging as a drastic remedy to overcome obesity in people desperately trying to shed their weights after failing to do so through conventional weight reduction programs. Such procedures are carried out mainly to reduce the size of the stomach or removal of a part of the stomach or resecting and re-routing the small intestine, all aimed at cutting down on food intake in one sitting. Lap-Band system and Intragastric balloon inserted into the stomach and inflated after wards can also reduce stomach volume. 5-9 BMI reduction is possible through these surgical techniques. It is unbelievable that more than 1.5 lakh people undergo such surgeries in the US with about 0.2% mortality. What is causing concern is that that many of those undergoing the surgery develop complications such as vomiting,diarrhea, dysphagia, reflux, leaking at the surgical connection between stomach and intestine and abdominal hernia.

It is a Hobson's choice for many obese people between living under great risk of dying due to diseases like CVD, diabetes, and serious disorders early in life and going for intervention surgery with reasonable assurance of a normal life though it involves hospitalization and unpredictable after effects.

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

FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT -INFLUENCE ON SOCIETAL BEHAVIOR

Arrival of Christopher Columbus in India, circumventing the Cape of Hope and overcoming tremendous logistical constraints typically illustrate the inalienable linkage between food and man. Food has been the major driving force for many historical wars and land conquests, whether thousands of years ago or in to day's world. If cash rich countries are buying up or leasing lands in other economically deprived countries, the intention is to ensure food security to their own people.

During thousands of years of evolution, man became a super intelligent creature in this planet and along with it came many societal practices molded by the necessities and the environment. From a hunting culture, the human society mastered the art of domestication of food crops and meat animals so that food is available all year round for leading a peaceful life. Civilizations like Maya in south American continent or Indus Valley in Indian sub continent or dynasties in Egypt or China had their own characteristic societal features and food habits nurtured for centuries before ending in total destruction. Food archeology is a fascinating subject but grossly neglected by modern man in pursuit of pleasure and exalted living styles. Lot can be learned by peeping back into history of foods and if only the rich lessons offered by the past was appreciated, many of the ills that plague the society to day could have been averted.

In India practically no day passes without one or the other group of people agitating for favored status under the Constitution under the much debated reservation system. The basis of such action is that some segments of the society have been suppressed for too long denying them rightful opportunities for growth under the pernicious caste system prevalent in the country for centuries. True there was a rigid hierarchical caste based social structure where untouchability was conspicuous by its practice amongst various ethnic sections. There are views and counter views regarding the desirability of reservation based on castes and sub castes and this is not a place to debate on the issue. Caste system was, probably, relevant in ancient India though one can question the inhuman way lower caste people were treated. Personal hygiene and cleanliness only should determine whether a person is "touchable" or "untouchable" in modern India where there is no excuse for any one to be "unkempt" in spite of availability of soaps, detergents, lotions, washing aids etc with which one can keep oneself clean with no risk of spreading infection. Definitely birth does not decide who is untouchable.

If the younger generation is reminded of caste system, it is only because of the expediency of the political class, which in pursuit of vote bank, wants to perpetuate the same. There can only be one criterion for evolving all inclusive growth and development and that is the economic status of people. Western system has different cultural practices and with hygiene and cleanliness high on their agenda, hand shaking, kissing and hugging are common way of greeting and expressing affection and friendship. In contrast the Indian society evolved a totally different system involving greetings with folded hands which is relatively safe as far as spreading of infection is concerned. Kissing and hugging, being noticed recently, are prevalent amongst some who are exposed to western culture.

It is a debatable point whether under Indian living conditions practices such as the above are safe. High humidity, dusty environment, high temperature, critical shortage of water, indifferent personal hygiene, wide spread dormant infection amongst the population, too frequent crowd congregation for political, religious and other purposes, over crowded transport systems, unkempt walk ways and side walks, the toiletry practices at home, all make it unimaginable for adopting the western pattern of social interaction. It is well recognized that more than 40% of infectious diseases are spread through physical contact between unclean hands and other human parts. That Indians do not suffer as much as others in other parts of the world, probably due to their high immunity to most vectors, does not mean that there is no need for improving hygiene and sanitation. Imagine the consequences of unclean personnel managing catering services and food processing facilities on the safety of foods to the consumers!

Old traditional living style, which exists even to day in some parts of India, had given high priority to hygiene. This is evidenced by the regular washing of feet, hands and face when ever one returns home, removing foot wears before entering the house, use of cow dung slurry to keep the house clean, cleaning the teeth with neem stick or mango leaves, location of toilets away from regular dwelling area, popularity of plantain leaves and stitched dry leaves for eating food, fumigation of the house with traditional herbal preparations, fire wood based kitchen which generates smoke that can snuff out a variety of vectors and many other practices. Refrigerator which can be considered as the single most effective food preservation mode man has ever known is a luxury not affordable to a vast majority of Indian population, especially those living in rural areas where there is power cut for 22 hours in a day and refrigerator in these places is some thing like an innocuous good for nothing "box".

The message is loud and clear. Keep yourself clean through adhering to well proven daily hygienic practices, keep your house and environment clean and follow good societal norms for interaction with fellow citizens. That is the right recipe for avoiding an impression that you are "untouchable", literally!

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

THE "FORBIDDEN" FRUITS-REALLY?

Fruits come under the protective food category because they contain many vitamins, minerals and useful phytochemicals including antioxidants. Practically every country in this planet has put fruits along with vegetables on top of their diet recommendations. In reality the habit of regular consumption of these foods is going down progressively, being replaced by processed foods manufactured by the industry loaded with excessive calories, fat and salt. Economically hard pressed population are forced to shun fruits because of their high cost in the market. In India, to day no fruit can be purchased at a price less than Rs 30 per kg, except may be Papaya. Even the so called poor man's fruit Banana commands more than Rs 25 per kg.

Given a choice, low income population will prefer to fill their stomach with bulk foods like coarse cereals available at lower prices in the range Rs 12 to 15 per kg in the open market while under the BPL population get fine cereals at heavily subsidized prices. Under these circumstances buying fruits regularly is not an option for them. Probably the "survival" philosophy is the corner stone of government policy, ignoring the "well being" factor totally. It is time that the government starts considering putting in place a "fair price" mechanism for fruits at least for the benefit of those unfortunate citizens who cannot afford open market produce. One possibility is to equip some of the ration shops selling grains to offer some fruits also at subsidized rates. Logistically it may pose some challenge which is not difficult to over come.

There is another unfortunate category of population who, by compulsion, are forced to avoid fruits because of their sugar content, considered harmful under diabetic conditions. Those affected by Type 2 diabetes are not as vulnerable to sugar as their counterparts under Type 1 diabetes and while the golden rule is to cut down on carbohydrate and sugar containing foods, there is no absolute bar on sugar consumption. As long as the glycated haemoglbin (HbA1c) values are controlled to be less than 7, food intake should not be an obsession. How ever in practice these victims of sugar "disease" are advised by physicians and also by common perception to avoid fruits totally denying them the goodness that is associated with many fruits.

How far such a step is scientifically justified? It is true that some of the fruits do contain sugars like glucose, fructose, sucrose and some minor ones at concentrations varying from 10% to 20% on an average and consuming a kilo gram of fruit at a time can elevate the blood sugar content to undesirable levels. Many physicians report high blood sugar levels in their patients during the mango season because of uncontrolled eating of this fruit which has a limited "window of season" of about 45 days and as mango is not a fruit amenable to long term storage, there is always a tendency to enjoy the delicious fruit as much as possible during its limited availability period. What about other fruits?

According to a recent study by a group of physicians in Mysore, consuming fruits such as orange, apple, banana, papaya, water melon, mango and pine apple at about 200 gm a day would have no impact on diabetic patients. The reason attributed to this finding is that these fruits have Glycaemic Index ( GI) values of less than 50, tolerated in people with Type 2 diabetes. Guava, Sapota and Jack fruit were found to have GI values between 63 and 78, indicating their sugars are absorbed faster and moderation is advisable in their consumption. There is some logic in the findings as sugars present in whole fruit are in the cells and depending on the masticating action in the mouth, release of sugar can be delayed significantly, reflecting on the GI value. Similarly the findings cannot be taken as absolutely realistic since the sugar content and the extent of its release depend very much on the maturity and ripeness of the fruit consumed. But the essence of the findings is that one need not be unduly obsessed with fruit sugars, even if affected by Type 2 diabetes.

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

OVERCOMING FOOD ALLERGIES-NEW APPROACH

Allergic reactions are more or less unheard off in most of the developing countries including India making it a phenomenon almost exclusive to the Western world. Though there are many explanations for the development of food allergy, the one that makes sense argues that the environment where the person is brought up is responsible for allergy development. In countries where infrastructure development is slow and the environment is not as hygienic or clean as that obtained in advanced countries, immunity to allergy is created during the early stages of life. With the body required to fight all types of infection and other immune related exposure, a highly developed immunity is developed that helps to ward off many types of allergic incidences. But till unanimity emerges regarding the scientific basis of allergy, no definitive views can be taken on this issue.

The fact that in many Western countries almost 6-8% of children and 4% of adults suffer from one or the other form of food allergy that can cause serious consequence even threatening life is scary indeed. While minor symptoms like itching or skin reaction can be mild in nature, some allergies can cause Anaphylaxis leading to death. People suffering from serious allergy problems generally carry injectable epinephrine to counteract the symptoms as and when exposed to allergy. Major allergy causing foods include shell fish, peanuts, tree nuts, marine fish, eggs, milk, soybean and wheat. The allergic symptoms appear because of the response of the immune system of the body that mistakes one of the proteins present in the food as "dangerous" and invokes the immunological defensive measures. It is almost like a vaccination all children undergo during their early years of their life against a number of diseases caused by bacteria and virus.

The situation is so serious in a country like the US that there are mandatory regulations to declare on the label use of any of the above allergy causing food ingredients and also mention whether even those foods not containing these allergens have been processed in equipment used previously for allergic foods. Food allergy should not be confused with food intolerance caused by lactose in milk, caffeine tremors, tyramine migraine, histamine fish poisoning or bacterial toxin induced symptoms. Food allergy is a specific adverse immune response to some proteins present in the food and the concentration of these allergic food ingredients can be very low to elicit the response. A few peanuts can be fatal to a person suffering from peanut allergy!

The quality of life of people affected by food allergy is seriously compromised because of the dangers lurking behind hundreds of foods that flood the market with no guarantee that they are free from the ingredients causing allergy. Newer scientific endeavors bring some solace to these unfortunate people and the most promising is the oral immuno resistance technique that can develop the necessary capability to with stand small doses of allergic foods that one may come across once in a while without causing major hiccup. The British study using small concentration of peanut flour daily for 3 years has confirmed that children can develop strong resistance to eating some peanuts without any adverse reaction. Same approach is being attempted with milk and eggs to lessen the severity of allergy due to exposure to them. The innovative oral immuno therapy (OIT) tried with milk and egg has been claimed to be able to overcome the allergy caused by these foods completely. Probably OIT may be equally successful with other allergic foods also if appropriate treatment regime is worked out.

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

AN "AUTHORITY" FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY-"STIFLING" OF DEMOCRACY

Biotechnology has made tremendous strides during the last two decades, the impact being greatest in pharmaceutical industry. Of course in the area of food also, Biotechnological approach has given rise to genetically modified products which are under consideration for adoption in many countries including India. How ever some countries like the US have gone ahead with massive adoption of all types of GM foods without adequately assessing the adverse impact associated with genetic manipulation of natural foods on long term food safety, environmental hazards and farm economy.

The recent Bt Brinjal debate in India was able to focus the attention of people on the consequences of GM foods under the Indian environment and against substantial opposition from scientific, farming and consumer communities government retreated in grace abandoning, for the time being, the earlier plans for introduction of Bt Brinjal, developed by the global GM seed giant, Monsanto, for commercial cultivation. The much discredited Genetic Engineering Clearance Committee (GEAC) under the Ministry of Environment, chaired by a bureaucrat with no knowledge about Biotechnology, and staffed by some "yes" scientists, whose credentials were questioned even by the Supreme Court in the country, gave its "approval" for regular cultivation
of Bt Brinjal. It is another story that the Environment Minister had the good sense to overturn the irresponsible action of GEAC. With such a background, what will be the future of GM crops in India, is a relevant question.

With two powerful Ministers in the Union Cabinet unabashedly canvassing for GM foods, Prime Minister also seems to be sympathetic to the GM lobby for reasons not yet clear, all under the pretext or illusion that GM technology only can "augment" food supply in future and prevent large scale starvation!. Even the perpetrators of GM food myth do not claim any genuine increase in crop yield but assert that loss due to pests could be less thereby increasing the harvest volume. Now that the much ridiculed GEAC is discredited, GOI seems to be in a hurry to replace it with an "Authority" under the statute for which necessary legislation is being drafted. Probably with the majority UPA has in the Parliament, the proposed "Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India" (BRAI) may become a reality soon, if good sense does not prevail on the MPs during discussion of the legislation. Why the opposition for the proposed BRAI?

If one goes by the experience during the setting up of "Food Standards and Safety Authority of India" earlier, BRAI is also not going to be different. There will be intense lobbying amongst retired bureaucrats with practically no exposure to Biotechnology or related areas of science, to occupy the "Chair" and the country will have to witness this "game of musical chairs" pretty soon. BRAI is a bureaucrat's dream because of the draconian power sought to be vested with it and a cursory look at some of the provisions in the draft bill will convince any one that a police bureaucrat may be more suitable to "administer" the Authority. Most disgusting provision in the bill is to provide for jail term up to one year and a fine of Rs 2 lakh for any one who without evidence or scientific record misleads public about the safety of the products and the organisms used. Adding insult to injury the information about GM products has been kept out of the purview of RTI Act, clearly showing the intention of GOI to push the GM products down the throat of the people with great secrecy. Further the sole responsibility for clearing all GM crops has been given to BRAI with no role for other ministries like those for food, agriculture, environment, health, consumer welfare etc. Is this compatible with democratic credentials of this country?

India seems to be aping the US, at least in promotion of GM crops and BRAI is a pre-requisite for repeating the US experience where GM crops are cleared with executive authority rather than through scientific and democratic route. Unless major changes are made in the proposed Bill, Parliament should not accord approval to this devious strategy of GOI.

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

"FDI" IN FOOD RETAIL-POSSIBLE ANSWER TO FOOD INFLATION?

Foreign investments in retail sector are not possible under the current FDI policy of the Indian government, the main reason being the fear that millions of small traders spread all over the country employing an enormous work force would be adversely affected by the financial muscle power of the large multinational retail giants like Walmart, TESCO etc. GOI may have some justification to take this line because unemployment is one of the most pressing problems country is facing to day if the employment exchange figures are to be believed. But how far the projected unemployment figures reflect the ground reality is another imponderable issue having no definitive answer but there is a strong suspicion that the numbers include a vast population of under employed persons also looking for better prospects in life.

A close look at the food retailing net work that delivers staples as well as perishables to the consumers in the country is based on the so called "middle men" so necessary to provide linkage between the producer and the retailer. More the number of such intermediaries sharper is the escalation in consumer price. In spite of the existence of Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime in many food produce, farmers are not better off than they were in the past, many of them driven to suicide unable to sustain their families. Money lending and muscle force make many farmers literally second class citizens in their own land. Economic subsidies and financial incentives provided year after year in central and state budgets do not seem to have made any dent in the rural poverty.

Food inflation is out of control and the unseemly blame game amongst the political class to pass on the "buck" is adding insult to injury to the citizens who are bruised by the erosion of the purchasing power of the rupee. The media statement that "Pawar snores while the food prices soar" reflects the ridiculous situation that exists in the country. Sugar prices have doubled in no time while millions of tons of imported sugar are piled up in different ports because of the cunning strategy of the hoarders to use GOI facility to starve the market. Same is true in practically every food commodity traded in the country with the hoarders having a vice-like grip on the supply chain. Poor local traders face the wrath of the consumer though he has practically no control over price fixing by the wholesale traders with deep pockets to hold the market to ransom through hoarding, some times under the benign eyes of the politicians at the helm of affairs in the country. Can this situation be allowed to continue for long? Sacrifice is necessary by all the stakeholders and if the present retail community slowly fades away yielding to a competitive organized retailing system, there is good possibility that food prices will come down.

Answerability and accountability are the hall marks of any good management system and that includes governmental activities also. Probably time has come to fix responsibility for the current situation and the Indian government is answerable to the consumer instead of dithering, vacillating and some times reigning over them like a colonial government. It is a shame for any government to admit openly that it does not have the wherewithal to control innumerable retailers who are peddling food. If the state governments are impotent to rein in the retailing business as it operates now, it is time they force GOI to welcome FDI at least in food retailing. This will enable billions of dollars of foreign funds, at present lying idle for want of attractive investment options, to be deployed efficiently to organize retailing on a scientific and modern management principles. A few organized retailers are much more amenable to discipline and monitoring than millions of scattered small traders.

National Dairy Development Board's success in fruit and vegetable marketing, though not dramatic, is mainly due to its organization capability linking producer to the consumer with profit motive made secondary. Similarly if ITC has been able to establish workable and mutually beneficial relationship with farm producers with good will, same can be achieved by foreign retailing industry, investing in India with their enormous organizational and managerial skills. There are a few shining examples of Indian grown retailers establishing backward linkages with producers and delivering prime produce of high quality at costs much less than that by the small traders, at least in some urban areas. Without standing on out-dated philosophy and irrelevant economic basis, GOI must evolve an equitable FDI policy in food retail that can attract "best of the best" from around the world to ensure fair competition in food retailing that will go a long way in providing affordable daily food items to the vast majority of Indian population currently handicapped by uncontrolled inflation. Whether the necessary political will is there remains to be seen under the present coalition government.

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

BIOFUEL-ETHANOL VS BUTANOL

Man's perennial quest for new sources of energy is driven by the direct relationship that exists between development and efficient and cheap energy. To day practically every aspect of modern life depends heavily on energy. Dependence of non-renewable fossil fuels like coal and petroleum which have been cheap to source pushed mankind further into this "energy trap" and the prospects of these fuel supply dwindling at a fast pace have forced the world to look for other sources of more endurable and sustainable nature. Power from nuclear reactors, hydroelectric generators, solar energy, wind mills, geothermal and wave energy is receiving increasing attention and investments to make viable as alternate sources to fossil fuels.

Ethanol was at one time thought to be a viable alternate source for energy and early foray into this renewable source of energy resulted in its use for blending with diesel and gasoline to varying extent, at least to delay the day of reckoning vis-à-vis fossil fuels. Diverting valuable food resources like corn to alcohol production through yeast fermentation was justifiable as long as world was enjoying food surpluses but the situation dramatically changed during the last few years with food shortages and escalating prices of food grains world wide putting a dampener to this fuel program. Such a contingency led to explore the use of agricultural and plant wastes of cellulosic nature for extracting energy economically through the alcohol route and there are commercial plants now being established to produce cellulose based alcohol.

Butanol, a better energy source compared to ethanol, was known since World War II but economic compulsions never allowed it to get to the center stage, especially when fossil fuels were dirt cheap. The fermentation route using Clostridium acetobutylicum bacteria as the conversion agent and many sugar sources like sugar beets, sugarcane, corn grain,wheat,cassava, straw, corn stalks etc as feed stock, biobutanol is making a come back to compete effectively with bioethanol. The structure of butanol is heavier than ethanol and more similar to gasoline making it a better energy source with much wider range of uses like transportation fuel, blends with diesel, ethanol and gasoline, as jet fuel and for conversion into plastics. Its energy content is 29.2 MJ per liter (MJPL) compares well with gasoline with 32 MJPL or ethanol 19.6 MJPL. Since it does not blend with water, it has the added advantage of fitting into the existing fuel processing facilities.

Like ethanol, biobutanol can be fermented from plant sugars, either food grains or cellulosic plant parts. But because its structure is heavier than ethanol and more similar to gasoline, the advanced biofuel has a wider range of end uses -- it can be burned as a stand-alone transportation fuel; blended with diesel, ethanol or gasoline; converted into jet fuel or plastics; or sold in existing industrial chemical markets. Though the technical feasibility of promoting butanol as an energy source is beyond any doubt, the same argument that goes against ethanol, viz need for diverting food crops for its production, holds good for butanol also. A holistic thinking is imperative in arriving at a logical decision regarding the feed stock for biofuels, if they are going to be the true alternative for future energy supply without upsetting the world food supply.

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

"RAITHA SANTHE"(FARMERS' MARKET)-THE NEW SYMBOL OF GROWER-CONSUMER BHAI BHAI!

The woes of growers in India are well known and no wonder more and more of this breed are finding life miserable due to poor returns from their avocation. Small land holdings, difficulty to access easy source of short term finance, uncertainties of weather, poor infrastructure, wide spread operation of middlemen who deny reasonable prices for the crops all contribute to the miseries of the farmer. While durable foods like cereals have Minimum Support Price (MSP) scheme of the government, guaranteeing reasonable returns for their crops, the perishables suffer from seasonal price fluctuations and demand-supply uncertainties which cannot be surmounted unless low temperature storage and transport facilities are available at affordable cost. The fear of perishability and glut in production invariably have a price depressing effect making cultivation of these foods a "professional hazard". To add to these difficulties, there is no insurance scheme that will compensate for crop loss due to circumstances beyond the control of the farming community.

The Fruit and Vegetable project taken up by National Dairy Development Board, Anand in the mid-1980's addressed the problems of the growers by establishing cooperative societies in growing areas and processing facilities combined with selling net works in urban areas like New Delhi. Unfortunately the project has not been able to achieve any spectacular success similar to the milk project which made India the top producer of this vital food in the world. In Karnataka itself, Horticultural Producers' Cooperative (HOPCOMS) did commendable job by linking producers directly with the consumer but has not been able to make any significant impact in the market. Organized retailing players owning huge sales outlets in major metropolitan areas did raise hope that their economic and organizational clout would benefit both growers and the consumers by eliminating middle men. But the results so far have belied that hope.

Weekly shandies organized in different rural areas are serving the purpose of providing an opportunity to village folks around the area to expose their products including fresh foods to buyers hailing from nearby settlements at very reasonable prices. These shandies serve a very useful purpose in that both consumers and farmers are mutually benefited. What puts off the buyers, how ever, is the unorganized, dusty, unclean and poor facilities and many potential customers do not opt for such an adventure fearing about diseases and allergies. With no facilities for drinking water or toileting or even for resting for some time without being exposed to the Sun, senior citizens and elderly customers do not consider such places worth visiting, denying them the benefits of buying fresh fruits and vegetables at bargain prices. Added to this the transportation facility to such shandies is very limited.

In Mysore growers of fruits, vegetables and similar fresh food materials gather every day on the side of a half kilometer stretch of a road offering their wares in bargain prices and more than hundred such farmer-vendors participate in this "unofficial' market to cater to the needs of thousands of buyers who regularly congregate at this point to get their daily needs of fresh foods. Same logistical problems that face the rural weekly shandies are experienced here also, with no civic authority officials bothered about such gross neglect. Thanks to some sudden awakening amongst the babus who control the destiny of people in a city like Mysore with two plus million population, a grandiose plan has just been announced for establishing a permanent Farmers' Market (Raitha Santhe) in a nearby vacant place with modern facilities.

According to the plan made public recently, there will be 400 sheltered "stalls" for allotting to genuine farmers for a season so that he can bring his produce directly to the market without the help of any "commission agent" and get maximum price. The proposed Market is expected to have decent civic amenities including parking area for modern day consumers to enjoy the experience of buying "straight" from the farmer at reasonable prices. Major difference between this type of market and the traditional markets is that the latter is controlled by middle men, harvest contractors, "muscle" people etc with high speculative and money power. Even if the produce is perishable the sellers in to day's market system do not reduce prices, not bothered about the wastage at the end of the day. The cold storage facilities are also used by these middlemen to hoard some less perishable produce to manipulate the market prices. Hopefully such things will not happen in the new facility to be built exclusively for farmers. Long live the newly evolving "farmer-consumer" bhai bhai relationship!

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

THE "BUG" THAT "BUGS" THE HUMANS!

Infectious diseases are caused and spread by microorganisms like bacteria, virus, fungus etc which are not visible to the naked eye. This lulls humans to ignore their existence around them. If there is a multi billion vaccine industry that thrives across the world, thanks are due to these invisible agents of disease. Recall the recent H1N1 pandemic which kept the whole world on tenterhooks for more than 6 months because of its potential to infect youngsters and spread rapidly. Being a new strain of virus with unknown features, preventive vaccines were not immediately available. Even to day the vaccines for H1N1 are just coming out of the laboratory and only limited doses are available for use against most vulnerable population. This is a classical example of a tiny organism with less than a few microns in size terrorizing the whole world with uncontrolled roll for a few months beginning in Mexico in early 2009.

If the world is safe from such dreaded diseases like Small Pox, Polio, Whooping Cough, Influenza and others the pharma industry played a major role in developing appropriate vaccines for mass immunization of children at young age. In contrast food borne diseases claim human lives periodically through consumption of contaminated foods during manufacture, storage, transport and retailing. Restaurants are highly vulnerable to food related safety problems as most of their preparations are intended to be consumed within a few hours of their making. But unpredictable clientele can often result in surplus production which is preserved in low temperature storage rooms. Added to this the cooking and serving personnel can cause cross infection through the food they cook or serve on which very little control is possible.

An object as small as a pin head can hold more than 10 million bacteria which under favorable conditions can double its population in less than 20 minutes. How do they get into the food even if it is adequately covered? Almost 40% of food born infectious diseases are caused by humans through their hands and 10 million people are reported to be affected by such food infection every year. 80% of all incidences of infection related illnesses are attributed to the hands of persons who spread them through contact with many surfaces depositing the pathogens in the process. Such deposited colonies can stay dormant for 3 months looking for opportune time and conditions to spread. 30-50% of all persons, though looking healthy carry the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus which can cause a range of diseases. They are found usually on the skin or under the nose or in the mouth. Though they are not generally harmful to those carrying them under normal circumstances, a break in the skin,a burn or other injury allows this bacteria to penetrate the body's defense and cause infection. Imagine this particular bacteria staying dormant in hosts' body for years together without causing any harm but infecting others more susceptibility.

Food borne S.aureus infection can be mild in many cases resulting in gastroenteritis which may last 8-24 hours with out much complications. But endotoxin and exotoxin produced by some strains of S.aureus can have serious consequences unless their population is controlled through antibiotic drug therapy. Septic arthritis, endocarditis and pneumonia can be facilitated by S.aureus under certain circumstances. Multi drug Resistant S.aureus, better known as MRSA is a major concern because of the difficulties in treating infections caused by them. Its prevalence in western countries is thought to be due to practice of using antibiotics extensively by the meat industry, causing the drug resistance over a period of time. Almost 2 billion people in the world are carriers of S.aureus out of which 53 million carry the MRSA version.

WHO and medical community world over have now recognized "hand washing" as the most dependable preemptive procedure for avoiding spread of microbial infections. According to the hand washing protocol being advocated, the hands are placed under water, soap is applied, hands are rubbed together for at least 20 seconds, washing in fresh tepid running water all parts of the hand including palms, wrists, back of hands and under the nails, removing all adhering dirt from wrist down to finger tips pointing down wards. Drying with clean disposable tissue paper will remove the bacteria almost completely. Washing of hands is a must every time after touching body parts, using rest rooms, coughing, sneezing, after handling money, garbage, touching dirty surfaces and picking up things from the floor.

One can only wonder as to how many people in a country like India practice hand washing and probably many infectious diseases could be prevented if such good habits are inculcated from early childhood at home and in schools. On the other hand Indians might have built enough immunity to S.aureus from early childhood due to progressive and frequent exposure to contaminated environment where most of them are brought up, hand washing practice not widely in vogue, sucking of thumbs and fingers during early childhood and less protected food handling practices. Probably S.aureus infection assumes serious visible proportion only with over protected populations living in near sterile environments.

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

BONE HEALTH- THE SILICON "CONNECTION"

The word silicon conveys different things to different people. It is the very foundation of the IT industry with silicon chips becoming indispensable for the computing industry. For a chemist it is an element in the Periodic Table, some what inert, a major constituent of sand and the raw material for making glass. Silicon oil is much valued by the machine operators because of its lubricating properties even at high temperatures. Silicon rubber, high temperature resistant is becoming a part of modern kitchen accessories. Silicon implants raises the vision of beauty for women through implants that improve the vital statistics. Presence of sand and pebbles in foods is an aversion for consumers. Till recently nutritionists were unconcerned about silicon as it was thought to have no role in human health.

A recent report that eulogized the practice of drinking beer regularly for the beneficial effect it has on health has kindled more interest in the role of silicon in human metabolism. According to National Institute of Health, USA beer is a major contributor of the micro nutrient and trace mineral silicon which is important for the growth of bone and connective tissue. Some medical experts even suggest that moderate consumption of beer may help in meeting the challenge posed by osteoporosis which affects the skeletal system through low bone mass and weak bone tissue. Of course this observation has some relevance in Western countries where beer is a part of regular life style. The advent of "Growlers" in cities like New York where beer is sold through taps in the vending outlets, to be taken out with large 64 oz glass containers looking like an over sized mug, possibly may improve the bone health and other disorders attributed to silicon significantly.

Silicon shot into prominence during 1970s when its role in animal nutrition was discovered and since then lot of work has gone into unraveling the mystery that surrounds involvement of silicon in human health. Silicon is a macro nutrient for plant cell growth and plant foods contain this mineral in good concentrations. Silicon deficiency is known to cause abnormal bone formation in experimental animals though its deficiency in humans has not yet been extensively documented. But human body contains about 7 gm of silicon on an average, demonstrating an important role for this chemically inactive inorganic material. Scattered studies involving silicon's role in human metabolism have demonstrated its role in developing strong bones and cartilages, aiding skin growth and ensuring strong joints. Further it is believed to be helpful in boosting the benefits of calcium, glucosamine and vitamin D in developing stronger bone.

Silicon present in tissues has been found to be bonded to glycoproteins like cartilage while blood silicon is in the form of free orthosilicic acid or linked to small compounds for ready use. The mechanism of action seems to be through reduction in permeability of extra cellular matrix in connective tissues including arteries, trachea, tendon, bone, teeth and skin. It also has catalytic role in bone mineralization, facilitation of healing process and building immune system. Data on silicon intake amongst population are limited. In the US the average intake is reported to be 19 mg per day through diet for women and 40 mg for men. Though there is not yet any universally acceptable daily intake value, a level of 5 mg to 50 mg per day has been suggested by various experts. No harm is anticipated even if consumption reaches 700 mg per day.

Water is a major source of silicon and normally 2 liters of drinking water can provide the daily needs of this trace mineral. Silicon content in water can vary between 6.4 mg to 56.5 mg per liter depending on its source. Extreme purification of potable water can remove most of the silicon present, a practice not considered desirable. Foods like oats (4.25 gm per kg), barley (2.54 gm per kg) and whole cereals many fruits and vegetables, nuts, milk and honey. Human milk has significant levels of silicon with very high bioavailability where as silicon from other sources has very low bioavailability. Modern processing of cereals into refined products by removing the husk and the bran makes them still worse as a source of silicon. It is no wonder that those babies on mothers' milk for a minimum of 6 months grow to become healthy for their entire life duration, compared to those weaned away or do not have the benefit of breast feeding.

Beer is now considered as one of the most important sources of silicon which is derived from the barley and hops used for brewing. Pale colored barley has highest silicon content and during brewing process the bioavailability of silicon increases significantly. Attempts to market low alcohol or alcohol free beer by the industry raises the inevitable question whether such products will contain same levels of silicon as normal ones because the actual mechanism involved in increasing the bioavailability during brewing is not fully understood. Probably lot of new developments can be expected on silicon nutrition in the coming years. The day may not be too far away when the humble beer is promoted as a health product rather than as a refreshing alcoholic beverage!

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

SUGARCANE-THE NEW DRIVE ENGINE FOR FUTURE POWER?

The weakness for sweet taste in human beings led to domesticated cultivation of sugarcane from which sweetener materials like crystalline sugar, jaggery and invert syrups are made. Sugar finds extensive use in almost all processed foods with sweet taste and it was only in the recent past that High Fructose Corn syrup (HFCS) became the preferred sweetener for the beverage industry due to reasons like cost, ease of use and slightly more sweetness compared to cane sugar or that from sugar beets. It is another matter that HFCS became the center of great controversy because of its alleged role in contributing to obesity in some countries where its use is widespread. Between sugar cane and sugar beets, former is the predominant sugar source world over, almost six times more, with the latter limited to some countries like the US and Europe.

Brazil is the top most country in sugar cane cultivation as its climate and land are best suited for this plant and provides an excellent example of utilizing a crop for highest returns possible. Brazil leads the world in ethanol production accounting for almost 40% of ethanol production in the world and had pioneered the concept of alternate fuel to fossil fuels through use of alcohol blended with gasoline as auto fuels. Its E25 gasohol blend runs almost all the vehicles in the country limiting the pollution caused by conventional automobile exhaust. Producing sugar cane to the extent of 540 million tons an year, 45% goes for sugar production and 55% is used for ethanol generation via the yeast fermentation. The bagasse accounts for about 35% of the energy present in sugar cane plant while 30% goes with sugar and remaining 35% remains in the leaves and the tips of the cane harvested, Using bagasse as feed stock Brazil generates electricity to the extent of 3GW currently which is likely to exceed 12.2 GW by 2014.

Bagasse is burned to generate heat which in turn produces super heated steam in high pressure boilers for driving turbines for electricity production. Out of the 360 sugar mills in Brazil 126 of them directly converts juice into ethanol and remaining produce sugar as well as alcohol from the molasses. Bagasse, the by product in these factories goes for electricity generation, sufficient to meet the energy needs of all these factories and surplus is supplied to regional grids for a price further improving the economics of sugar and alcohol production. Almost all countries in South America depend heavily on hydroelectric power, 80% contributed by this conventional source. But sugarcane bagasse, which comes during summer when water levels in many dams are at their lowest, can generate supplemental power helpful to meet the shortfall to a significant extent.

Sugar cane cultivation also leaves behind considerable agro wastes comprising leaves, tips etc which are generally burned in the field itself, wasting precious recoverable energy in them. Chinese have demonstrated how power can be generated using these waste cellulosic matters by setting up a 180 kWh/year unit using 2 lakh tons of wastes. According to them about 1 lakh tons of CO2 emission is cut, 600 tons of SO2 emission is avoided compared to an equivalent plant using coal as feedstock. CO2 emission from power stations near cane growing fields are reabsorbed by the fresh plants making it carbon neutral. Thus integrated sugarcane processing can ensure 100% utilization of the plant for producing ethanol, sugar and power. The out put to input ratio vis-à-vis energy is highly favorable, working out to 8.3 to 10.2 when integrated projects are conceived. This means that for every unit of fossil energy used, sugarcane bagasse can generate 8.3-10.2 units of energy and the energy from bagasse is much more than that required to run a typical sugar mill .

Looking at the Indian situation the 360 million tons of sugarcane grown in the country can generate more than 4 GW electricity, if all the bagasse from the mills and the agro waste from the field are harnessed. Since sugar cane is grown in 110 countries around the world, total production being 1600 million tons, the bagasse out put from the processing facilities can produce more than 17 GW of power if properly planned and organized. Considering that sugar, as a food is becoming an anathema for health reasons, there is a case for channelizing the entire sugar cane production into ethanol and power producing facilities by the producing countries that will help them to cut down on import of fossil fuels to a significant extent.

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

MUSSELS-A SUSTAINABLE SEA FOOD?

95% of world's living space is occupied by water and oceans form an important part of the planet. The mystery about sea is such that marine scientists have been able to study just 7% of the area covered by sea. Naturally man has to look out to these oceans for supplementing what ever food is raised on the land and food there are, in plenty, just to be hauled in moderate quantities in order to conserve and replenish. But the greed for money, a part of human psyche, has practically destroyed the ecology of oceans and it is shocking to see fish catch doubled in the last twenty years through deployment of advanced technologies resulting in the collapse of 15-30% of the fishery sources and over exploitation in the case of another 20-40% of them. By 2048 it is likely that all species currently being fished commercially would have disappeared, if some discipline is not brought into the present practice of fishing.

It is estimated that almost one billion people rely on fish as a sole source of animal protein while another 2.6 billion derive at least 20% of animal protein from fishery source. Besides the nutritional angle, globally fish industry provides gainful employment to 200 million people while generating an economic value of $ 80 billion annually. What is galling is the encouragement given by the national governments for over fishing through financial incentives through cash subsidy to the industry. EU and China, are known to have disbursed $ 3.3 billion and $ 3.1 billion respectively to their fish industry as subsidy and the global figure for such subsidy is estimated at $ 34 billion per year! Experts believe that world wide there is a fish shortage winch can be met only by increasing fish production in the coming years.

The conflict between over fishing and fish supply deficit is going to be the core issue that needs to be resolved. If environmentalists and conservationists are to be believed more than 10000 species of marine creatures including fish have become extinct due to the much detested bottom trawlers and to obtain one kg of useful fish, these trawlers haul in 20 kg of commercially worthless by-catch, thus denuding the sea of its dynamic and diverse life sustaining Eco system. As 64% of marine area comes under "High Seas" no single country has any sole jurisdiction on these waters which are becoming fertile areas for illegal fishing, estimated at 20% of legal global production. Under such circumstances enforcing any ban on fishing in these waters may not succeed. Major fishing nations like China, Peru, Japan, USA, Indonesia, Russia, India, Thailand, Norway and Iceland owe to the world to come to an agreement based on a consensus to reverse the current trend of over exploitation of the marine fisheries sources in the world. At the present rate of fishing 1173 species of fish are threatened with extinction.

This is where Mussels come into picture as they can provide a highly nutritious marine food that can rival the best one known to day. They are harvested from wild seas as well as from sheltered estuaries "managed" with minimum human intervention. Piers with spiral ropes wound around them or plastic boats from where ropes can be hung provide excellent habitat for Mussels and China accounts for 40% of world production of this marine food. Unlike commercial aquaculture practices, Mussel farms do not need input of chemicals as plankton are the main food for them, available plenty in the sea. In India Kerala, Mangalore and Goa account for almost all Mussel harvest and the local fishery folks entice the Mussels using drumstick, breadfruit and some vegetables for attracting them. 100 gm of Mussels provide about 12 gm of good quality protein, 2.2 gm of fat with 70% unsaturation (rich in Omega-3 fatty acids), besides 88 ug of Selenium, an important trace element, 23 ug of Vitamin B12, 2.7 mg of Zinc and 72 ug of Folates, all vital and critical nutrients for human beings.

Relatively high Sodium content of 280 mg per 100 gm and the possibility of toxicity posed by Mussels from the wild which could have consumed toxic plankton can pose some health risks but those harvested from waters not known to be infested with toxic plankton are considered very safe for human consumption. World wide availability of Mussels in sustainable volumes can be an answer to the dwindling fish supplies that is causing concerns all around.

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

THE "ROCK" TOMATO-ANOTHER GM "CONTROVERSY" IN THE MAKING

In a front page splash a local news paper in Bangalore informs its readers that Indian scientists have achieved a break through in delaying the ripening of Tomato and allow it to stay "fresh" for 45 days. Consumers know that tomato is a highly perishable vegetable crop that has very limited life and hence must be consumed within a couple of days after purchase. The very basis of the tomato processing industry is this inevitable fact and products like puree, paste, canned chunks etc were developed to make tomato available through out the year. The seasonality and perishability of tomato cause enormous economic hardship to growers who have had to forgo harvesting some time because of extremely low prices in the market at the peak of the season which would not be able to cover even the labor cost incurred for harvesting. There fore the news about the new strain of tomato must have been soothing to their ears.

When the reader strains to know further about the details of this so called "break through" from the news coverage in the above paper, it turns out to be an obituary for one of the scientists who was involved in the early stages of research on this project. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth to invoke the memory of a scientist who died of cancer 8 years ago and whoever wrote this piece must have done not to eulogize the departed soul but with some ulterior motives. The development of techniques to delay ripening of fruits in general has been an area of interest in many countries, especially for high cost fruits of commercial value and many fruit orchards in the west use chemicals for achieving the same goal.

Advances made in molecular biology have enabled man to peep into the genomic profiles of many plants, animals and even human beings in great details and to day's GM foods are the out come of successes achieved in the field. Whether humans have crossed the limit in using genetic information for creating "Frankenstein" in the form of new crop and animal variants

with unpredictable consequences, only time can say. Present raging controversy about Bt Brinjal is an apt example as to how a new variant created through genetic engineering has become so divisive splitting the country into two polarized camps. Interestingly the claimants for credit in developing this variant are far and few since no one wants to be in the lime light for wrong reasons.

In the case of the "rocky" tomato or "dead" tomato, as some readers of the above paper referred to this new variety, it is claimed to have been developed by JNU scientists, the work was going on for the last one decade and it has not yet reached a stage for referring to the GEAC of GOI for mandatory approval, let alone commercialization. It is puzzling why all of a sudden some one has to stake claim now for credits on behalf of a scientist who worked with the project team 8 years ago and who died in 2002. By raising this question it is not the intention of this Blogger to belittle the work of the late scientist cited by the paper who was well known to him but to highlight the mad pursuit of rewards and recognition that is prevalent to day amongst the scientific community whether really deserving or not.

After the "projectization" concept was introduced in public funded research programs, officially constituted teams consisting of scientists, assistants and helpers are supposed to carry out R & D projects with well defined goals and time frame. Unlike universities where research fellows and professors shoulder the R & D responsibility and share the credits, such system cannot work effectively due to logistical and practical reasons. If maximum cooperation and optimum inputs are to be marshaled, many scientists from different disciplines will have to be involved and results arising out of such endeavor will be to the credit of the institution where the work has been carried out successfully. It is the internal rewarding system like monetary compensation or promotion that should offer adequate appreciation of the work by those contributing to the success. Real scientists can never flourish by seeking publicity through "articulated" publication of their accomplishments with bloated claims, splashing their photographs in "friendly" print media circles, delivering key note addresses in irrelevant forums or collecting questionable prizes and awards through unfair means! Here are prayers for the departed soul on whose name the present controversy is being raked up.

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

THE HONEY "TALK"-SOOTHING TO BRAIN?

Honey is the product made by insects belonging to the Bee species, most important one being Honey Bee that provides edible products considered safe for human consumption. Though chemically it is a blend of fructose (38.5%) and glucose (35%), Honey is a product made by repeated regurgitation of the nectar collected by the insect and evaporated by continuous fanning with their wings within the Beehive. Depending on the area and the type of flowers foraged by the Bee, the fragrance and taste can vary considerably. There can even be honey intoxication if honey is made by the bee from nectar collected from some flowers and sufficient information is available regarding such honey products to be avoided for human consumption.

It is common for many people to believe in the extraordinary powers of different foods based on folklore, published reports and some time due to limited experience, honey has been claimed to have many health promoting properties. It is true that under the traditional medicinal system in India, Honey is used extensively in many preparations but such use is based on faith, beliefs and past experience. Traditionally in India honey is used as a tropical application for treating many ailments. The proven antiseptic and antibiotic properties of honey have been attributed to the low water activity of 0.6, low pH of 3.2 to 4.5, generation of hydrogen peroxide due o Glucose Oxidase activity in unheated honey and traces of methy glyoxal present.

Whether there is adequate scientific proof to support such claims is doubtful. But 2700 years of history that highlights its use has been quoted to support some of the claims. Honey cannot be claimed to be absolutely safe because of detected presence of Clostridium botulinum spores which can cause death to children when the spores regenerate into active cells in their tender stomach releasing the toxin responsible for botulism poisoning. As the spores are highly heat resistant only irradiation can destroy this pathogen in the product. Honey can also cause "pollen allergy" to some and such sensitive consumers will have to take sufficient precaution while taking honey. How ever modern processed honey products go through filtration ,clarification and pasteurization making them relatively safe for adults.

According to a recent report there is scientific basis to sustain many of the health claims attributed to this natural product. The relationship between the energy or fuel status of the liver and the quality and duration of restorative sleep is one of the most neglected areas of study in human physiology and whatever little is known, indicates that "chronic nocturnal metabolic stress can be easily prevented by simply providing adequate fuel for the liver and the brain during the nocturnal fast". It is claimed that after the evening meal, the liver can be be selectively replenished by consuming an ounce or two of quality honey. Also honey prior to sleep can"activate the honey/insulin/melatonin cycle, promote quality sleep and recovery physiology and reduce the production and release of the adrenal (stress) hormones". Here again supportive data from credible scientific studies are far and few.

Honey can have different composition from source to source and its therapeutic value, if any can also vary significantly. Flowers from where honey is sourced by the bee can vary in quality and same will be reflected when it reaches the consumer. There are instances where honey causes serious allergy to some, calling for caution in blindly accepting it for consumption. Some puritans also feel refining of honey after its extraction from the beehive can destroy some of its health promoting value whereas unrefined honey may be suspect from safety angle. Diabetic population must be careful in consuming honey regularly and in general consumer discretion is recommended when honey is promoted through branding and high decibel advertisements.

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

FOOD OR DRUG?-HEALTH "CLAIMS" BY FOOD INDUSTRY

Imagine the FSSAI at Delhi issuing a notice to a manufacturer of food products for printing unsubstantiated health claims on the front panel of a food package to entice unsuspecting consumers to splurge on that product! Even if such a "rarest of rare" incidence happens what could be the consequences? Nothing! Most likely the notice would find its rightful place in the garbage bin of the corporate office of the company because every "culprit" in this country knows that FSSAI is a toothless tiger!. Look at the commotion created by serving notices to food giants like Nestle and 16 other major food processors in the US by the FDA questioning the validity of health claims made by them on the labels of their products. The response from these "violators" has been in double quick time promising full cooperation in complying with the regulations in the statute books fully

Nestle and Diamond Foods, two major companies in the US have been under the scanner of the authorities for making claims made on their packaging labels. After detailed scrutiny the FDA zeroed in on 22 food products that violated its claim guidelines. Others on the radar for labeling violations included Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream for for its Nestle drumsticks, Nestle Nutrition for its Juicy Juice products, and Diamond Foods for some of its nut products. The FDA is targeting health and nutrition claims that it says would cause the food products to be regulated as drugs. The offending companies are being booked for making claims over trans fat content, antioxidant advantages, and omega-3 benefits contrary to the existing guidelines. The violations include unauthorized health claims, unauthorized nutrient content claims, and unauthorized use of vague terms such as "healthy," including others that have strict, regulatory definitions.

It is tragic that some of these companies operating in India have double standards offering to the hapless citizens of this country same products marketed in the US but with much inferior standards of quality and safety. The breakfast cereals, chocolate products, snack foods, soft drinks, bottled water, oat flakes and many others marketed in India are distinctly inferior to their counterparts in the US. For this situation consumer will have to "thank" the FSSAI which does not seem to have any clue regarding what is happening in the market place.

A larger question that arises regarding the health claims is whether food processing industry is adequately equipped to design and manufacture food products which are healthier than normal foods as it requires tremendous resources and infrastructure facilities to launch specialty foods with proven health claims. Taking isolated published information and using it as support for any health claim cannot be accepted because such data apply only to specific conditions of experiment carried out by the authors of the studies quoted.

Some pundits in India are pedaling the concept of nutraceuticals or nutrifoods or pharma foods which does not have any scientific validity. Adding nutrients like vitamins, minerals and some others to foods during food processing must be restricted to the extent of "restoring" such nutrients lost due to severity of processing. This cannot be the basis for indiscriminate use of various synthetic or extracted substances with some hypothetical health promoting benefits in processed foods and claim they are superior to normal foods. GOI must clamp down such profit motivated efforts by a segment of the food industry in this country.

As a policy measure GOI must lay down guidelines regarding addition of any nutrients to a food and should not allow any one to print any health claims on the label even indirectly. Such foods which are made using external nutrients, not natural to them, must not be given permission for manufacture or marketing by the food industry. This responsibility may be assigned to the pharma industry which can do a better job in designing such products and exercising the quality and safety responsibilities with its established infrastructure. Even when it comes to nationally mandated nutrification programs like iodine in salt, Vitamin A and D in milk, iron in salt or tea etc food industry can be given specific permission for manufacture of such foods under direct monitoring by the Health Ministry of GOI. The "free for all" situation that exists to day for any "tom, dick and harry" to sell health foods must be stopped in the interest of consumers in the country.

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

THE LABELLING "JARGONS"-WHO IS BEING BENEFITTED, ANY WAY?

Consumers world over have an inalienable right to know what is present in side a food packet and right type of information discernible readily will enable them to pick and choose the ones most suited to their needs. Different countries have different rules and regulations that govern industry's responsibility in providing information on the label of the packet. In India the manufacturers are mandated to provide many information on the label based on the perception of the authorities who are vested with the power. If a cursory look at the range of products in the market and varying type of shapes, sizes and materials used for packing, any consumer is bound to be confused on many counts and ultimately the choice is made not because of the labels but by the past experience of buying similar products.

Almost 90% of the food packets print the label in English and how far this is effective in a country where even local language literacy is barely 50%, is a matter of speculation. One can understand the dilemma in choosing the language for printing the label as there are more than a dozen regional languages practiced in the country and providing the information in all these languages for a product with pan-India foot print is not feasible, though desirable. Logistical problems posed can be a nightmare for any industry wanting to establish their brands through out the country. Imagine what will happen if the linguistic chauvinists in Mumbai resort to violence demanding that printing of the labels of all packed foods to be made or marketed in the state of Maharashtra must be printed only in Marathi language! Probably a solution could be to allow the industry to use stickers on one side of the pack, reserved exclusively for this purpose, that will explain the product in the pack in local languages with some bare details.

Coming to the needs of consumers vis-à-vis the product labeling, the present system is highly confusing and even literate and educated consumers find it difficult to assess the product correctly. In any new format to be considered, information to be provided for every pack consumed, must include identity of the product, quantity, total calories, sugar, salt, saturated and trans fats contained in the pack, product guaranty including safe consumption date ( not best before date which has no meaning), unit price (boldly in letter size of font not less than 10) and list of ingredients (percentage). Nutrition labeling as it exists to day is totally irrelevant to the Indian public as it conveys practically nothing. Later as the consumer literacy grows, more information like growth quality of the product in terms of protein efficiency ratio, glycemic index and health risks like allergens must be included. Guaranty statements must clearly spell out the accountability feature like what damages consumer can claim if the guaranty clause is violated.

The present provision for including the phone number or e-mail ID of a contact person has no meaning since many industry players do not take this seriously and no consumer has ever been known to have received a satisfactory reply for the complaints registered. The freedom given to the industry under the weights and measures act is grossly being abused and it is time that this is restricted to allow only pack sizes of 25 gm and multiples. Thus the two most important provisions of price per unit in bolder letters and guarantee clauses may boost the consumer confidence in the food industry and it is on its own interest that these provisions are accepted by the industry. If a central complaint center is established under the consumer affairs ministry with on-line complaining facility in Delhi with 4 or 5 regional hubs, it will be of great "solace" to the consumers in this country, weighed down by the present insensitive food safety overseeing system.

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

FOOD MISCELLANY-WHAT IS "COOKING"?

Health campaigners in Australia are proposing to change the current labeling regulations to make more explicit the message about the quality of food in packed food products. The basic premise is that consumers must understand whether a food is balanced in terms of various nutrients and whether they contain too much "negative" nutrients like salt, sugar and fat, the three most dreaded food constituents thought to be responsible for almost all health afflictions noticed amongst the population in many countries. According to these experts food processing industry must be forced to categorize their products into low, medium and high levels of fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium per 100 gm of the product. Each category must be given red, amber or green color depending on the composition just like the traffic light signal and these color codes must be printed on the front of the pack so that consumers can choose invariably the ones having a green color code for healthy living and pick up others only occasionally. Probably such a move may persuade processors to strive for getting green code for their products. While the idea may sound good, how far such a move will help alleviating the present food driven health crisis remains to be seen.

After red wine it is the turn of Cranberry juice to claim that regular consumption of this highly colored juice can control blood pressure (BP) in people afflicted by this disorder. According to some scientists from the UK, presence of oligomeric procyanidins in Cranberry juice helps to strengthen the blood vessels and resist their constriction due to which high blood pressure develops. Probably Cranberry juice is recommended for those people who are teetotalers reluctant to consume alcohol containing beverages. Reports like this make the consumers confused, especially if they are on prescription drugs for controlling their BP. The unanswered question is whether modifying the diet to include cranberry juice can obviate the need for taking these medicines regularly. No one knows!

Bisphenol A (BPA) contamination of food from polycarbonate packing material used in food contact applications is assuming serious dimension vis-à-vis safety of foods from the processed food industry. First detected in polycarbonate infant feeding bottles, the contamination was noticed in many packed foods subsequently. The estrogenic property of BPA allows it to interfere with some metabolic functions with undesirable consequence. Now comes the news that BPA exposure for pregnant women can result in permanent reproduction problem for their off springs. Though this has been shown only in experimental animals by a US study, the implications for humans are grave. Of course there will be further studies to confirm whether what was observed in mice can happen in humans also.

Green tea is universally acclaimed as a healthy beverage because of its rich content of antioxidants that can neutralize the effect of oxyradicals generated in the body, known to accelerate cellular death which can curtail the life span in humans. There are many other antioxidants like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Lutein, Zeaxanthin, many poly phenolic substances that can do the job to varying extent depending on the efficacy of bodily absorption. Catechins which are present in green tea in abundance have been found to reach the eye tissues after absorption from GI and transportation to retina and the aqueous humour area. Both gallo catechin and epigallo catechin, the two important catechins in green tea reduced the undesirable oxidative stress in the eye up to 20 hours after ingestion. These findings with rats need confirmation in humans where absorption mechanics are some what different and the efficacy of transportation of the active ingredients in green tea to the eye tissues can be vary considerably.

Baby foods have become a taboo, especially with health experts who find them a temptation for many mothers to discontinue breast feeding which is considered important for the optimal development of new born babies. The recent finding that introduction of solid foods can be delayed as much as possible to ensure a more healthy child is going to be another factor in persuading young mothers to persist with breast feeding for maximum periods. According to Danish researchers, late introduction of solid and supplementary foods might cut down the risk of developing obesity significantly amongst such children when they reach middle age. For each month's delay in introducing solid foods the obesity risk is reduced by 10%. How ever medical community, especially pediatric doctors, must be convinced before implementing such changes in child feeding practices.

Is it possible that a child brought up by grand parents could become possible candidates for developing over weight when they grow up? If some researchers are to be believed such a contingency is possible and these findings come after surveying 12000 kids of 3 years old in the UK. Possible reasons attributed to this phenomenon is the indulgence shown by grand parents in feeding the children and lack of physical activity amongst them due too much fondling. Whether this is true amongst the children and grand parents out side the UK may need further study.

The fact that scientific research does not leave any thing to imagination is borne out by the following "gem"! According to a Swedish study drinking just 3 cups of coffee daily can reduce the bust size of women. It was further brought out that breast cancer has links with the size of the bust and larger the breasts higher is the risk of developing cancer. One can only guess how this finding is going to upset the "beauty industry" in future.

There are thousands of such research findings coming out every day from laboratories all over the world, most of which use mice for carrying out their studies and splash their findings in popular media without any peer review. As long as these findings get published in peer reviewed scientific periodicals, they may remain there as scientific curiosities which may attract researchers to take the studies further. Probably more constraint is called for on the part of the media in giving undeserved publicity and create confusion and fear amongst common man.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
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ALTERNATE MEDICINES-NEW ROLE FOR ESSENTIAL OILS

Many spices are recognized for their medicinal value besides their culinary attributes. Similarly advent of technologies like distillation, solvent extraction, fractionation and encapsulation has made it possible for the active principles responsible for the medicinal value of these spices, to be delivered to the consumers with least discomfort. Capsaicin from red chilli is one of the most widely used components from spices by the pharma industry and popular ointments like Tiger Balm, Vicks Vaporub, Amritanjan and other pain controlling balms are based on Capsaicin. Recent FDA approval for use of 8% capsaicin patch for controlling pain due to neuralgia has given further boost to studies on application of spice extractives and isolated pure chemicals from them for improving the quality of life of mankind suffering from many ailments and maintaining normal health through regular consumption. The reported findings that Carvacrol isolated from the aromatic herb, Thyme can control inflammation at the cellular levels is fraught with implications for the future deployment of spice crops in fighting diseases.

Aromatic oils from eucalyptus, rose, clove, fennel, bergamot etc have carved out a place for themselves in treating many minor day to day health related problems, being regularly used from time immemorial. Essential oils distilled out using steam has been known for centuries and practically the entire quantity of volatile oils can be recovered using simple equipment. The raw materials from which such oils can be obtained include berries, seeds, rhizomes, roots, wood, leaves, resin, flowers and peel. These oils were being used for centuries for many applications by humans through ingestion and as external aids through ointments and massaging materials on the affected areas. Many of them are known to be powerful antiseptic, antibacterial against many pathogenic microorganisms, antioxidants, as palliative for mouth inflammation and throat infection and useful to treat topical fungal infections. Some of them are helpful in alleviating chronic gastritis, overcoming lack of appetite, aiding digestion, treating irritable bowel syndrome and colic discomforts, easing convulsions, treating epilepsy, controlling diarrhea etc.

Why Allopathic medicinal system has not taken seriously the potential for these essential oils for treatment of human ailments is a mystery. Plausible reasons could be inadequate scientific data on their use, optimum concentration levels that will not cause side effects on patients, lack of availability of pure materials with pharmacopoeia specifications and lack of pharmacological data. According to some reports the LD 50 value of many essential oils comes within the range of 0.5 to 10 mg per kg body weight. Presently only essential oil from Cloves is the most easily available in the market estimated at about 2000 tons an year, dominating the world supply of essential oils estimated at around 15000 tons. About $10 billion worth of essential oils are produced by about a dozen countries that include India, China, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Egypt and Morocco. While 60% of the production goes to fragrance industry, 20% each is consumed by the Flavor and Pharmaceutical industries.

The pharmaceutical industry is looking out continuously for alternate medicines to synthetic drugs in response to consumer demands and increase safety aspects. Essential oils are likely to provide them with a vast range of options for treating different ailments. New research insights regarding the efficacy, safety, treatment regime and process requirements for use of essential oils for disease treatment are likely to emerge in future raising the demand for these oils from pharma sector. The proven efficacy of Thyme oil and its active ingredients like thymol and carvacrol in treating inflammation is an example of the trend that is evident leading to more attention being paid to the essential oils for pharma application. Many of theses oils have properties to inhibit Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme that is involved in inflammation at the cellular level to the extent of 25% but thyme oil and its active principle carvacrol can decrease COX-2 expression by more than 75% thus providing a natural alternative to the synthetic chemical ibuprofen the current leader in pain control technology. Other oils like those from cloves, rose, eucalyptus, fennel and bergamot also possess similar properties but to a lesser extent.

With highly developed technologies for extraction and fractionation of plant materials such as spices, herbs and many botanicals, there is no reason why essential oils cannot emerge as the preferred choice of pharmaceutical industry and the medical community for treatment of a number of diseases in the coming years. Super Critical CO2 Fluid extraction becoming commercially viable it is technically feasible to obtain any chemical constituent from plant sources in almost 100% purity. Indian Ayurvedic system of medicine has shown empirically how effective essential oils can be against many human ailments. Allopathic system of medicine must provide scientific teeth to these traditional medicinal preparations through modern investigative tools.

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