MODERN WHEAT-WHAT HAS GONE WRONG WITH EVOLUTION?

Wheat is the staple food grain to millions of people around the world but unlike other grains wheat also offers some problems for some when it is consumed as part of a diet. Gluten allergy or sensitivity which affects about 10% of world population is a problem that cannot be easily wished away. The symptoms of gluten allergy can be almost same as that for celiac disease and wheat allergy, some of them being bloating, abdominal discomfort, head ache, migraines, muscular and bone joint pains, schizophrenia etc. Though wheat may not pose any risk to life as the symptoms can be easily treated, it does affect the quality of life for those diagnosed with wheat allergy. This is where the ancient Einkorn comes to their help as it has been found that the type of gluten in this grain is some what different from wheat gluten and therefore does not pose any threat. The science behind this is that to days wheat, Triticum aestivum is not a pure grain but evolved over thousands of years of history exposing it to natural hybridization process, changing the composition very significantly.

According to historical evidence Einkorn, Triticum boeoticum was consumed since BC 7000 and therefore had about 9000 years for changing some of its characteristics through cross pollination with wild grass species and other similar grains into modern day wheat. According to geneticists a major difference is in the number of chromosomes present in the grains with Einkorn possessing only 14 whereas that in wheat is either 28 or 42 and naturally this should have an influence in the protein make up of these grains. Wheat allergy is often attributed to the properties of the gliadin component in gluten present in modern wheat. Probably Einkorn gluten with different gliadin component is better tolerated by wheat sensitive population and this has given a new status to this ancient grain as a health food. New products based on Einkorn in place of wheat are continuously being developed targeting gluten sensitive consumers.

There are a number of reasons why health food industry is lately focusing attention on Einkorn and if availability is not a critical factor, products made from this unique grain would have captured a sizable market in the wheat based food products. The fact that it is a hulled grain like Paddy grain makes it immune to contamination by pesticides and other man made chemicals. It has one of the highest protein content viz about 18-20% compared to 10-12% in normal wheat. Besides it has 3-4 times more beta carotene (for boosting immunity, prevent cancers and CVD), 2 times more Vitamin A (for healthy eyes, reproductive system and preventing certain cancers), 3-4 times more Lutein ( for preventing macular degeneration and cataracts) and 4-5 times more Riboflavin (more efficient energy metabolism). One of the most interesting data is that in Einkorn gluten the ratio of gliadin fraction to glutelin fraction is about 2:1 while the corresponding ratio in wheat is 0.8:1 which probably may explain the relatively better tolerance of Einkorn by gluten sensitive consumers. One of the constraints in popularizing any food as a replacement for some thing already well established  in the minds of consumers is the quality of products made and it is here that Einkorn may be some what inferior to modern wheat, making it difficult to be seen as a competitor to normal wheat.

Information is scanty regarding the suitability of Einkorn flour for making many popular products like different varieties of bread, biscuits and crackers, pastries etc though with the range of baking technologies available to day it is not beyond the capabilities of baking technologists to develop products comparable in quality to that of similar products made from normal wheat. It appears the dough characteristics of Einkorn grain is some what inferior and water retention lower giving it a sticky characteristics. The dough is similar to that made from soft wheat and hence it should be possible to make biscuit type of products from it with acceptable quality. Some of the bread making studies indicated that white bread made from Einkorn flour was inferior to that from wheat in almost all parameters associated with good quality bread. Similarly pasta products made from Einkorn also are not comparable in quality to normal pasta though some consumers rated them as more pleasant to taste. Ultimately Einkprn will have to exploit its higher nutritive value and practically insignificant gluten sensitivity for establishing any sizable market.

Commercially no relative of the modern wheat Triticum aestivum can compete against it because of the tremendous advances made in the field of wheat science by thousands of scientists across the Globe and there is not much that is not known as far this modern day staple grain is concerned. Closely related grains like diploidal Einkorn (T. boeticum wild or T.monococcum cultivated)  or tetrapoidal Emmer grains or Hexaploidal Spelt grains do not have same properties like the present day wheat which are essential for making high quality processed food products.

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

NISIN AS A FOOD PRESERVATIVE

Nisin is one of the most effective natural antibacterials chanced upon by man and it was originally isolated in 1928 becoming a popular food preservative extensively used by the food industry. Nisin belongs to the broad group of antibiotics commonly known as Lantibiotics because they contain the unique special amino acid Lanthionine. There are about 30 members in Lantibiotics group, the most famous being Nisin A. Some of the other well known members of this group include mersacidin, actagardin, subtilin and epidermin. Nisin itself has variants designated as Nisin Types A, Z, F, Q derived from the bacteria Lactococci lactis while types U and U2 are obtained from Streptococci species. Generally Lanthionine antibiotics are effective against Gram positive bacterial pathogenes but in combination with the chelation agent, EDTA they can be equally effective against Gram negative bacteria also.

Nisin is a unique short chain poly cyclic peptide containing 34 amino acids and it can boast of some special uncommon amino acids like lanthionine, methyl lanthionine, didehydro alanine and didehydro amino butyric acid. The variants of Nisin differ basically in terms of the number of amino acids contained in the polypeptide varying between 24 and 34 amino acid moieties per molecule. Their excellent solubility in water, proven safety for humans and high effectiveness at low concentrations make them ideal for preservation of many foods. More important they are digested in the GI like any other peptides and proteins leaving no traces that can cause problem. Added to this it has high resistance against acidic environment and commonly encounterd processing temperatures. It is used in a variety of foods that include milk and milk products, meat and derived products, poultry meat, fish products, canned foods, fruit juices, plant proteins, fast food preparations and health care products. Unlike conventional chemical preservatives, Nisin action is independent of pH and there for are excellently suited for extending the life of many traditional food products of India.

Lantionine antibiotics are classified under two broad groups, A and B based on their mode of action against pathogens. Type A antibiotics containing flexible polypeptides cause pores or holes on the cell wall of the contaminating bacteria causing the cell content to leak out leading to their eventual death and Nisin & Epidermin are important members belonging to this type. In contrast Type B products inhibit some of the vital enzymes required for survival and growth of the pathogenic bacteria and prominent ones include Mersacidin and Actagardin. Generally a concentration of 1-25 ppm would be sufficient to get 100% kill of the infection. With an ADI value of 0.13 mg per kg body weight, Nisin is considered safe as the use dosage rarely exceeds 2-3 mg per serving. An international unit (IU) of Nisin is the dose required to inhibit one cell of Streptococcus agalatiae in 1 ml broth and a standard Nisin preparation should have 900 IU per mg. Recent toxicological evidence using nisin preparations containing low Sodium Chloride, usually used for adjusting the potency has further raised the ADI values several fold confirming the innocuous nature of this preservative.

Attempts are being made to increase the potency of Nisin as a broad spectrum antibiotics against major disease vectors through genetic engineering techniques and possibly such efforts may succeed eventually. Bioengineered Nisin, still in an experimental stage, is reported to be effective against difficult to eradicate bacteria such as MRSA, Vancomycin resistant Enterococci VRE, Listeria etc. The antibacterial characteristics of Nisin A, Z, F and Q which are more effective some bacterial species and those of Nisin U and U2 against others are combined through gene transfer to evolve new Nisin variant for use against a wide range of bacteria. It is a question of time before world comes to recognize the potential of Nisin antibiotics for ensuring safety of most of the foods which are facing serious infection problems from many pathogenic bacteria forcing the industry to recall tainted products from the market and incur heavy financial set back.

Food industry world over is going through a difficult period because of increasing cost of processing and higher expectation of the consumer regarding lower prices, better quality and absolute safety. Energy inputs required to get products with impeccable safety credentials are very high while over heated food products tend to lose its quality in terms of taste, texture and flavor. A priority goal for the industry is cutting down on energy cost in day to day operations and Nisin can achieve significant energy saving because of its synergistic effect with temperature calling for lower heating schedule to obtain complete sterilization. Same is true while using chemical preservatives which are under critical scanner regarding their safety and use of Nisin in conjunction with chemical preservatives at lower levels can achieve same results. One of the advantages of Lanthionine antibiotics is that they are never used to fight infectious diseases in man and there fore the much feared antibiotic resistance is a non-issue.

While all look rosy there can be hiccups for using Nisin as a universal preservative because, being a peptide there can be a few who may develop allergy against this preservative. Though there are no major allergic episode so far, presence of milk proteins in Nisin preparation derived from milk substrate can pose problems to consumers vulnerable to lactose allergy. How ever there is technology to produce Nisin using plant derived materials as substrate for fermentation and this problem is unlikely to pose any major challenge to this unique preservative in the near future.

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

PEANUTS-WHY UNFAIRLY JUDGED!

There was a time when every American kid symbolized three food products-Potato Chips, Cola Drink and Peanut Butter and they had dominated the markets all over the world as consumer crazy commercial products. Both cola drinks and chips faced enormous odds in the market now and then, being castigated as unhealthy and it is tribute to the sagacity, marketing muscle and technological prowess on the part of the manufacturers to weather the storms as when they blew across their turf. Now it is the turn of Peanut Butter which is facing the flak from the very consumers who courted them as one of their favorite snack items, who are raising a big hue and cry about the safety of this material for their children. What a turn around in a brief span of a decade? Currently peanut butter is banned in many schools and peanut free zones are being created in some other schools in that country. Even thorough hand washing is being enforced to prevent allergy molecules from peanut causing problems to others! 25% of parents do believe that their children are peanut allergic though statistically only 4% of school going kids are vulnerable to this syndrome. Probably the scientific correlation between peanut allergy and other allergies like asthma makes parents nervous about use of peanut products in general.

An adverse immune response to a food protein is responsible for allergy. Millions of people are affected by food allergies of various types, USA alone accounting for 12 million cases. About 1 in 15 children suffers from some form of allergy while 1 in 25 adults has the same affliction. Since most of the allergy cases are reported from western countries where hospital facilities are excellent, only 100-200 deaths occur each year. Other important allergic foods include shell fish,tree nuts,fish, eggs, soybean and wheat. The symptoms manifesting as angioedema, appears within a few seconds to one hour in the form of soft tissue swelling in areas near eyes, face, lips,tongue, larynx, trachea causing difficulties in breathing. Itching of mouth, throat, eyes and the skin, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, abdominal pain, nasal congestion, wheezing are other symptoms of allergy.

An allergic reaction to food involves the various components of the immune system. One component is a type of protein, an anti body called immunoglobulin (IgE) which circulates through the blood. Another component is the mast cells, a specialized cell that is found in all tissues in the body. These cells are common in nose, throat, lungs, skin and GI tract which are typical sites of allergic reactions. The allergen stimulates lymphocytes to produce IgE anti body that is specific to the allergen. This IgE attaches itself to the surface of the mast cells in different tissues of the body. When ever the food containing the allergen is eaten, it provokes the mast cells to release of chemicals like histamine and the consequent reaction.

Is the peanut allergy so serious as to warrant its total elimination from the diets in whole of the world? The present label warning system ensures that foods processed in machines commonly used for peanuts is declared on the label and separate cautionary warning is included for foods containing peanut as an ingredient for the benefits of allergic consumers. The health benefits of peanuts for a vast majority of the population far outweigh the relatively few allergy risks for some sensitive people. It is well known that consumption of a handful of peanuts twice a week halves the risk of heart attacks. Being a food product with very low glycemic index, peanut is strongly recommended for people vulnerable to sugar compromised conditions like diabetes. With high proteins in the kernel, peanut is an excellent wholesome food material for both children and adults. Breast feeding of children at least for the first four months is believed to be capable of preventing or delaying onset of peanut allergy. Indians are fortunate in that very few cases of peanut allergy are reported officially though possibility of many others going unreported cannot be ruled out. The nutrition monitoring bureau of the Ministry of Health must include data collection on food allergies also if, as a nation, we have to prevent epidemic forms of allergic manifestations in future. Unless reliable data base is established, no worthwhile national contingency strategy can be formulated for counter acting such incidences as and when they become a serious health challenge in the country.

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