Bio-milk- New bioengineering approach through microbial route

In India milk is regularly consumed as a part of a healthy diet and serves the purpose of providing high quality proteins, minerals and other nutrients. Its importance is all the more critical considering that more than half the population is vegetarians either because of religious taboos or economic compulsions and animal products like eggs, meat, poultry, fish etc are shunned by many. There was a time in Indian history when milk was a scarce commodity produced in limited quantities and distributed through rationing. But to day India is the top ranked country as far as milk production is concerned after the "operation flood" programs initiated by the famous Amul cooperative in Gujarat. While statistically production may be adequate to meet the recommended minimum requirement of each citizen, access to milk is some what restricted because of lack of purchasing power with a significant proportion of the population living in poverty. 

If there is adequate milk available globally why should the scientists waste their time in developing animal milk alternatives which do not depend the cattle? It was understandable 70 years ago when there was a short supply of milk and efforts in India were directed to develop cheap milk substitutes from plant substances like Soybean, Groundnut etc.With more and more information emerging about nutrition and health of milk, both positive and negative, consumers are now better aware about what is good for them and what are to be avoided. Animal milk does pose a few problems for many consumers who are allergic to lactose and others afraid of cholesterol present in milk and milk products. Besides, green house emission is becoming a critical issue because many believe that they are responsible for global warming and the consequences flowing from it. According to WHO dairy farming accounts for about 3% of green house gas emissions and cutting down on milk can alleviate the situation to some extent. These are the driving forces that make scientists look for better alternatives to animal milk.

Why is that scores of brands of milk currently available in the market claiming t be as good as animal derived milk have not succeeded to the extent hoped for? Any "pretender" product seeking to replace the "original", as consumers recognize, should satisfy several quality criteria. These include taste, texture, mouth feel, appearance, flavor and last but the least the cooking properties which are hall marks of real milk. The fact that there is no real challenger yet to the milk, really proves that none of the existing products are satisfactory as far consumers are concerned. This is what is driving more and more scientists with burning innovative spirit to take up the challenge to develop a true milk substitute. 

A recent claim by a group of scientists in the US that they have perfected the technology for making a "real" milk substitute based on genetically modified yeast cells needs careful examination. Prima facie the product appears to be capable of posing a serious challenge to animal milk. But they have to travel a long way before a commercially viable product arrives in the market capable of competing with real milk. According to them the product is "fabricated" from 20 individual components which include water, proteins, enzymes, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.  They use six key proteins for structure and function and eight key fatty acids for flavor and richness. But instead of using cashews and almonds as is the normal practice to replicate the curdy backbone of conventional milk, their product preparation starts with bioengineering of yeast to produce authentic milk proteins, which will give it the same taste and nutrition as regular milk. 

The backbone of the process is obtaining casein proteins from yeast through genetic alteration. Yeast is genetically modified by incorporating the DNA extracted from cow and after growing the cultures under optimal conditions of temperature and concentration, the resulting milk proteins are harvested for use in their product they call as "Muufri" milk. Plant-derived fats are then put through the biotech process to replicate the flavor and make-up of milk fats, while sugars and minerals like calcium are added separately. The product can be modified to deliver greater health benefits, using an alternate sugar to lactose for the lactose-intolerant, or leaving cholesterol out altogether. To cap it, other types of milk – goat, buffalo, whole, skim – can also be replicated through this process, so claim these scientists.

The million dollar question is whether a GMO product will be readily accepted by the consumers even if t has excellent nutritional credentials. According to creators of this novel product, the GMO yeast does not enter the product as the cells are removed by centrifugation, only the proteins being used in the formulation. Still extraneous proteins originating from yeast can be theoretically present in trace amounts and cannot be entirely ruled out. But yeast is extensively used in brewing and making bread and this probably may rule out any allergic problem consumers may encounter from Muufri milk. Ultimately if compulsory labeling of GMO products becomes a norm, the product will have to declare the same on its label. and how that will affect the consumer response is uncertain.

Any product intended to be marketed against stiff challenges from its competitors must have cost advantage, at least to begin with, before establishing its credibility and wide consumer acceptance. It is here the Muufri may face some problem as the cost pf production using the new technology is estimated to be double that of conventional milk. Though it is claimed that the product needs no pasteurization because it is made from bacteria free components, this may not make much difference in terms of cost of production. If the health claims are substantiated by independent verification, it has the best chance to be positioned as a well being product commanding premium price. Then the business volume will be rather limited posing no threat to the traditional dairy milk business. 

A point which cannot escape our attention is whether the traditional dairy sector will keep quite looking at this development with a sense of apprehension. Already there are indications that the industry is gearing itself for a massive exercise to boost their products in the market as a result of decreasing consumption of milk by American consumers worrying about the health impact of milk consumption. Emergence of the A2 milk as a healthy and preferred product and lower levels of this fraction in American milk products combined with the perception that milk does contribute to obesity will make the task of pushing more milk into the diet of Americans tougher  It here products like Muufri milk will find an opening to reach the family dining table with relative ease.

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

Russia's Buckwheat crunch-Real scarcity or fear of shortage?

The recent headline news about the panic that has gripped Russia over the reported scarcity of Buckwheat in the market raises a pertinent question as to why Russians are so obsessed with this pseudo grain which after all is not related to real wheat? While wheat is produced all over the world in terms of millions of tons and most western countries eat wheat as their staple, why Russians prefer Buck wheat over real wheat? As against an estimated annual global wheat production of about 715 million tons (mt), Buck wheat production was a measly 2.3 mt! Still an economic power like Russia feels threatened by a temporary shortage of this food grain! It is difficult to hazard a guess regarding the reason for this strange phenomenon though one can attribute this affinity for Buckwheat to historical facts dating back to the Russian Empire.

Buck wheat is known to mankind as far back as 8000 years ago and there is ample evidence to substantiate this fact. There was a time when Russians were growing and consuming as much as 6.5 mt of Buckwheat, about hundred years ago which started sliding down to about 4.5 mt in 1970 and production of Buckwheat in present day Russia is hardly 0.8 mt. It is China which took a gigantic step forward in growing this food grain producing about 0 .72 mt, a close second to Russia followed by Ukraine, an erstwhile part of Soviet Union recording a production of 0.28 mt. Probably Chinese must have taken up growing of Buckwheat largely for export to Russia. What has led to the present hysteria among Russian population to buy the grain in large quantities for stocking, may be speculation and rumors about shortage caused by the biting economic sanctions imposed by the western powers on Russia to punish it for its transgressions in neighboring Ukraine. One is reminded of the great salt shortage 4 decades ago in Soviet Union which also drove the people to stock salt which was later emptied into the drains causing heavy choking of drains in places like Moscow! One can attribute this to the "siege" mentality among the Russians to the bitter experience they had during the Communist rule when every consumer item was in short supply due to systemic flaws in the economy. Also the actual production of Buckwheat has declined this year by about 20% compared to last year due to wide scale drought reported in the growing regions of the country.

Buckwheat is a nutritious food grain, probably much better than the conventional wheat and being a staple food Russians are better off in terms of their over all health index. Added to this they are heavy meat eaters and the versatility of Buckwheat in blending with almost all other foods lends itself to ready acceptability across all segments of population. Its high protein content of about 18% ( non gluten), high nutritional quality of Biological Value over 92% and ample presence of minerals like Iron, Magnesium, Selenium, Zinc and high antioxidant content including the unique Rutin makes Buckwheat a nutritionist's dream food. Further presence of a rare biochemical, D-chiro-inositol DCI), a component of the secondary messenger pathway for insulin signal transduction makes it a deserving candidate for treating Type II diabetes in humans. Generally diabetics lack DCI in their system and consumption of Buckwheat is suggested as a therapy for ameliorating diabetic conditions significantly.  

Industrial use of Buckwheat is showing an increase for some time now as it is used by some brewers to make gluten free beer catering to those allergic to gluten. Buckwheat has similar malting characteristics comparable to that of barley. in the US Buckwheat is attracting more and more attention as a health food, some describing it as the "world's healthiest food". Besides, the explosive growth of gluten-free food industry there, it has found a ready ally in this grain and demand for it is bound to grow in the coming years. The proteins found in Buckwheat flour act as a functional ingredient in food formulations with reported claims that it reduces plasma cholesterol, body fat and cholesterol in gallstones. Many nutrition experts agree with the view that a daily intake of 100 gm of Buckwheat can consistently lower serum cholesterol levels significantly, lower LDL values and elevate HDL levels which is attributed to the presence of Rutin, a well established antioxidant in the grain.    

As far as Russians are concerned Buckwheat has values beyond that which makes it a good and balanced food. For them it is a "national idea". Though it was cultivated and introduced to Russia by early Mughal invaders in 13th century, it being the main food of Byzantine monks, Russia readily accepted Buck wheat giving it the name "Grechka". Today Buck wheat is consumed in Russia in many forms like porridge for breakfast, mixed with chopped liver for lunch in preparations for dinner and in a variety of other ways. It is ubiquitous in restaurants, cafeterias, schools, hospitals, military barracks, prisons and in almost every house hold. Naturally having got used to it no wonder Russians are panicking at the first sign of scarcity as they did with salt 4 decades ago!

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

CHOLESTEROL-BEYOND THE VILLAIN'S ROLE

If there is one biological material that has been widely condemned for its negative health impact on humans, it is cholesterol which occurs in different forms in the body. There are 'bad' cholesterol and 'good' cholesterol depending on how much protein is linked to it. HDL, the high density version has less of fatty component while LDL variety is low in proteins. The present theory is that LDL cholesterol is oxidized and becomes part of the plaques that clog the arteries affecting the functioning of the heart. Though there is no complete unanimity on the above theory, it is more or less accepted by the medical community and the multi billion dollar statin industry was borne. What is forgotten is that body has its own system for synthesizing cholesterol from its precursors and foods containing cholesterol may not influence critically the serum cholesterol levels under normal dietary practices. Why is that cholesterol literally evokes fear and apprehensions all around in spite of it being a natural metabolite? On an average human body synthesizes about 1 gm a day in the liver, GI tract,adrenal glands and reproductive organs and total cholesterol content in the body can be as high as 35 gm in adult. Dietary intake on the other hand is hardly 200-300 mg a day and the homeostatic mechanism in the body regulates cholesterol synthesis, making less if dietary intake is more or vice-versa. It is a universal knowledge that cholesterol plays a versatile role in many biological functions which include building and maintaining cell membranes, regulating membrane fluidity, intracellular transport, cell signaling and nerve conduction. It is the vital precursor to bile salts which solubilizes fats in GI tract and aids intestinal absorption of fat molecules as well as fat soluble vitamins. Besides it is also a precursor to Vitamin D and important steroid hormones. Statin drugs are targeted at interfering with the synthesis of cholesterol by inhibiting the critical enzyme HMG-CoA Reductase thus reducing rate of in vivo synthesis but this enzyme has other functions which will also be affected by regular consumption of this commercial drug. Recent reports, emanating from Sweden, suggesting that a derivative of cholesterol called Oxysterol is vital for development of brain cells, raises concern that aggressive reduction of cholesterol as is being proposed by some medical professionals can have disastrous consequences on brain development. Dopamine producing neurons during brain development seem to be dependent on activation of a specific receptor in the brain by Oxysterol which helps in producing safer and better dopamine producing cells. The observation that in people afflicted by Parkinson's disease the dopamine producing cells die faster, lends credence to the above findings. While statins are useful in treating genetically predisposed high cholesterol patients or those with metabolic aberrations, the practice of its wide scale use to drastically bring down the level in normally healthy persons in the name of preventing atherosclerosis needs to be reviewed because of its possible impact on brain development and function and increased incidence of Parkinson's disease. V.H.POTTY http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/ http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

THE BATTLE FOR YOUR 'HEART' - STATINS VS THE FOOD

Cholesterol management is a continuing topic of interest amongst nutritionists, medical practitioners, policy makers and consumers, ever since this biochemical has been implicated in arterial diseases. The belief that cholesterol and its metabolic companions lipoproteins are involved in forming dangerous plaques on the walls of arteries has spawned an entirely new industry that manufactures and markets drugs called statins to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. The statin manufacturers, numbering about a dozen are estimated to be raking in a mammoth turnover of about $ 26 billion in USA alone and this 'magic' drug is routinely being prescribed to people with cholesterol levels, even marginally higher than recommended optimum concentration in the blood.

The family of cholesterol containing lipoproteins like VLDL, LDL and HDL is present in human body at varying levels depending on the genetic make up, food intake, living style and some other factors. Cholesterol by itself is a soft waxy lipid that is not soluble in water or blood and it is in the form of lipoproteins that cholesterol performs its assigned metabolic functions. Cholesterol is critical for cell wall synthesis besides being a precursor to all of the steroid hormones like estrogen, testosterone, cortisone and others. Many believe that HDL cholesterol is good while LDL and VLDL cholesterol types are responsible for heart diseases. While body synthesizes cholesterol routinely through the mediation of HMG CoA Reductase enzyme, many of the foods we consume also contribute to cholesterol in the body. Optimum concentration of LDLs in blood is less than 100 mg/dL while high risk levels begin at 160 mg/dL. HDL concentration is generally around 40-60 mg/dL and a ratio of 5:1 for total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol is considered beneficial. Arcus juvenilis, a pale ring around the iris in the eyes and yellowish fatty deposits under the skin around the eyes called xanthelasmata usually are indicators of high cholesterol levels in the body.

There does not seem to be any unanimity regarding the role of cholesterol in causing heart attacks. Many believe that high levels of LDL and VLDL cholesterol are responsible for forming arterial plaques which block blood circulation through the heart causing myocardial infraction. A few reputed experts, however, contest this thesis and assert that cholesterol numbers are not important but small dense LDL particles formed in the blood probably due to development of insulin and leptin resistance, cause plaque formation. According to them these small LDL particles can squeeze between cells lining the inside of the arteries (gap junction) of the endothelium where they get stuck and are potentially oxidized causing inflammation of the lining and plaque formation. In support, hundreds of studies have been cited where majority of patients hospitalized for heart attack have cholesterol numbers, well within the recommended levels and reduction in cholesterol is not well correlated to reduction in mortality rate. While the ability of statin drugs to lower the circulating cholesterol is undisputed, whether such intervention helps to reduce the chances of heart attack is a debatable point and jury is till out on this issue. Many believe that high fibrinogen levels play more important role by its tendency to form blood clots and consequent effect on the heart.

Adding another dimension to this burning issue is the reported side effects of statins implicating it in muscle pain, nerve damage and memory impairment. Further the enzyme that is inhibited by statins to achieve low cholesterol numbers is also vital for synthesizing the co-enzyme Q10 involved in metabolic reactions converting food into usable energy for transport to the cells in the body. It is also well argued that current recommended levels of cholesterol are not easily achievable with diets and exercise regimes, except through intervention drug therapy using statins. No wonder that more than 12 million Americans are hooked on to statins because of the scare posed by such perceived dangers of cholesterol.

Consumption of whole cereals and pulses, soybean, garlic, onion, hot pepper, cloves, green tea, fruits like strawberry, grapefruit, orange and apple, almost all vegetables, fish, red wine, olive oil, many spices, nuts like almond and walnuts and most of the every day natural foods provide plenty of antioxidants which can ensure that cholesterol will never pose a problem vis-à-vis the heart. Naturally occurring phytochemicals present in plant foods work in different ways to protect the heart by preventing formation of blood clots and lowering of cholesterol. Probably food industry can seize the opportunity to win the 'hearts' of the consumers through the food route and break the stranglehold the statin industry has on them at present!

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

TO EAT IT OR NOT?-THE 'EGG' DILEMMA

In the modern world, driven helter skelter by the cholesterol 'scare', eating egg and egg products has become a highly controversial subject of passionate arguments both for as well as against. The nutritionists recommend limited consumption of 3-4 eggs a week for a normal adult person, though many shun eggs under the belief that it can cause a plethora of life style diseases including CVD and diabetes. The latest to join this perennial debate is a group of scientists who propound regular consumption of eggs based on their experience. Their study has found that some of the important nutrients contained in the egg can reduce the risk of neural tube birth defects and in fact it can promote development of healthy eyes. This is attributed to the high quality of proteins present in egg which helps faster growing, increased muscle strength, improved energy mobilization and higher weight gain amongst children. Of course these findings fly in the face of some reports linking egg consumption to Type II diabetes, high BMI, hypertension, higher cholesterol levels etc but the variables that influence the overall health index of a person are so many which can vitiate many studies involving egg consumption. If some one is consuming egg along with alcohol, high salt, high sugar, high fat including saturated and trans fats, the disorders that manifest cannot be attributed to egg alone.

To be fair, egg is one of the most complete foods man has known because one egg has just 80 kC of energy mostly derived from proteins and fat, 6.3% very high quality proteins, just 5% of fat out of which 2% is saturated fat and rest MUFA and PUFA, 220 mg of cholesterol, ,125 mg of choline, 170 micrograms of Lutein and Zeaxanthine besides nutrients like Vitamin A and D, Folates, Iron and Zinc. The amount of protein in medium size egg meets 12% of RDA of an adult. Egg is also found to be involved in weight management, muscle strength and maintenance, healthy pregnancy, brain functions, heart health, methylation at cellular levels, inflammatory control and eye health and all these qualities are rarely present in any single food.

Choline present in egg providing 25% of RDA for this essential nutrient, has several functions in human body. During pregnancy choline helps proper development of fetal brain and ensures freedom from birth defects in the child. It helps to maintain the membrane structure of brain cells in adults. It is a key component in neuro transmitters that help relaying messages through nerves and muscles. Methylation at cellular levels, especially the genes, is facilitated by Choline and this is an important process of sending messages between the cells.

Lutein and Zeaxanthine, present in egg are important antioxidants that prevent macular degeneration and age related blindness. Interestingly, though these chemicals are present in other sources like Spinach, Algae etc, egg provides the best bio-available version of them. Leucine, one of the amino acids present in egg protein, helps the muscles to utilize the energy efficiently besides helping the muscles to recover from rigorous exercise regimens. Eating eggs as the first food in the day, instead of other foods, increases satiety and decrease hunger which in turn reduces net food consumption and helps in reducing body weight consistently. The cholesterol in eggs is falsely being accused of increased cholesterol build up whereas in truth, egg increases the friendly HDL, improving the HDL/LDL Ratio and reducing the risk of plaque formation in arteries. Generally it is recognized that diet cholesterol does not increase blood cholesterol in every body. In fact cholesterol is an important chemical that serves to insulate nerve fibers, maintain cell walls, produce Vitamin D, various hormones and digestion juices. There is a difference between diet cholesterol and blood cholesterol and former is not automatically converted to the latter on consumption. Recommended RDA is 300 mg per day which is likely to be raised in the light of newer findings now available to the policy makers.

Another improper understanding regarding the egg causing heart attack needs to be corrected. Egg protein present in the yolk is a potent inhibitor of human platelet aggregation and prolong the time for transformation of Fibrinogen to Fibrin which serves as a scaffold for platelets to form clumps for eventual narrowing of the arteries. There appears to be an inverse relation between egg consumption and heart attack, if some recent surveys are to be believed. Also reported is the formation of several short chain peptides during boiling or frying of eggs which have strong ACE inhibitor activity and consequently are helpful in preventing heart attacks amongst regular egg consumers..

The above critique is not to promote egg as a " must eat" healthy food but only to put the scientific facts in their right perspectives. It is true that vegetarians live without eggs, and live well too. But the range of nutrients and wide benefits of eggs can be found only in multiple sources of plant origin, requiring careful menu planning. Choice is yours!

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