CHICKEN EGG FROM THE PLANT? SOUNDS CRAZY!

Egg is a unique food that is considered almost complete with respect to most essential nutrients required for a normal health. Unfortunately the human world is divided into two succinct groups based on the dietary habits. One group eats practically every thing that is edible on this planet while the other one abhors most foods of animal origin that include meat, fish and poultry. In between there are sub-groups who take milk called lacto vegetarians and others consuming eggs called ovo vegetarians. Newer generation of vegetarians do not have inhibition in giving egg and products based on it to their children, realizing that it provides the best nutrition to growing children along with milk as most plant sources of proteins are inferior to milk and egg in terms of amino acid make up and protein efficiency ratio. 

Egg industry is big business and has a powerful lobby that protects its interests. Though egg can be from a variety of creatures that include Chicken, Duck, Quail, Roe and Caviar fish, most commonly consumed comes from Chicken. As its unique nutritive role is well established many countries classify egg as a meat food. Chicken egg is a historically important food its antiquity dating back to 7000 BC. To day world consumes annually about 65 million tons of eggs produced by about 6.5 billion Hens. Besides its high value proteins present in the white portion ( 12-13%), egg is also a rich source of Vitamin A, B2, B6, B9, Choline, Iron, Calcium Phosphorus and Potassium. though 75% of its weight is accounted for by water! Controversy surrounding the dangers associated with regular egg consumption is so confusing that many health pundits opine that healthy individuals should not take more than 4 eggs a week to avoid developing diseases like CVD, Stroke, Diabetes etc. The rationale of this view is that egg is a rich source of Cholesterol (424 mg %), triglycerides (10-11%) and lecithin, all considered villains of peace as far as human health is concerned.

Fear of Cholesterol and fat keeps consumers away from the egg. Is this justifiable? Probably not, because at moderate consumption level and with normal physical activity, egg cannot do any harm at all. After all both Cholesterol and fat are normal biologically relevant nutrients which are metabolized in the body. Still egg poses some challenges in terms of health hazards because of the recent finding that the lecithin present in it can produce artifacts in the intestine such as TMAO which facilitates plaque formation in arteries leading to heart damage. Also true is the potential allergy caused by egg white to many consumers. Due to unsatisfactory hygiene conditions in many egg producing facilities, one of the biggest threat to egg industry is fatal contamination with Salmonella which is known to kill scores of people every year. If egg consumption can raise the chances of heart attack because of its association with TMAO formation through action of intestinal bacteria and Salmonella threat perception becomes serious in the coming years, what is the alternative to it for consumers who are used to egg consumption in the form of boiled egg, fried egg, omelet, scrambled egg and many other products containing egg solids?. Here comes an interesting development which speaks of vegetarian egg!

Many ovo vegetarians consume egg because modern day egg is an unfertilized one incapable of forming live birds on incubation and thereby justify its consumption. As for regular egg consumers Salmonella infection is sought to be addressed by vaccinating the birds in countries like England against this pathogen. Some ovo vegetarians are put off by the fishy smell due to generation if Triethylamine when feed materials contain rape seed meal or soy meal. The so called "Plant Egg" is not an egg possessing the shape of the regular egg but at best an egg powder analog that can be used in many food preparations containing egg solids. It cannot make a boiled egg like product or a fried egg but preparation of omelet and bakery products is possible. 

Scientific efforts in creating  products from plant sources similar to meat or egg have been going on for quite some time and there are a few products already being marketed with some success. In India soy chunks and granules are used to at least extend the meat used in preparations cooked at home and thus save some money. But except for texture these meat substitutes do not measure up to the expectations of the consumer. Similarly there are egg substitutes made from plant proteins which are not easily accepted by those used to natural egg. It is against this background that a new claim is being made recently by a US company regarding development of egg powder like product which cannot be distinguished from egg powder made from chicken eggs. How far this claim is substantiated is not clear as it is not yet launched commercially.

The USP of chicken egg is the extraordinary properties of the proteins present in it which help to make many products from it. The proteins in the yolk coagulates at a temperature of 150-158F while that in egg white gets coagulated between 145F and 165F and this phenomenon is responsible for the unique texture of preparations like boiled egg, fried egg and omelet. To replicate this has been a Herculean effort for the scientists as most plant proteins are more heat resistant and the protein texture when coagulated does not match with that of chicken egg. This is sought to be addressed by screening a vast array of plant species to identify those capable of mimicking egg protein. The new development is based on discovering plant protein sources which resemble the egg protein in their response to heat.    

Eggs have also some amazing properties, such as the ability to enable oil and water-based foods to mix permanently. The challenge to create a genuine substitute for the egg is daunting as such replacements should also match the latter in terms of nutrition which calls for massive studies involving proteins from different edible plant sources. If the claims made so far are to be believed a few baked goods can easily be prepared using egg replacements from plants with barely any difference. One of the species of plant from Asia it was found that its proteins coagulate and turns solid, with heat  similar to the process that scrambles the eggs. With present state of knowledge, plants like the one identified it should be possible to create hundreds of products that can provide the culinary pleasure to the carnivores without going through the animal route. 

Animal system is increasingly being criticized for some of the ills the world is facing to day including global warming. In general livestock is considered environmentally taxing producing 51% of greenhouse emissions due to flatulence. Besides considerable acreage of land is locked up in rearing them. Added to this, according to some calculations, livestock consume more food than it would take to feed the 1.3 billion people in this planet who go to bed hungry every night! Probably the world will have no option but to turn to the plant kingdom to sustain itself before long!

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

THE EGG FIASCO-KERALA TO SUFFER

Food safety management can be a thankless job for any government because of the sensitivity of consumers to food shortages and price rise. Recent ban on entry of eggs produced from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu by the government is expected to create a no-win situation for both the government as well as the consumers. Out of about 15 million eggs consumed every day in Kerala, bulk of it comes from Tamil Nadu, almost 90%, while Karnataka sends about a million eggs. The reported prevalence of Avian Flu in Karnataka seems to be the provocation for Kerala to put in place such a ban and it is not clear whether this ban is justifiable at all considering that this viral disease is not easily transferable through eggs to human beings. As for infecting birds in Kerala, the poultry industry in Kerala is practically non-existent and such a possibility can be discounted. While as a precaution such temporary measures are in order, prolonging it can cause acute shortage and very high prices for eggs available in the market. Besides such long time ban can throw out of business many traders dealing with egg marketing.

It is but logical to expect that scarcity of eggs is going to create shortage in the market causing all round concern with most Keralites being non-vegetarians by nature. Looking at the chronology of events, it may be recalled that the ban was imposed by the State on the eggs and poultry coming from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka a few days ago. If reports are to be believed many traders depending on egg business have shut down their outlets because of stop of flow of eggs from out side consequent to the ban and one can imagine its economic impact on the industry. According to some observers, eggs and poultry products being brought from Tamil Nadu are certified by veterinary doctors. and only broiler chicken and eggs for incubation purpose are brought from Karnataka. Also to be noted is that the bird flue was reported in a farm in Karnataka a week ago and the authorities there had taken steps to destroy the affected product. It is in this context that the industry feels the ban makes little sense. The poultry industry in Tamil Nadu is also incurring huge losses on account of the development and about 120 loads of eggs are reported to be awaiting clearance at check posts between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Imagine the consequences of these eggs getting spoiled due to slow clearance at the border check posts. How the situation is going to be handled remains to be seen with the possibility of substantial portion of the eggs getting perished.

The price of eggs for both direct consumers as well as others like bakeries, restaurants and road side vendors is bound to shoot up due to the prevailing ban. Interestingly same eggs are being marketed in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu as these states have not banned them as a knee-jerk response to isolated detection of bird flu there. What will be a worrying factor is regarding the fate of eggs losing their quality due to disruption of the flow into Kerala. Are they going to be sorted out and fed to the market or there will be compulsory destruction of the entire lot? Who will be responsible to look into these aspects? Kerala, Tamil Nadu or Karnataka? While the right of any state to prohibit entry of unsafe foods into its territory is to be respected, same has to be exercised with utmost caution. Though the bakery industry is most vociferous in criticizing the ban as they fear that with Christmas season fast approaching their business is going to be seriously impacted, there is a general concern that Kerala will witness serious turmoil if the ban is not lifted soon.

It is interesting to note the relatively high consumption of eggs in Kerala which works out to about 4 eggs per week per person or 220 eggs per year compared to 43 eggs annual per capita consumption in whole of the country. Of course in comparison, countries like Japan, Mexico etc consume more than 300 eggs per year per person. According to the nutritional norms of the GOI, on an average a person must consume 180 eggs an year for good health. While egg consumption is generally discouraged among well fed population due to its high cholesterol content, for those who are not in their pink of health due to limited access to good food, egg is an excellent source of balanced nutrition. While population in the industrialized world need to curtail their egg consumption, in a country like India egg consumption needs to be encouraged. 

The poultry industry in Kerala is practically non existent with average daily production being about 60, 000 eggs! Coming back to the ban, it is not clear why the Kerala government has not taken pro-active steps to encourage poultry industry in that state, making the population there vulnerable to such a situation. Is it that the high humidity in most parts of the state is not conducive to poultry birds? Probably not. A puzzling factor is that when there is a huge growing market for eggs, the state depends on imports from neighboring states. It is time that the state wakes up to the real potential of poultry industry and encourage setting up huge poultry farms in the state, probably with foreign technology with high efficiency. A ban probably may not be the answer under the present circumstances and a cooperative effort among the three governments concerned can find an immediate solution, in stead of taking such unilateral action to ban the trading in eggs, putting lot of people in these states in difficulty in terms of food shortage and business loss.

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

CHOOSING THE EGG-CONSUMER DILEMMA!

With heightened awareness about food safety and health protection, consumers are invariably in a dilemma as to which products they should be buying and which ones they should be shunning. This is true with almost all foods on the retail shelves in the market. Take the case of eggs which are offered in many formats, at least in developed countries making the consumers totally confused. It is relatively easy in many developing countries where grading and certification are exception rather than rule. In recent years eggs offered in supermarkets come with different claims which most consumers do not understand. These claims on the cartons decide the prices one has to pay and hence a thorough understanding of the implications of such claims can equip the buyer to decide on the option. One must ask the question whether paying more money for a particular product is worth the money spent on it and here is where knowledge about the significance of the claims help to zero in on the most desirable type of egg. Terms used by the poultry industry like "free range", "cage free", "omega-3", "vegetarian" etc are stamped on the labels and they may make no sense to an ordinary consumer.

When the carton says it contains free range eggs many consumers may entertain images of a happy, healthy chicken roaming freely on a grassy hillside. Is it true?Not necessarily! Such claims do not assure that the hen was actually able to roam around outdoors. Generally as per law free-range conditions apply to only birds that are sold for their meat, not for egg-laying chickens. Even here it only means that the birds need to have access to the outdoors which can be fulfilled by providing a door in the side of the farm! Whether the chicken ever passes through it or not is irrelevant to the law which is equally vague as to whether the door leads to a concrete slab or actual grass or dirt!. Where does that leave the consumer? To no where! What does it mean when "cage free" adjective is used in the egg carton? It simply means that the hens are not confined to a cage but no one guarantees that these birds have real freedom to roam a farm and eat a varied diet, which is vital to the nutrients in the egg. The size of their space varies greatly from farm to farm. Some chickens have no more room than a small pet carrier! Almost all cage-free hens are still kept indoors and often, it's in a cramped barn.

One of the claimed benefits of cage-free and free-range bird is that the chickens will be healthier. Naturally when the birds are confined to the indoors, without access to natural light and the ability to stretch their legs, they are more vulnerable to sickness that calls for use of antibiotics frequently. Those that roam freely live more naturally in the outdoors and may not require extensive use of antibiotics which may find access to the eggs. There are interesting anecdotes that describe how tasty the traditionally raised country chickens can be compared to industrially produced chicken meat and eggs.

There are other versions of eggs such as "organic" which merely means that the bird was fed pesticide-free food and wasn't given hormones or antibiotics to help spur their growth and production. World is not unanimous in the view regarding the effects (if any) of using these hormones and pesticides have on the consumers in short term as well as long term. Many believe that these unnatural substances are undesirable and harmful causing cancers. Probably consumers are better off with organic eggs though they may have to pay extra such eggs, till better clarity emerges on this issue.. Omega-3 eggs are produced by hens raised on feeds containing high amounts of these types of fats considered heart-healthy. Such eggs are expected to contain two to three times the amount of omega 3s as compared to a regular egg and can be ideal for those who are averse to consuming fish like Salmon. There is this interesting version of a vegetarian egg which comes from hens fed on plant based feeds, suitable for ovo-vegetarians shunning dairy based foods. Hens with dark feathers produce brown eggs which are deceptively sold as more nutritious food which is not true. As these breeds eat more feed than chickens that lay white eggs, brown eggs invariably cost more to the consumer with no real advantage. It has to be kept in mind that an egg's taste and nutrition levels are most importantly influenced by feed composition which can be easily manipulated to give desired types of eggs.

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

NEW COOLING TECHNOLOGY FOR EGG SAFETY-RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Eggs are in the news lately for all wrong reasons. There was the massive recall of more than half a billion eggs suspected of salmonella contamination in the US. Packed battery cages used for housing the birds in industrial poultry farms became an emotive issue attracting the attention of a wide segment of consumer population forcing some governments to ban such practices and prescribe mandatory standards for such cages. Considering that eggs are invariably consumed after cooking, minor bacterial contamination should not pose any serious health hazard. But in western countries there are "cold" products that do not undergo the required 72C heating during preparation and they can be risky to consumers, especially those whose immune system is not strong and other vulnerable population. Pasteurized eggs are now available in some markets though they are more expensive. Similarly organic eggs also are supposed to be safe though how they get rid of poultry house contaminants without using chemicals is not known.

Detailed investigations into the egg contamination episode in the US by the authorities concerned revealed how negligent the poultry farms were in managing the operations and the feed storage areas as well as nearby facilities which were heavily infested with rats, considered a major source of Salmonella contamination. The cages were not sterilized periodically as required under good manufacturing practices and birds were over packed in cages giving no room for them even to stand. Under such primitive conditions it is no wonder the eggs from these farms were contaminated. The consequences of such tainted eggs getting into the kitchen raises the possibility of cross contamination to other foods stored together. The egg washing operations which are supposed to remove bulk of the contamination also could have been compromised. It is supposed to be a standard practice for the freshly laid eggs to be washed using detergents and chlorine to disinfect them before sending to the market.

Pasteurized eggs are produced by exposing the eggs to a temperature of 62C to 72C for a period go 3-5 minutes but it requires great caution as just 15 cells of a pathogen would be adequate for causing food-borne illness. It generally takes 6 hours to 48 hours after consuming an infected egg, to see the manifestation of sickness through symptoms like nausea, vomiting, stomach cramp, head ache and diarrhea. As per FDA rules a 5-log reduction is necessary if it takes 3-log reduction to destroy the pathogens. Standard practices of washing followed by coating of the eggs with special mineral oil formulations can be expected to keep the egg free of contamination and arrest quality deteriorating changes at a temperature of 4C. Natural egg has a bloom that covers the surface, protects the contents from ingress of pathogens through the micro pores and development of air cells with aging, deteriorating the over all quality of the egg. Development of egg coating oil formulations is intended for use after the egg is washed and dried which replaces the natural bloom that decomposes with time and affords same protection as the bloom. How ever very few practice egg coating because of the tediousness of the process and productivity constraints.

Recent development of a rapid cooling technology with potential for commercial application appears to be a promising new approach for making eggs safe for consumption. According to the present guidelines cooling of eggs is useful in preventing microbial proliferation but the period within which egg has to be cooled is not clearly spelt. It takes almost a week for the eggs in a large pallet to attain a temperature of 4C at which Salmonella can no longer grow. This is because the egg temperature, when they are packed in cartons, remains high around 38C which can be favorable for growth of pathogens. It is estimated that one in every 20,000 eggs would be contaminated and these eggs mostly hail from the center of the cartons where low temperatures are not attained easily during cooling.

The new technology uses conditions around -50 to -70C in a CO2 atmosphere to reach the freezing temperature of albumin when a thin layer of ice is formed in the shell-albumin boundary and under such a condition egg is supposed to be free from pathogens. Besides this rapid cooling which takes hardly 90 seconds doubles the shelf life of the egg, from 6-8 weeks to 12-15 weeks. The cryogenic CO2 cooling is claimed to cost only 2-5 cents per dozen eggs under commercial conditions. According to safety experts if the eggs are cooled to 7C within 12 hours of laying, the Salmonella poisoning can be reduced by almost 80%. Though technically it is a viable process its economic dimensions need to be worked out, especially the investment part of it before it can become the industry standard.

V.H.POTTY

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http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

PASTEURIZATION OF SOLID FOODS? EMERGING TREND

Ever since pasteurization came to be established as one of the most widely adopted processing operations known to man for ensuring safety of many liquid foods. It saved millions of lives from dreaded diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms of high virulence. Even to day billions of liters of fluid milk are being pasteurized for consumption all over the world. Many innovations have taken place to improve the efficiency of the process by cutting down the time and for increasing the shelf life as much as possible. Sterilization which is aimed at complete destruction of all microbes in a system is accomplished by increased exposure to higher temperature to get extended shelf life. Modern process technologies have emerged which can sterilize semisolid foods with assured safety, though canning technology was being used for some semi solid foods which could stand high temperatures. Retort Pouch Technology, so widely used to day for many traditional Indian foods with high viscosity characteristics, is distinguished by specialized equipment system that can ensure faster heat transfer more evenly to achieve commercial sterilization and products can claim shelf lives as much as 12-18 months.

Surgical instruments and medical devices are sterilized using irradiation but this technology is not yet readily accepted by the consumers in many countries. Gamma radiation is still widely used to get rid of pathogens like Salmonella, especially in marine products and meat foods which does not raise the product temperature to any significant extent. For a product like egg which is involved in many food borne illnesses of serious nature, its pasteurization is being insisted on by food safety authorities in many countries. In fact even touching raw eggs is frowned upon because of its potential to spread infection and pasteurized eggs are increasingly becoming standard format for marketing eggs. It is only towards later part of last century that such eggs started appearing in the market. Technologically what are the challenges inherent in pasteurizing a product like egg?

Egg has two distinct components, egg white and egg yolk, both with different physical characteristics and are well separated in distinct compartments in side the shell. Shell has its own physical properties and any system that is intended to impart heat to achieve pasteurization will have to take into consideration this aspect. Egg albumin which makes up the white portion is highly heat susceptible changing its properties due to protein denaturation when heated beyond a certain temperature. Egg melange is a liquid at normal temperature and therefore can be subjected to flash pasteurization under controlled temperature as is being done during spray drying to get egg powder but the dispersibility and foaming properties of egg powder are invariably affected. As for egg in the shell, most of the microorganisms are on the surface and by controlled application of heat most of them can be killed.

Treating with hot water at 56C for 30 minutes followed by drying at controlled hot air can give a relatively safe product with practically no viable cells remaining on the product. How ever a sorting operation is a must to remove those eggs which develop cracks even at this low temperature exposure. Automated plants are now available that can handle as much as one million eggs a day and make them safer for the consumers. Use of Ozone, Hydrogen Peroxide and Microwave heat also are claimed to be effective in achieving pasteurization. While such eggs are accepted without reservation by the consumer for preparing many products at house hold level, processing industry feels that some of the physical properties of the egg are lost which can affect its quality as an ingredient in some formulated products. Almost 4 decades ago Indian food scientists had developed an egg washing powder and an egg coating oil formulation containing permitted bacteriostats and fungistats for sanitizing the egg and extending its shelf life to more than 6 months under low temperature conditions. Probably this development was much ahead of the time with no takers appreciating it. Time has come now to make it mandatory for poultry farms to process the raw eggs before releasing it to the market in the interests of the consumer.

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

PROTECTING THE FETUS-THE 'EGG'WAY

Conception and delivery are considered normal human activity but those undergoing the experience have anxiety regarding the health of the would be mother and the yet to be born child. Type of foods that need to be taken or those to be avoided can be very confusing with Allopathic practitioners mostly going by western recommendations while traditional system has its own way of dealing with them.

A pregnant woman's daily diet and the nutrition provided by it will have critical impact on the course of the pregnancy and normal fetal development of her unborn baby. The physiological and metabolic changes that take place during the period demand increased intake of food with some special requirements. This is to ensure satisfactory development of the fetus as well as growth, health and functioning of uterus, placenta and amniotic fluid. Additional energy to the extent of 150-250 kC, proteins 10 gm per day and increased intake of calcium,Iron and Folic acid are needed for the purpose. Good hygiene will ensure avoiding food poisoning, GI infection, toxoplasmosis, listeriosis etc. Avoiding alcohol, caffeine and tobacco cuts down risks of fetal distress and other problems.

Neural tube defect (NTD) is one of the risks associated with pregnancy where the neural tube fails to close in the embryo on the 28th day of fertilization and such an anomaly occurs in 2.6 per 1000 births. Consumption of epilepsy drugs and others like methotrexate, conditions like obesity, maternal diabetes, mycotoxin poisoning, arsenic, hyperthermia etc also cause NTD. Folic acid deficiency which leads to hyper-homocysteinamia can also contribute to NTD. Recent findings that choline present in egg can prevent development of NTD and recommendations for consuming an egg every day by pregnant women have given new hope for averting this disorder which can occur even before pregnancy is confirmed by tests.

Egg is a rich source of choline but modern wisdom precluded its regular consumption because of the high cholesterol and saturated fat contained in it. On an average a chicken egg can contain as much as 200 mg of cholesterol but it is much less than that present in Duck egg (621 mg) or Goose egg (1266 mg). Increasing evidence about the nutrition of egg has brought out that egg consumption does not increase serum cholesterol levels in humans and on the contrary it increases the desirable HDL cholesterol levels to some extent. Egg, a villain till the other day, has become a protective food, at least for pregnant women for preempting development of the dreaded NTD syndrome in children during pregnancy. An egg a day keeps NTD away!

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

POULTRY INDUSTRY-THE INDIAN SAGA

During these days of globalization and liberalization of economy, how is that an egg in India cost to the consumer less than 5 cents (Rs 2.50) while same egg sells for more than 20 cents (Rs 10) in the markets of rich nations? After all same hen lays the egg, people have to work hard and certain minimum infrastructure is necessary to maintain poultry industry whether it is in UK, USA, Japan or India. Some leeway can be given for the low cost of labor, lower power cost, cheap raw materials and low purchasing power of the population in general for the prevailing low prices for egg in the country. Still how can the poultry industry, which does not enjoy the economy of scale in running the poultry farms as most of the farms are much smaller than what one can see in other countries, afford this give away?. There are a very few farms that can boast of a bird population of more than a lakh and most of them have only a few thousands at ant given time. Though reliable statistics cannot be a a strong point in this country, one may go along with estimates by different sources regarding the strength of the poultry industry. It is estimated that there are about 60000 large poultry farms in the country with more than 1000 birds per farm while another one lakh farms operate with bird strength of 50-1000 . Still poultry industry is a thriving activity employing 3 million people in production, distribution and retailing with another 15 million farmers producing the ingredients that go into poultry feed.

India is supposed to be the third largest producer of eggs in the world with a production estimated at 47 billion eggs an year working out to an average per capita annual consumption of 41 eggs where as the recommended intake is 180 eggs. The skewed consumption profile is reflected by very low consumption in rural areas, about 5-20 eggs per year while in urban and semi urban areas the intake is 42-170 eggs an year depending on the population of the cities. An egg weighs about 43 gm (small) to 71 gm (extra large) and is one of the richest sources of concentrated nutrients known to mankind. On an average one kilogram of egg provides 11.2 gm of carbohydrate, 126 gm of protein with very high biological value and 106 gm of fat besides meeting 51% of RDA for Vitamin B1, 33% for B2 and 28% for Pantothenate. True it also is a significant source of dietary cholesterol, about 426 mg/100 gm. Consuming about 6 eggs a week by a normal person is not known to precipitate diseases like CVD, Stroke and Diabetes as being commonly perceived but those with these diseases may have to restrict its intake to avoid aggravating the already existing compromised health conditions.

Out of 45 countries which produce eggs, India is rightly acclaimed as the cheapest egg producer where it costs just 50 cents a kg at the wholesalers' end compared to 145 cents in Argentina, 80 cents in USA, 102 cents in France, 86 cents in Holland, 108 cents in Japan, 136 cents in New Zealand, 108 cents in Taiwan and 117 cents in Bangladesh. Interestingly the feed cost which constitutes more than 75% of the cost of production is not the lowest in India. That honor goes to Zimbabwe where it is 18 cents per kg while in India feed cost is 44 cents per kg. China, which is the top producer of eggs in the world makes available to its poultry farmers feed at 27 cents a kg while the whole sale price of egg there is 94 cents per kg. In many developed countries feed costs are heavily subsidized to protect the margins of the producers and it is ironical that still the consumers there pay 400 % more to buy an egg compared to an Indian consumer. Similarly the cost of chicks in India is not the lowest as the producer has to pay 39 cents a chick while in Sri Lanka the corresponding figure is 29 cents a chick.

With egg production concentrated in the South, distribution poses tremendous logistical challenges and the infrastructure put in place by the poultry industry can deliver egg to every nook and corner of the country. The role of Governments in this endeavor is practically nil as specially trained drivers, well developed distributor-retailer net work and country wide communication system in place, all industry's own creation, have been able to sustain the industry weathering frequent hiccups from to time. The breakage during handling and transportation and spoilage during storage and retailing have been minimized. It is unfortunate that this industry has not been able to build any infrastructure for washing, grading, pretreatment of eggs for better shelf-life, regional assembling facilities with cold stores, local cold storage facilities and any significant processing platform for value added products from eggs. This has exposed the industry to a situation where it is vulnerable to wide price fluctuations caused by supply and demand stresses. Under these conditions the role of Indian poultry industry in providing to the consumers the cheapest egg in the world is indeed amazing and they deserve all kudos for their ingenuity, enterprise and hard work in making this possible.

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/