Reinventing the wheel-Food technology research in India reaches its"Nadir"?

India is known to be a laggard when it comes to spending on scientific and technological research that can contribute to over all development of the country. While a country like USA annually spends over $ 400 billion (bn) on research activities Indian spend is hardly $ 24 bn. Even our neighbor China spends about $ 200 bn annually on scientific research which is linked closely to its rapid economic growth. According to Indian government documents, the country wants to spend Rs 90, 000 crore during the 12th Plan period (2014-19) on scientific research in different sectors or 18, 000 crore per year. This is a lot of money and if spent appropriately can show very tangible results. Unfortunately except for Space Department and  Atomic Energy Sector nothing much can be show cased as the achievements of the various scientific research organizations in the country. Crying for more funds does not make any sense when even the existing allocations are not effectively used for innovations and developments that benefit the nation as a whole.

Talking specifically the food research, there are no reliable data pertaining to research in food processing sector. If agriculture is taken to mean food also, it is reported that the country spends about 0.4% of the value of agricultural inputs on research activities and this works out roughly to about Rs 15000 crore. Of this direct spend on production and productivity research could be as high as 90% leaving behind about Rs 1500 crore on food research. R & D agencies that vie for a pie in this spend include CFTRI, DFRL, NIFTEM, and institutions supported by Food processing ministry, Dept of Science, Dept of Biotechnology, Atomic Energy Commission, Universities and others. Probably no one gets the minimum critical inputs necessary to make any break through innovations of high value.

Having seen this scenario is it not incumbent upon those organizations from which lot is expected to optimize their research activities to create maximum impact in stead of squandering them over flimsy projects, many of them with no relevance to the needs of the country and often on "personalized" whims and fancies. Indian food industry which meets the domestic processed food needs of population with an estimated value of over Rs 1,50, 000 crore is claimed to employs about 48 million people. There are about 36000 registered units as reported by one of the government agencies, though one  in not sure about the accuracy of such statistics routinely doled out from government sources. Another dimension to this is that only 25% of industrial out put is attributed to the organized industry, mostly branded products, while the unorganized and small scale players contribute 42% and 33% respectively. Naturally it is the small players and unorganized sector units which require technical support for strengthening their production base and for starting new ventures while the organized sector has the wherewithal to acquire technological assistance from foreign sources. Have the domestic R & D agencies walloping huge resources from the public treasury fulfilled their duty to the Indian food industry during their existence over the last 7 decades?  Well, this does not seem to be happening with food technology research in India at present.

A typical case is a recent claim by one of the premier food research organizations in the country regarding development of an "improved"  process for turmeric at the farm level which is nothing but a rehash of same work carried out almost 5 decades ago and widely practiced by many farmers in the country. The same organization is talking about use of cow dung, lead vessels, use of chromates for color enhancement during traditional processing of this rhizome, etc which were all issues dealt with earlier in the same set up by scientists who have retired long ago. During the last 3 decades same thing has been happening with recycled research thrown at the public as new development which appears to be the strong point of this R& D organization. It is a tragedy that this organization must have spent by a conservative estimate more than Rs 1000 crore during this period! No wonder neither the farmer nor the food industry is too much bothered to even recognize its existence let alone seeking its help in solving their problems. 

Government is repeating the same mistake by setting more such public funded R & D organizations without insisting on their effective linkage with user industries and seeking accountability for the money spent by them. It is not realized by those in power that no big industry will be interested in free wheeling research in isolation within the four walls of a research organization as most of these private players have well funded captive research set up to further their commercial interests. It is the small scale and unorganized manufacturing entities and new enterprising entrepreneurs who really need feasible and reliable manufacturing technologies which should be either free or charged lightly at affordable prices. To day's ground reality is that these small players find it difficult even get entry to these highly "secured"citadels of research. (as if they are guarding a gold treasury) let alone make use of the technologies which are listed for sale in their brochures and news clips from time to time. Another bane is the pronounced tendency in public funded research organizations to go more and more for "research" in areas of academic interest which give them a number of "publications" and "Ph.Ds" from Universities. 

It is a sad story how domestic food research activities invariably focus too much on "modern" nutritionally suspect food products rather than taking up studies on thousands of traditional foods which are crying for attention in terms of product quality standardization and process modernization including mechanization as far as possible. Unfortunately traditional foods are made and sold mostly in the unorganized sector which does not have adequate clout to influence and attract attention of food scientists and technologists while government is a mute spectator to this situation. Government must set up a blue ribbon commission to look into research efforts that operate to day and recast the organizations, squandering precious public funds unconscionably, into a responsive and vibrant system that will serve the citizen as well as the domestic food industry in standing up to the challenges posed by multinationals and monopolistic domestic giants in vying for a more legitimate share of the market.  

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

A NEW APPROACH TO MANAGING BLOOD GLUCOSE-WILL IT REALLY WORK?

One of the unanswered questions that still haunts humanity is whether high consumption of sugar can contribute to diabetic condition or intolerance of sugar is an aftermath of diabetes! It is well known that diabetes disease presents one with a condition where adequate insulin secretion becomes a casualty due to some  changes in the working of pancreatic gland or the cells develop insulin insensitivity (resistance) because of over weight and other afflictions. Many people develop diabetes after the age of 45 years manly because of unhealthy food eating habits and as age progresses the severity of the  disease increases. India is considered the diabetic capital of the world with highest recorded cases of diabetics living in the country. Out of 280 million diabetics living in different countries, more than 40 million are in India. By 2030 it is predicted that one in every five diabetic persons in the world would be an Indian! A dubious distinction indeed!

The most dreaded two words that can spell potential threat to life are "Metabolic Syndrome" that develops slowly without the victims not even being aware of it. Many diabetics are not diagnosed properly and with treatment being delayed the condition becomes worse with passage of time. It is universally acknowledged that a glucose level of 126 mg per deciliter in the blood after a twelve hour fasting period or 200 mg per deciliter in two hours after ingestion of 75 gm of glucose or a value of 6.5 or more for the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) can confirm diabetes in a person. Metabolic syndrome is manifested by a cluster of factors involving abnormal fats (Dyslipidemia), high blood pressure, obesity and abnormal glucose levels in the blood, The symptoms include polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirstiness) and polyphagia (increased hunger). With so much information in the public domain, why so many people fail to check their health regularly for diabetes cannot be easily understood. Either people do not visit their family doctors regularly or doctors' advice is ignored without realizing the grave consequences of serious diabetic condition that can eventually end up by those affected becoming blind or their legs amputated due to gangrene.  

Of all the reasons cited as critical for developing diabetes, the most logical one is lack of exercise which can make pancreas somewhat dysfunctional and consequently cause adverse impact on insulin production. Modern society seems to be ignoring this golden truth and continue to lead sedentary type of lives exacerbating the situation and invite diabetes to take hold of their life. A pertinent question which is often posed relates to the relatively diabetes free society during olden days of our ancestors though they consumed enormous amounts of sugar daily. Look at the range of sweetmeats made and consumed in India and practically every product has sugar beyond 40%! Probably the secret lies in the rigorous working style of people hundred years ago when comfort and leisure were practically unknown and more the physical work out less is the chance for diseases like diabetics to develop. To day with WiFi, broadband, laptops, PCs, Notebooks, iPads and a variety of Gizmos taking hold of the lives of people, there is very little time available for real physical exertion regularly. Naturally the society cannot afford to complain but to suffer the consequences.

What about the role of food technology in this sordid transformation of a vibrant society of yesteryear into a zombie like population, controlled more by electronic, electrical and mechanical gadgets rather than the will power and muscle power of man? Discovery of many technologies like husking, debranning, degerming, polishing, fine grinding, juice extraction and declouding, precooking and packing, extrusion cooking, bread making with refined flours etc seem to have made the human digestion system almost redundant with the result that the pace and efficiency with which sugar is absorbed by the blood increase very significantly resulting in rapid blood sugar build up, not considered healthy. These innovations by food technologists deplete almost every desirable nutrient present in natural food, most critical being the dietary fiber. For example the Indian traditional bread made from whole grains like wheat, jowar and other grains is far superior to the refined flour based western bread loaves from nutritional angle. There are hundreds of such examples where man's superior intelligence has destroyed good foods and created a whole panorama of junk foods with empty calories! 

It is true that there are many modern day medicines to deal with diabetes and diabetics live long if the disease is managed with right medicine, exercise and diet control. Insulin injection has been simplified and delivery mechanism improved beyond recognition. There are many foods supposed to have hypoglycemic effect including bitter gourd, fenugreek and a host of others but how far these can be harnessed into a diet regime and whether Allopathic medicines can altogether be avoided is a question begging for an answer. Similarly alternate medicinal systems like Ayurveda, Unani, Homeopathy and others also have their own treatment regimes claimed to be effective but very few people rely on these alternatives falling back on Allopathic medicines which brings quick results.   

Against such a background comes the news that a radically new delivery system for insulin has been developed that could be very promising and easy to manage. Scientists claim to be pursuing a new line of research to tap the potential of nano technology to deliver insulin into the body for release only when the blood glucose crosses a certain threshold. This enables the body to maintain normal blood sugar levels for more than a week, at least in animal-based laboratory tests. This so called 'Smart" system is designed to do away with the current cumbersome procedure involving monitoring of the blood sugar level several times a day to decide on the number of units of insulin to be injected. According to these scientists, after testing this technology in mice it was confirmed that just one injection was able to maintain blood sugar levels in the normal range for up to 10 days.  The injectable nano-network is composed of a mixture containing nano particles with a solid core of insulin, modified dextran and glucose oxidase enzymes.  When the enzymes are exposed to high glucose levels they effectively convert glucose into gluconic acid, which breaks down the modified dextran and releases the insulin. The insulin then brings the glucose levels under control. The gluconic acid and dextran are fully biocompatible and dissolve in the body.  Each of these nanoparticle cores is given either a positively charged or negatively charged biocompatible coating.  The positively charged coatings are made of chitosan extracted from shrimp shells, while the negatively charged coatings are made of alginate derived from seaweed. 

If these claims are true, is the day far off when man can indulge in eating all types of foods to his heart's content and still avoid the harsh repercussions that follow binge eating under normal conditions? What should be kept in mind is that such over eating may not exacerbate the diabetes but it can definitely lead to over weight and obesity and the consequences there of. Recent revelations by scientists at Leeds University that hyperglycemia can, in the long term, adversely affect the cognitive behavior in humans is indeed alarming. Ideally moderate eating, reasonable exercise and cutting down on sugar, fat and salt may the best way to lead a healthy life and man is better of avoiding regular intake of medicines, if possible, for dealing with some of the life style disorders that commonly afflict him to day.

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

TECHNOLOGY STARVATION-THE GROWTH CONSTRAINT FOR FOOD SECTOR

Encouraging establishment of food industries is always a daunting task. Even under the best of conditions, an industry will sprout only if there is adequate entrepreneurship among people. India is not a country with dearth of entrepreneurs having necessary motivation and drive and still the food processing sector lags behind with only those with deep pockets succeeding in establishing viable processing units, that too in some parts of the country. Naturally the question that begs for an answer is why this sorry situation in the country?

It is known that for viable industries to come up, it requires existence of a multifaceted environment which is a pre-requisite. While entrepreneurship is necessary among the people, other inputs like technical support, policy support, marketing experience and financial strength are absolutely necessary. If Indian past is considered Indians are entrepreneur-wise a capable people and the vast number of micro enterprises in sectors like food processing working across the country even without any prop from the government, though not most efficiently,  is a standing testimony to this truth. It is another matter that after unleashing the forces of economic liberalization or promoting capitalism since last two decades, big industrial players seem to be destroying the smaller players for getting market dominance. Where is the much cherished Khadi and Village Industries Commission supported manufacturing enterprises to day? Practically vanished. Why?

Reasons are not far to seek. First and foremost the food entrepreneurship is being smothered in the country due to technology starvation as new entrepreneurs brimming with business ideas have no where to go to seek the basic need of a venture, viz the manufacturing technology for establishing a viable production unit. Though there are more than 800 District Industry Centers (DICs) in practically every district in the country, they have been neglected, especially during the last two decades with most of them languishing as non-functional entities. Another equally important issue is the government support, rather lack of it at present, that is vital for success of any industry. Whether it is Ministry of Food Processing Industry (MFPI) in New Delhi or the State Food Industry Departments, the typical "Babu" approach and an inertia laden mindset, very little ground level help is forth coming to propel the entrepreneurial community. Added to this the draconian measures under the new heavily bureaucratized show piece of GOI viz The Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) have a chilling impact on new entrepreneurs.

What is tragic is that with a special purpose vehicle (SPV) like MFPI set up by the GOI as early as 1989-90 and with vast funds available at its disposal for bringing in a revolution in the food processing sector, it has unfortunately become a tightfisted book keeper. Those who sought funds from MFPI know the back breaking job of actually realizing the grant due to time consuming procedures and bureaucratic interference. Though MFPI is to be lauded for some of its schemes which appear excellent at least on paper, the fact that it is not able to disburse the budgeted funds fully year after year tells the real story. For example who can find fault with its much acclaimed National Mission for Food Processing (NMFP) where in it can extent up to Rs 10 crore for new enterprises setting up cold chains and cold storage units as a subsidy? Still why not much enthusiasm is seen among the prospective entrepreneurs in tapping this source of funding?

As said earlier money alone cannot sustain an industry. What is critical is technology without which entrepreneurs cannot even plan a project in food processing. For multinational companies they have the wherewithal to access technology from their own parent companies or from global sources by investing large sums of money. What about the micro enterprises and small companies? Where will they go? The domestic technology sources supported by public funds do not even allow these "chota" people even entering their "palaces" or "ivory towers", let alone help them with technologies and technical inputs. There are no incubation centers in food sector in India unlike in many other countries as GOI did not bother to finance such centers in Universities or industry corridors during the last several decades of neglect of this vital sector.

It is time that GOI wakes up to this reality and do some introspection regarding the lacunae in the system. Opening a NIFTEM or calling other existing moribund public funded R & D organizations by other fancy names does not solve the problem. There has to be a vibrant technology generating system that will ensure continuous development of efficient small scale technologies for new industries as well for the existing industry for upgrading their operations which can only revive the food entrepreneurship in India.    

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

THE LURKING FOOD 'DANGERS"- IS THE WORLD FULLY PREPARED?

In spite of all progress food technology has made, food safety environment has not improved much with scores of food poisoning episodes reported from all over the world. Whether the contamination comes from microbes or chemical substances or processing artifacts, existing knowledge and capability are insufficient to deal with the situation. Interestingly most serious cases of food contamination come from the developed world either due to the extremely sensitive GI system the population there has or because of highly efficient reporting and documentation system in place for food related incidences.

It is true that many types of biological, chemical and physical sources of contamination do exist and newer sources are emerging constantly due to recycling efforts, product reformulation, product counterfeiting and other such activities. Neither the food industry nor the safety management agencies are keeping quite, constantly developing improved technology and practices to help further protect the consuming public. These efforts involve continuous quality verification, state-of-the-art analytics-based risk assessment procedures besides quick "track and trace" systems. Industry cannot be faulted if it strives to reduce input costs for manufacturing the products without compromising on quality and safety. It must be admitted that most technical break through developments in risk alleviation have come from industry, especially the instrumentation group though Universities and public funded scientific organizations also pitch in with their own contribution.

The problems of food industry are understandable because the very face of this industry has seen tremendous changes during the last two decades. With the world moving towards a conceptual "village without borders" due to the advent of WTO, global sourcing and fast distribution contingencies have greatly accentuated the risk of large-scale food contamination incidences. One has to only recall the recent Sudan I dye ingredient episode which created quite a stir among food safety agencies world over. This dye, long banned from using in food products, is a proven carcinogen but was used for admixing with natural red chili powder to enhance product appeal. Imagine the scare this had generated necessitating a host of product recalls and causing a major global incident. It was much later that safety authorities realized that this contaminated product had entered the supply chain which prompted the recall of over 600  processed food products made with this ingredient causing heavy financial losses to many major international food companies. 

Food industry being a dynamic sector strives continuously to innovate and in this process many new sources of contamination are created unknowingly though they are traced later for avoiding or minimizing their adverse effect on the consumer. After all product reformulation, material recycling and constant unearthing of evidence against safety of one or the other ingredients being used are inevitable for which remedial measures need to be found. Similarly many processors constantly try to reformulate their food products with ingredients that help lower costs or improve the health benefits. Such attempts can trigger of unanticipated changes in the anti-bacterial properties like water activity which needs to be addressed.  

Though one can derive satisfaction from the extent of progress achieved by food scientists in evolving safer processes and more sensitive testing protocols, the ground reality is that the number of incidents of food borne illnesses reported world over does not reflect any serious decline in food related health afflictions. The number of incidents and their severity seem to be relatively constant year to year and in a country like the US, this translates into 76 million gastrointestinal illnesses, 325 000 hospitalizations, 5000 deaths and billions of dollars in costs. This can be attributed to poor producing and manufacturing operations by the industry and indifferent food safety practices on the part of the consumer. It is not realized that a single, highly publicized incident of food poisoning has the potential to devastate brand value or even destroy an enterprise. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges for the industry is to identify and deploy new technologies that can prevent contaminated product from reaching the consumer more effectively as well as technology that can help minimize the impact of incidents that do occur.

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

FOOD TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM-NEED FOR GLOBAL COOPERATION

Food industry needs technical personnel to manage day to day floor level operations, quality control and new product and process development programs. The extent of employment of qualified food technology graduates by the industry depends on the financial strength of the manufacturers, production capacity and product mix. As there are no rules that industry must employ food technology graduates, at least to ensure safety of products manufactured by them, most processing units opt for unqualified, under-qualified and mis-qualified personnel who cost them considerably less in terms of financial compensation. Take the case of India where food industry produces a diverse mix of products including those based on fruits, vegetables, spices, cereals, oil seeds, meat and poultry and fisheries resources. Indian exports of food are mostly unprocessed or minimally processed with least value addition and no worth while attempts are being made to deploy sophisticated global technology and competent technical personnel to upgrade these products to international standards. Multinational food companies, however do deploy modern tools of production including qualified food technologists in sufficient numbers and dominate the food processing landscape with very few native players who can stand shoulder to shoulder with the former.

It is unfortunate that graduates coming out of Indian food tech institutions are mostly "absorbed" by the multinational companies where stream lined technologies are used with very little challenge to the skills and capabilities of the trained personnel sent out from some of the institutions. Probably what these graduates were able to learn in their course have very little relevance in the industry they join and the employers retrain these graduates according to their specific needs. Where challenge is there, that is in the small scale industries, adequate financial incentives are not available creating a Catch 22 situation. Most of the units are forced to look out for low paid operating personnel who do not have adequate comprehension about various facets of food processing. Under such an environment will it ever be possible for the main stream food industry in India to stand tall and be counted? Neither the MFPI nor the UGC nor the AICTE seems to be too much concerned about the situation which is being perpetuated during the last 6 decades. How can any one justify the operation of a particular food processing industry working from Bangalore and famous for its brand name, with more than Rs 5 billion annual turn over and 3000 employees on its role "managing" during the last two decades without employing evening a single food technologist graduate? If one goes by the profitability of this company, India can as well close down all food technology teaching shops with no adverse consequences!

It is the anarchic safety administrating system that is responsible for the above situation. Though millions of tons of processed foods are marketed and exported year after year, wide scale food adulteration and low quality foods dominate the market as the monitoring and deterrent system is very weak providing a free field for products manufactured under unsatisfactory conditions and unsupervised by expert personnel. Probably no data exist to day regarding the need for technical personnel by the industry and even norms for employing by the industry are not laid down. If a pharma unit can function only if there is a pharmacist, why not same norms be applicable to food industry? If such norms exist it would have been possible to estimate the personnel needs of this industry and accordingly streamline the training programs. For any food industry manufacturing products of diverse nature there is absolute need for technically qualified personnel in at least 3 areas, viz production management, quality control and equipment maintenance. Most units manage with "mestries", cooks, low paid mechanics to ensure production of food products which may or may not be up to the mark but usually their strength is derived from their ability to turn out tasty and lower priced products. As the country's food safety enforcement regime is lax, most of them get away without being "noticed".

The food technology training programs in India are mostly in Universities and more or less they were copied mostly from British programs. The three original training programs in Mumbai, Kolkatta and Kanpur existing before the country got independence from Britishers were helped and influenced by similar programs in the UK but over a period of time the teaching contents were modified to keep abreast of new developments. Some of the agri-varsities which pioneered food specialization for the agricultural graduates also contributed to the food technologists pool though they were less preferred by the industry. Then came the explosive growth of traditional colleges offering programs in food science, food technology, food and nutrition etc at the degree level though finding jobs for these graduates became difficult due to unbalanced course content and practically no exposure to real time food processing facilities lacked by these institutions. As these colleges have practically no linkage with user industries, their graduates are not often absorbed by the latter.

One of the critical questions raised about the competence of these "teaching shops" to train personnel is the complete lack of even simple and basic facilities that are essential to get the necessary experience and exposure to actual food processing for the students. Added to this is the less than satisfactory competence of the teaching staff, most of whom do not have the required background to teach the subjects keeping in view the dynamic changes taking place at the global level. Look at the IITs in the country which can boast of global standards because of enormous investments made by GOI on the teaching and research infrastructure and involvement of internationally recognized teaching staff. Why this is not happening in the food technology training institutions is a big mystery. Even the three oldest food tech teaching set ups in the country in Mumbai, Kolkatta and Kanpur do not have high quality laboratories and practical processing facilities compared to those in other countries. What about linkage to the industry? Absolutely none!

Here comes the role of established foreign institutions in some of the developed countries like the US, Canada,the EU, Australia and New Zealand where excellent facilities exist for imparting training in all facets of food processing, preservation and packing. A recent example of technological partnership between countries is that between Singapore and New Zealand (NZ). The Massey University in NZ and Singapore Polytechnic (SP) collaborated to turn out graduates in Food Technology with international standards. Similar to a twinning program, while the students complete their 3 year diploma in SP, another two years are spent with Massey University center at Singapore itself to turn out a "finished product" with high competence. What is needed in India is such types of cooperation and the country must invite foreign Universities of repute to set up their Centers for complimenting the training efforts of the country. Only then the food industry can take more graduates inti its fold with some sense of confidence. Ideally it can be a three way collaboration, the third partner being the industry. A role model for such global cooperation is the International School of Milling Technology set up at Mysore the partners there being the industry association, GOI and the Milling School in Switzerland. But for the massive milling facilities and the expert assistance provided by Swiss partner, India would not have been able to produce more than 500 millers who are working all over the world to day.

There is an urgent need to study the needs of the food industry in India for technical personnel and arrive at a consensus as to the type and level of personnel for various functions, their required background, norms for employing trained personnel, minimum salary package, retraining needs and a system of refresher courses to update knowledge base periodically. Earlier this is done, better it will be for the industry and the country.

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

INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP-NEED OF THE HOUR

Can food industry be run without adequately qualified and trained technical personnel? It depends on the scale of operation and volume of business involved. As a matter of necessity handling of foods whether at home or eateries or processing industry, must be left to people with elementary knowledge about the health risks involved at various stages like storing, cleaning, preparation, holding and consumption. A house hold kitchen is generally managed by the female head of the family or a servant employed with some awareness about cleanliness and there is no formal training as they learn the basics through inheritance from their parents besides gleaning from early education in schools. An eatery primarily employs people for their culinary skills though servers and cleaners are chosen keeping in mind the general cleanliness.

In contrast food processing industry has to be more careful and stringent in taking personnel for floor level operations and management of the same with least hiccup. As the centralized processing and packing call for personnel knowledgeable about technological procedures, formal training is often necessary which takes place in Universities and specialized food technology institutions. Though this is an ideal requirement, many micro enterprises and home-scale processors do not have the wherewithal to employ such personnel due to high cost of hiring them. In such cases production is largely managed by the entrepreneurs themselves with able bodied skilled assistants with some past experience. In countries like India most industrial units engaged in food processing, especially in the informal sector do not have properly trained personnel and their survival depends on the ability of the entrepreneurs to use common sense for maintaining quality and safety. Raising a pool of technicians who have the credentials to work in a food processing factory is an urgent necessity and institutions for such training need to be established in large numbers through out the country.

Organized food industry however regularly employs food technology graduates from Universities without much of an "hands-on experience" and these new recruits become well versed with various facets of processing and their management within a few weeks. They are able to perform well because they are equipped with the fundamental knowledge of food and its diverse characteristics. It is true that any decent food industry must have specialists in food technology, quality control including microbiological assessment of raw as well as finished goods and food packaging. While a well equipped food technologist can do all these functions, they are reluctant being engaged in routine analytical jobs, preferring floor level responsibilities. Thus what food industry needs is a mix of food technologists, food engineers and industrial managers for successful running of a production unit.

In India presently there are several Universities offering technology courses specifically for employment by the food industry but most of these teaching shops are ill equipped to turn out appropriate candidates meeting the needs of the industry. They have neither the teachers with adequate knowledge about food industry nor the specialized pilot plant facilities so necessary for a balanced training. In some western countries there are industry-university partnership programs designed to train skilled personnel for employment by the industry. The most recent example is offered by the landmark 5-year partnership agreement concluded recently between University of Queensland and the Australian Food and Grocery Council that will address the problem of shortage of skilled personnel in that country trained in food technology. It is the enlightening and visionary thinking on the part of the industry body that provided the spur for such a constructive and collaborative training project. The idea is to attract talented students into food science and technology careers in the industry which can offer rewarding roles in management, R & D in product formulation and nutrition and production control aspects. They need to be better equipped to meet a range of challenges including sustainability, food labeling laws, food safety needs, packaging complexities, consumer aspirations and government policies.

India is a country where the critical role played by food technologists is rarely appreciated and the organized industry has to take the blame for this sorry situation. Many multi national industry giants routinely visit University campuses, pick up candidates of their choice at high remunerations and provide their industry specific training which makes them unfit for other disciplines of food processing. What is needed to day is the coming together of Universities and the industry bodies like CII, CIFTI, ASSOCHAM etc to massively fund selected Universities to upgrade their training facilities into world class centers. The example of catering industry or the Nurses training system prevalent in the country is worth following because large hotels own some of the catering training centers while large hospitals run nurses training centers in their premises to turn out well developed personnel for their industry. Can we think of food technology training centers owned and operated by major players like Kellogg's, Nestle, Pepsi, Coca Cola or others with organic linkage with some recognized Universities? Or how about a CII supported Food Technology Training Center in universities like Mumbai, Kanpur or Jadavpur which have already established their credentials in food technology during the last few decades? If there is a will there is a way! More than any thing there must be a far-sighted vision on the part of the food industry in the country for achieving well defined goals ahead.

V.H.POTTY

http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

THE 'NON- NUTRITIONA'L NUTRIENTS! THEIR IMPORTANCE

Water and dietary fiber( DF) are two components in any healthy diet and both of them are considered non-nutrients from conventional considerations. While water is absorbed by the body since it is the medium for all metabolic reactions, DF is not digested by the GI enzymes, contributing neither calorie nor any other major nutrient. Still both of them need to be present in food for normal health. From a relatively obscure position in the proximate composition tables, food fibers have captured center stage attention within a matter of two decades because of their sterling role in protecting human health. Most of the DF are non-starch polysaccharides(NSP) and are part of plant kingdom. Humans do not possess the necessary enzyme system to break them into sugar and therefore they pass through the GI tract without much change except for microbial action. If they do not have any metabolic role in human body why are they considered essential for good health?

By definition a fiber is a class of materials which are continuous filaments or indiscreet elongated pieces. Natural fibers hold tissues together in plants and animals. There can be vegetable fibers based on an arrangement of cellulose and lignin like cotton, hemp, jute, flax, sisal etc. Wood fibers are from tree sources which are delignified to make paper. Animal fibers include silk, wool and furs which are proteinacious in nature. Mineral fibers like asbestos, fiber glass etc are of industrial importance. Man made fibers are based on petrochemicals like polymers or cellulose based like rayon. Though the plant based fibers that are edible go through the GI tract without digestion, they can be acted upon by the gut microbes through fermentation, often producing nutrients like short chain fatty acids. DF with low fermentability include cellulose, hemicellulose, lignan, waxes and resistant starches. On the other hand beta glucans, pectin, natural gums, inulin, oligosaccharides and resistant dextrins are of high fermentability in the gut.

Potential advantages of DF include production of health promoting components during fermentation of soluble fibers and the property of of insoluble fibers to increase bulk, soften stool and shorten fecal transit time in the GI tract. A daily intake of 25 gm of DF is recommended for an adult consuming a 2000 kC diet. DF does not bind minerals or vitamins, as is assumed by many; on the other hand increased absorption of minerals has been reported when fermentable fibers are consumed. Probably phytates, not considered as a real DF do interfere with mineral absorption to some extent. Whole grains, bran from wheat and corn, nuts and seeds, lignans and vegetables are important sources of insoluble fiber while legumes like peas, soybeans, beans and others, oats ans rye, some fruits, some vegetables like broccoli, jerusalem artichokes and carrot, root vegetables like potato, plant gums like guar gum and acacia gum and psyllum seed husk contain significant levels of soluble fiber. High fiber containing foods include legumes (15-19 gm per serving), wheat bran (17gm per serving), prunes (12 gm per serving) Asian peas (10gm per serving). The exotic palmberry Acai is reported to be the richest source of DF, about 25-44% in its freeze dried version.

Importance of DF in human health has spawned a multibillion dollar industry and there are hundreds of products claiming to be rich in this 'non-nutritious' nutrient. Generally foods claiming to be high in DF must contain not less tha 5 gm per serving, between 2.5 and 4.9 gm qualifying for the 'good source' tag and at least 2.5 gm fiber to be incorporated during processing from external sources for claiming as 'more added fiber'. Such products are used to treat many disorders like hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, crohn's disease irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal discomforts etc. Proactive consumers take DF preparations to lower cholesterol levels in blood, reduce risks associated with cancers, lose weight and ensure regular bowel movement. Though modern food technology provides processing solutions for removing fiber from raw foods, it is only wise on the part of the consumer to shun regular consumption of such refined foods in the interest of his own health.

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

CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGIES-ARE THEY HEALTH FRIENDLY?

The remarkable technological achievements of IT sector and space exploration world over have created a euphoria that technology can do any thing man wishes. To some extent it is true but many a time the limitations of modern technologies are glossed over. It is rarely realized that technology is like a double edged sword and its use is often governed by the user. It can be very destructive when used in wars and human conflicts but can perform a variety of functions beneficial to mankind. Just like atomic research which led to development of lethal atomic and hydrogen bombs as well as fission controlled reactors to generate power that drives the industrial society of to day to a very significant extent. Same is true of food processing technologies too. Tremendous technological developments in the last 4-5 decades have changed the life style of the people all over the world by providing a host of convenient and new products with high palate gratification. Technologies like canning, modified atmosphere storage, transport and packing, freezing, retort pouch processing, freeze drying, mechanized baking and frying and many others have placed in the hands of the industry unlimited power to provide foods the way the consumer wants.

Having said this, can the food technologists, the torch bearers of new technological innovations and driving force behind the modern food processing wonders, look back with satisfaction that they are doing what is good for the society? To day's consumer is often confused regarding the health implications that emerge by application of technologies in every sphere of food he consumes. Application of chemical fertilizers in the production field, wide scale use of poisonous protecting chemicals, enhancement of production using hormones and other biological stimulants, genetic modification of plant foods for increasing the yield, pre-harvest spraying practices to control harvesting time, washing and cleaning chemicals in the packing sheds, pretreatment of crops like fruits, vegetables, and many other easily perishable horticultural produce, use of synthetic packaging materials for food contact applications, use of many chemicals during processing, incorporation of processing aids in the product for a variety of end results, etc may be justifiable purely from a practical angle. Consumers often ignore that there is an overseeing agency with required competence and authority to ensure the foods produced by the industry are safe. The entire food technology is based on the perception that food needs to be preserved minimizing the wastage at least cost and most effectively without risking the health of the consumer.

Different consumers have different perceptions regarding the role of food technology and increasingly negative images about processed foods are emerging without any reason. Globalization of foods, crossing national barriers and faster and wider dissemination of news regarding some of the undesirable aspects of food handling could be contributing to the above trend. The emergence of 'green' movement which advocates environment friendly actions by all the industry created an entirely new class of foods called organic foods which are raised in natural conditions without using any chemicals and consumers are increasingly flocking over to this segment of foods because of fear about health hazards associated with modern technological prowess. Added to this is the wide spread adulteration of foods mostly by unscrupulous traders which also raised fears in the minds of consumers regarding the safety of packed foods. Ignorance about the benefits of modern technologies is widespread and the MoFPI of GOI could have done much better by creating such awareness at least in the urban areas where people are more receptive to logic and reasoning.

Consumer may be justified in raising the eye brows about the impact of food technology because of many health scare concerns raised by nutritionists regarding the health implications of many processes that are in vogue to day. In search of more appealing foods grain milling has ended up making less nutritious white flours leaving the vital bran, one of the good sources of dietary fiber, to the cattle. Same is true with many other areas like edible oil extraction and refining, white rice, refined white sugar and products based on it, HFCS based products, use of chemicals and antibiotics as processing aids, artificial colors and flavors, toxic artifacts like trans fats and acrilamides, white bread and maida based products, variety of junk foods, high fat containing foods, etc. The feeling that health value of a food is inversely proportional to the development of technology is slowly emerging and this needs to be arrested.

To the defense of food technology it must be said that it offers what the market demands. To day new and better foods are being created which are also health supporting. The commercial production of atta, the whole wheat flour is an excellent example. There are a number of foods in the market with low calories or low carbohydrates or high proteins or fortified with dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids like w-3 acids, predigested forms of foods, range of products without use of preservatives and others that are health-friendly and can be consumed with absolute safety and assured health benefits. If many of the health compromised population is living a normal life to day, the credit goes to food technology which has created specialty foods targeting these consumers. Low calorie and low fat foods against obesity, sugar free products for diabetics, low sodium items for hypertension segment, parenteral emulsions for GI tract ailments, allergy free foods are some of the examples of food technology earning its right as the savior of humanity. Salute the food scientists, technologists and engineers who made this possible.

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