White Sugar vs Jaggery-indian contradictions

White sugar dominates the sweetener market in the country and both the sugar cane growers as well as the sugar mills have a symbiotic relationship and an organic linkage because of captive supply of cane grown in a certain area to nearby mills as per the law. Though India is one of the top sugar producing countries in the world, both the farmer as well as the industry are in doldrums due to many reasons. Payment arrears by the mills to the farmers run to thousands of crores of rupees while the mills are complaining about losses due to lower realization of prices for their product. Thus no one seems to be happy because of this multibillion industry as it exists to day. Adding to this problem is the declining prices ruling in the global sugar market making export also unattractive. If this is so, why not the government discourage cultivation of sugar cane and shift the land presently being used for cane cultivation for growing more critical food crops like oilseeds and pulses? Though this is an issue persisting for the last few years, no political courage seems to be evident among successive governments at Delhi.

There is another side story to sugar saga in this country which pertains to the low profile operation by a little known industry making another product from sugar cane viz Jaggery or Gud as it is known properly. Jaggery industry is a much neglected sector with no adequate oversight by the government, producing a range of jaggery products with non-uniform standards, filthy manufacturing environment and ill defined process parameters. Indian population uses jaggery as an essential ingredient in many of the traditional food preparations and the market can be enormously varying. Consumers are left at the mercy of the non-descript manufacturers and unreliable traders. Will this situation change for the better? After all almost 30% of the sugarcane harvested in the country estimated at about 260 million tons (MT) annually is thought to be going to the jaggery industry and this sector just cannot be ignored any more.

What is the difference between sugar and jaggery and why is that people prefer white sugar as a common sweetener in their day to day life? There are reasons such as the unattractive color of jaggery, its characteristic caramelized taste not liked by many, its unsuitably to make many products because of its physical properties, indifferent and non-uniform quality credentials and high cost compared to sugar. Jaggery is largely confined to micro and cottage scale operations near sugar growing areas and depend heavily on supplies of cane from the same belt as that linked to large sugar factories. Many traditional food preparations use Jaggery as a sweetener while sugar is the favored one for the food industry, especially for sweet products and by the house holds for beverages and traditional Indian sweets. What is intriguing is the vast price difference between sugar and jaggery, the latter almost 50-60% costlier though it is produced by a small scale sector with practically no over head expenditure in production costing. Besides jaggery yield is almost 100% of the sugar content in the cane juice making the process more economical. Management pundits may say that it is just a response to the demand supply situation!

Chemically white sugar is almost 100% sucrose with traces of minerals, Jaggery has about 3-10% water.with sucrose and reducing sugars being the major solids. Jaggery has some mineral constituents amounting to about 0.6 to 1%. Nutritionally the minerals like iron (10 mg%), Calcium (120 mg%), Magnesium (200 mg%), Potassium (800 mg%), Phosphorus (70 mg%) besides trace amounts of  Copper and Zinc. As it is a product made by prolonged boiling for hours together in open pans almost all biological nutrients are destroyed in the process. Still it is considered traditionally a nutritious substance used extensively in Ayurvedic medicines and traditional home remedies. No doubt white sugar production and over consumption in modern world is one of the great follies of mankind for which we are regretting to day collectively!

A typical Jaggey making unit is normally housed in a dilapidated tiled or asbestos roofed "shed". with no kutcha flooring, ill ventilated, full of cobwebs and fly infested and during the manufacturing operation the shed is ful of smoke literally choking the workers, doing the chores. The bagasse, after juice extraction is used as fuel for boiling the cane juice on an open hearth, naturally spewing out copious smoke all around. The cleanliness, sanitation and hygiene are so bade one has to see it to believe. Any consumer visiting such a unit will think twice before buying Jaggey again. Of course there are many exceptions where better managed Jaggery units also exist though they are far and few. It is in this context one has to appreciate the initiatives of the two agricultural university in Karnataka at Dharward and Bangalore deserve applause for setting up modern jaggery making units based on good manufacturing practices at Mudhol and Mandya. 

It is just about 2-3 years since these units were established and they seem to be doing a decent job considering the normal work pace associated with government institutions. The Jaggery Center at Mudhol in Bagalkot District is already reported to be producing organic Jaggery with a capacity to crush 40 tons of cane a day. The Jaggery Park as it is called was set up under the National Agriculture Development Scheme with an investment of about Rs 20 crore in 2011 and is supposed to improve Jaggery making process, infuse science in the practices, training of farmers, bring about cost effectiveness, preservation and packing improvements, minimizing chemical residue levels in the end product and further value addition to increase the farmer income. Besides solid Jaggery the center also makes Jaggery syrup and powder targeting different end users. Same applies to Mandya Jaggery Center also and both these units effectively meet the needs of more than 1000 organic cane growers in the state in selling their crops.  

One is really inspired by the achievement of the Mudhol Jaggey unit in creating a brand image for its products and exporting its products to countries like Russia within a short span of its launch. This jaggery according to the authorities there does not use unnecessary chemicals while manufacturing with only calcium carbonate, edible oil and wild okra going into its process. The Jaggery Park intends to promote setting up more such units as the entrepreneur can get a clean margin of Rs 900 per ton. According to the scientific team that is spearheading this mew initiative to promote jaggery, with an investment of Rs 1 crore a production unit to manufacture 40 tons of high quality organic jaggery, can be set up operated with the training provided by them. Probably more research is needed at food technology research institutions to diversify the use of jaggery in many products where sugar is extensively used at present. 

V.H.POTTY

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

Slow cooking system-Is it really new as being made out to be?

Why do we cook foods? Our ancestors before the advent of fire were eating raw foods and many foods like salads are even eaten to day raw. Even there are people in some parts of the world who drink raw milk without pasteurization or sterilization. Therefore most foods, even clean and uncontaminated, can be eaten straight with least discomfort. However with the human civilization becoming more and more modernized, people slowly developed taste for cooked foods leading to a plethora of processed food products which have flooded the market attracting more and more customers. Heat processing is to day an inevitable step before food is eaten for a variety of reasons, most important of which is making the food safe without causing biological discomfort or various ailments associated with raw foods. Besides the modern man has cultivated a taste for cooked foods whether using hot water or baking process. While water cooking does not raise the temperature beyond 100C at the atmospheric pressure baking temperatures can be as high as 300C. Higher the temperature faster could be the cooking and vice versa. 

Currently cooking does not take more than one hour as per the practices prevalent now and technology is ever striving to reduce this time as much as possible for saving time for the man who has less and less time for long duration cooking. Against this trend is the attempt to promote "slow cooking" that can take up to 10 hours under low temperature conditions. According to the proponents of this alternative, slow cooking gives a better food and saves energy. Slow cookers generally use less electricity than the conventional cookers and can be used year-round. Because of the long, low-temperature cooking, slow cookers help tenderize less-expensive cuts of meat. They usually allow for one-step preparation; putting all the ingredients in the slow cooker saves time and reduces cleanup. Many foods can be cooked in a slow process including soups, stews, side dishes, main dishes, meats, poultry and desserts.  Most slow cookers have two or three settings which can be adjusted for cooking times from 6 to10 hours. Setting the temperature at the higher level initially and then lowering the same can suit many foods to give a completely cooked taste. It seems an entirely new industry has been evolved for making slow cookers with different capacities and capabilities .

If clean cookers are used along with clean utensils and keeping the work area clean, finished products are always safe. . Of course perishable foods have to be refrigerated until preparation time. Meat cuts are to be thawed before putting in the slow cooker. As vegetables cook slower than meat and poultry, putting vegetables in first is recommended before adding meat and liquids such as broth, water or sauce. The cooker must be closed with a lid to get optimum results. While cooking, rarely any thought is given regarding the fate of nutrients present in the food because cooking is often conceived as a means of generating desirable flavor and taste. The perception regarding "desirable" eating quality traits may differ from society to society, country to country and ethnicity to ethnicity across the world. A simple example is that of milk. While Indians are used to "boiled" milk, western consumers want the milk just pasteurized with minimum heat exposure. Similarly there are hundreds of examples which substantiate the above diversity in the taste perception..

One of the reasons for over cooking in many parts of the world is the fear of microbial dangers coming from foods which are not properly cooked to destroy them and invariably people develop a taste for such foods over the years making it a standard practice. Time-temperature relationship vis-a-vis making a product sterile is well established and food technology has been striving for decades to reduce the exposure of foods to heat as much as possible. The HTST process and UHT process are able to achieve sterility within a matter of seconds while traditional  method involved lower temperatures and longer heat exposure. Obviously modern technologies try to minimize heat damage and preserve the original quality to the maximum extent possible. Does the "slow cooking" method satisfy the palates of both Eastern and Western cultures? It is difficult to guess an answer to this critical question. It must be remembered that before the advent of cooking gas or electric stoves or ovens, in countries like India people were using fire wood and charcoal as fuels for cooking and invariably time taken can be long. As such there might not be any thing new in this so called "new" slow cooking system.

With the fuel cost going up, there are serious attempts to reduce its use as much as possible and save on the energy. Solar cookers are increasingly being used and naturally food takes much longer time to achieve the "doneness". There are also cookers which use a combination of heating and insulation to utilize the energy to the maximum extent without waste. Some consumers soak the foods like the grains in water over night before applying heat which saves significant amount of energy. As cooking is also a function of the water content in the food, soaking for 6-12 hours achieves saturated absorption of moisture into the food thereby enabling the heat to get transferred to the center of the material faster. Thus slow cooking is practiced in all countries even to day not for any reason of enhanced taste but for cutting down on energy use. Improvements in taste and flavor may be incidental here. 

Science says that the food we eat contains many nutrients necessary to sustain good health and health pundits have laid down minimum and maximum levels of these nutrients to be taken every day for children, adults, men and women. Naturally if food is to be cooked to make it more easily digestible and eatable, we have to ensure minimum destruction of these vital components during the cooking process. Here again the sensitivity of different nutrients to heat varies enormously and a combination of air and heat can bring about greater destruction under common cooking conditions. From a nutritional point of view probably slower cooking can result in greater loss of nutrients thus lowering the overall nutritional quality. In this context modern cooking system will probably score over slow cooking mode. Ultimately the euphoria around slow cooking is bound to wane with time like it has happened with many fads previously!    

V.H.POTTY

http://vhpotty.blogspot.com

http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

Pulses production in India-Will it ever meet the domestic demand?

Pulses or legumes constitute a major component in the diet of Indian population which is predominantly vegetarian in their eating habits both by tradition as well as due to economic compulsions. Though most can eat animal based foods like meat, fish and egg, due to limited income per family they cannot buy these expensive food items at the prevailing market prices. Milk is another protein source which is produced in India adequately but here also the average price of Rs 30 per liter makes its proteins much more costlier than that in pulses. Most pulses have protein contents of 23-25% on dry weight basis while in fluid milk it is only about 5% on fresh weight basis. In the case of meat it works out to a protein content of about 21-25%. Cost wise the costs per kg of protein from these three sources are Rs 300 from pulses, Rs 600 from milk and Rs 1000 from meat. No wonder people will less per capita income are compelled to to opt for plant proteins to meet their health need of 50 gm of proteins per person every day. 

Some pundits feel that plant proteins are not of high quality when measured on scales of Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) or Biological Value (BV), they being deficient in one or more of essential amino acids that human body cannot make in vivo. Probably this may be true but what one can do if he cannot afford high quality protein containing foods like meat? This is where food and nutrition science come to their help. Nature has a diversified source of plants containing proteins of different amino acid profile and therefore by judicial blending of different pulses and cereals one can get all the needed amino acids readily from such mixed diets. If Net Protein Utilization (NPU) another yardstick to measure protein quality is taken into consideration, egg ranks high with 90% plus mark followed by milk (80% plus), meat (65% plus), legumes (50-60%) and whole grains (50-60%). Two of the three limiting amino acids that humans cannot make in vivo viz Methionine is low in pulses and Lysine is low in grains. Considering that in a composite diet consumed by a vegetarian both legumes and grains are present and therefore the over all protein quality does not suffer from a nutritional perspective.

India being the largest producer and consumer of pulses has always been short of this vital commodity, forcing it to resort to large scale imports, some times almost 25% of its need being met by imports from countries like Canada, Myanmar, Australia, Russia and USA. According to government sources the country was supposed to have produced during 2013-2014 about 19 million tons (mt) with import of about 1.4 mt supplementing the availability to meet the demand of 21 mt within the country. What is disappointing is that the production of pulses has been stagnating during the last 5 years hovering between 18 and 19 mt annually. Why the country has not been able to raise production is a complex question and the international prices of these pulses fluctuate widely depending on Indian imports. In 2009-10 and 2012-13 the average imports were around 3.5 mt per year. Only in 2013-14 the imports saw a dramatic dip with only 1.4 mt being sourced from outside. Interestingly government offers decent minimum support prices (MSP)  to pulses ranging from Rs 2950 to Rs 4500 per quintal depending on which pulse one is talking about.

In the domestic demand situation Bengal gram or Chick Pea is at the top consumption being 9.7 mt followed by Tur at 3.3 mt, Moong and Urad at 3 mt each. Others account for another 3 mt. Interestingly Dry Peas account for the highest import being about 1.33 mt followed by Masur at 0.71 mt, Pigeon Pea at 0.47 mt and Chick Pea at 0.28 mt. Though in the strict sense Dry Pea is not a legume as is being understood by many, it is used in fresh or frozen form as a vegetable; nonetheless it does belong to leguminous family. Considering that India is the largest importer of edible oils, almost 3 times the quantity of legumes imported, government is justified in persisting with out sourcing pulses because of the health implications of pulses in Indian diet. However not taking enough efforts in achieving self sufficiency in pulses production cannot be condoned. Besides, neglecting the role of pulses in the food security scheme of the country can be disastrous in the long run for the health of Indian population, especially that segment having low per capita income.  

Talking about prices of various pulses within the country there does not appear to be any valid basis for some of the popular pulses being priced exorbitantly high making it beyond the reach of common man who either has to reduce pulse consumption suiting his purse or avoid buying them altogether. Same goes for edible oils also which are very highly priced, some of them costing as high as Rs 200 per liter to the consumer at the retail level. One of the demands made by pulse growers' community is that pulses like Tur and Chick pea must be included in the PDS food basket, priced reasonably, for the low income groups to get access to them. Manipulation of prices of edible oils and pulses is rampant with hording becoming a standard practice in the face of a soft governance system in the country. Will the government at least wake up now and "catch the bull by its horn" to give succor and relief to the much harried citizen?

The overwhelming obsession with cereals and sugarcane by the government is not understandable considering the astronomical import costs incurred while outsourcing pulses and edible oils draining billions of dollars of foreign exchange year after year causing hemorrhage to the public exchequer. As a part of National Food and Agricultural Policy of the country, oil seeds and pulses deserve priority considerations and all other crops, except cereals must play a sub-ordinate role. What ever be the cost there is an urgent need to prioritize allocation of resources from the government to raise all the food needs of the population qualitatively and quantitatively in the coming years. Government must be ruthless in restricting cultivation of non-essential crops so that adequate fertile land and inputs are diverted to the three crops viz, cereals, pulses and oil seeds. 

V.H.POTTY

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

SELF RELIANCE IN EDIBLE OIL AND PULSES-INDIA'S WOES!

Edible oils and pulses play a significant role in the diets in India where the population by nature or due economic compulsions are predominantly herbivores. Especially critical is the place of pulses in the diet as they provide a major part of the proteins needed for balanced nutrition. In contrast oils constitute the energy source, supposed to contribute about 30% of biological energy in the diet. On an average humans need about 50-60 gm each of oils and pulses to meet the body needs and this requirement can be met from a variety of sources including pulses, oil seeds and extracted oils from seeds like groundnut, oil palm, soybean, cotton seed, mustard, sesame and others like maize germ, rice bran etc. While India produces about 20 million tons(mt) of pulses annually, its edible oil production is stagnating at around 8 mt since 2003-2004.

In spite of the critical shortage of the above two food crops ever since independence, not much could be done in raising their production due to many reasons. Historically India always placed higher priority to production of cereals like rice and wheat through attractive minimum support price policies till the year 2000 and farmers were always attracted by such incentives to cultivate more cereals than pulses and oil seeds. Though the MSP levels were raised 92% in the case of mustard to 212% for sunflower between 2001 to 2013, the production of these two crops still languished and the country is at a loss as to what has to be done to raise their production. The history of repeated imports of edible oils and pulses continue causing a hemorrhagic out flow of foreign exchange year after year to prevent price escalation in the domestic market.

While in 200-2001, the proportion of imports of oils was less than 50% ( 5 mt out of 11 mt) of the country's need, to day the corresponding figure stands at a whopping 60%( 10.5 mt out of 18 mt)! Domestic production increased by just 40% during these 13 years while imports more than doubled. . While annual per capita use of oil is about 92 kg in Argentina, 60 kg in the EU countries, 55 kg in America, in India it is a paltry 15 kg. The world average is more than 25 kg, almost double that in India. Of course nutritionists may argue that low consumption of fat is a win-win situation as high fat consumption is implicated in many disease like CVD, Hypertension, Diabetes and Obesity!  Probably if the present spurt in oil prices with most oils being priced between Rs 100-200 per liter, how far demand for this culinary ingredient will be sustained is a million dollar question. However market optimists expect that by 2020 the demand may reach about 23 mt from the current availability of 18 mt. How the government is going to react to this situation remains to be seen.

Current pulse production of 20 mt is supplemented by import of about 4 mt and the daily per capita availability works out to about 70 gm though the National Sample Survey says that the consumption is only about less than 30 gm a day. Why this discrepancy is not clear but there is a trend which clearly shows that consumption of pulses is coming down significantly over the years and an Indian citizen was much better off in the first decade after independence compared to present day India as far as pulse consumption is concerned. In contrast per capita availability cereals is almost same to day compared to 60 years ago hovering around 450 gm a day. Whether this justifies successive government efforts in boosting cereal production at any cost is matter of debate. Interestingly in spite of imports of about 4 mt of pulses into India the market prices of pulses still rule very high, unaffordable to many low income citizens to buy the minimum need as per the nutritional guide.

The above convoluted picture raises another important question regarding the priority accorded to sugarcane in this country which is heavily steeped in politics, most powerful politicians being products of the sugar lobby which have tremendous influence on the thinking and working of the governments at the Center as well as in some states. As a nation it is time that the role of sugarcane in the agricultural landscape of the country is revisited. 25 mt of sugar produced from sugarcane cultivated in 53 million hectares of country's precious land can be considered laudable from agricultural achievement view but how relevant is this to the food needs of the country? Sugar is considered a white poison in the lives of people though it adds considerable pleasure to the human palate and its by product Alcohol inebriates the consumer! From nutrition angle sugar does not serve any purpose in the diet and its calories are no more superior to that contributed by starch contained in all cereals, pulses, root crops, fruits and many vegetables. Why not restrict the sugarcane cultivation through disincentives and punitive measures and divert the land for raising pulses and oil seeds in the national interest? If the sugarcane cultivation is reduced by 50% the resulting spared land can increase the present production of oil seeds and pulses very significantly.

To day the area under cultivation for oil seeds and pulses is 30 million hectares (mha) and 25 mha respectively. Imagine the impact of diverting 50% of the land currently under sugarcane (about 27 mha) to production of these vital crops on the economic health as well the human health of the population in the country. All it needs is to protect the income of farmers who are cultivating sugarcane at present which will be persuasive enough for them to switch over.to oil seeds and pulses.

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

MICROGREENS-BETTER NUTRITION OR A FAD?

It is universally accepted that eating vegetables in recommended quantities regularly can ensure good health as most of them are rich in many nutrients as well dietary fiber. However with meat products predominating the diet of people in many affluent countries vegetable consumption has fallen dramatically during the last 4-5 decades endangering the health of the population giving rise to a number diseases which can reduce the quality of life and some being fatal. Kids are generally averse to eating vegetables, the main reason being the typical smell and flavor associated with each vegetable. Once the eating habits are established during early stages of life, it becomes impossible to change them unless late realization dawns on them regarding the crucial role vegetables play in longevity and trouble free old age living. Probably the enormous promotion of sugar and fat rich foods during younger days make the kids addicts to these instant pleasure providing foods, leaving no space for scientifically established nutritious items like fruits and vegetables.

What is astonishing is the craze for sprouts in the diet under the impression they are the ultimate sources of good nutrition! There was a time when sprouts were an indispensable part of high quality food preparations whether in the family dining room or in public eating places. Of course sprouts can be as nutritious as the seeds used for producing the sprouts but to infer that they are superior to the seeds may be some what far fetched. After all the basic reservoir of nutrients present in a seed is utilized for germination and there has to be some depletion of carbohydrates, proteins and fat present in the seed for the germination process. If one claims that sprouts are more easily digested, it may be true. A normal human being has all the paraphernalia within the body system to assimilate any edible material without depending on the enzymes present in the seed. Some reports indicate that during germination there is significant increase in some vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin, alpha carotene, tocopherol etc but such increased vitamins can be obtained even by mere soaking the seeds for a few hours in water. Another advantage claimed for sprouting is that due to chelation many minerals become more bio-available while nutrition inhibitors like phytins are reduced.

Miniaturization of fruits and vegetables through biotechnological means has been going on in many countries and Baby corn is an excellent example. Bonsai system of gardening is a well established way of making the plant a dwarf through "training", requiring enormous patience. The purpose of Bonsai is to enjoy the pleasure of growing large plants without actually allowing them to grow naturally without any restriction. Thus there is this human tendency to see many things appearing big in nature as mini versions while there are also enthusiasts who enjoy jumbo sized versions of natural plant crops. Also to be borne in mind is the general perception that good quality, especially in vegetables, is linked to their tenderness. Tea leaves are plucked when the "two leaves and the bud" appear because maximum flavor is provided at this stage. Same is true with almost all vegetables, be it Okhra, Beans, Squash, Spinach, Knol Kol or Drumstick. Over mature vegetables invariably are more fibrous and less tastier. For farmers it is a dilemma as to when their produce needs to be harvested to be acceptable without allowing them to grow further to get a higher yield.

While sprouting is fairly popular with many consumers, a new trend is emerging where seeds after germination are allowed to grow further for a week or two till they become 1-2 inches tall with first flush of leaves and harvesting the same for use in food preparations. Decreasing popularity of sprouts lately is attributed to frequent food poisoning episodes caused by contamination with Salmonella and E.coli 0157:H7, deadly pathogens with high mortality potential. Last year there were at least a dozen recalls in the US and more than 50 people were reported to have perished due to such contamination cases. Seed, root and undeveloped leaves form the sprout and contamination mostly comes from poor quality of soaking water and unsatisfactory hygienic conditions prevailing in germination chambers. Many reputed restaurants world over have removed sprouts from their menu because of the potential threat from pathogenic contamination. Compared to sprouts which are produced in moisture medium, 7-14 days old baby plants are grown by regular planting of seeds in specially prepared beds or containers and boxes or indoors. Harvesting is done by sniping the stem at a point just above the soil which avoids carrying any contaminants into the final product. Called Microgreens, this new version of popular vegetables and herbs are becoming increasingly popular as it is perceived that they are more tasty, flavorful and have better textural characteristics loved by most consumers. Most popular Microgreens being marketed are raised from Mustard, Kale, Endive, Arugula, Beet greens, Spinach, Basil, Celery, Cress, Dill and Fennel.

The advantages of these tiny leaves present in Microgreens, less than 14 days old, can be many. According to food connoisseurs they make excellent garnishes to salads, sandwiches and soups and whether they're spinach, pea, beet or purple mustard, microgreens are supposed to pack even more nutrients that their adult versions. According to USDA scientists who have conducted the first scientific analysis of nutrients in 25 different Microgreens, especially with regard to vitamins and other phytochemicals, there is some substance in the claim that they are rich in many vitamins. The contents of vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene in the leaves of Microgreenst leaves were almost four to six times more compared to the mature leaves of the same plant. Wide variations were observed in nutrition levels and a vegetable like red cabbage was highest in vitamin C while the green daikon radish microgreens had the most vitamin E. This is an emerging area where further studies are needed to confirm many claims of superior nutrition for Microgreens. Interestingly most consumers rate the Microgreens for their special eating quality, nutrition taking a back seat in their calculations.

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

   

HARNESSING STUDENTS' ENERGY-THE "GARDEN" WAY!

The US is a country with innovation fore most in the minds of its population in practically every field of human endeavor. When it comes to food their innovative spirit has thrown up new products with a regularity that can be termed as mind boggling. If the food processing sector in the US is considered, it outpaces that in any other country whether in product formulation, ingredient development, packaging, machinery or nutrition and no wonder their insatiable quest for new things has led them to a situation that is threatening their population in terms of ill health and "over nutrition". Interestingly the processing industry riding on modern knowledge driven technologies seems to have let out a "tiger" in the form of junk foods and other types of products with nutritional imbalance which refuses to be tamed! Neither the Government there nor the industry has any clue as to how best the American citizens can be saved from food-driven suicide!

Interestingly the spark for the distortion in food consumption habits was provided by the economic boom that country was experiencing with rich citizens able to buy food far beyond their actual need. After all a human being requires requires hardly 2000-3000 kC and 50-60 gms of proteins along with micro nutrients to maintain decent health but the calories requirement is closely linked to the physical efforts including daily chores and workplace activities. The pronounced shift from a diet rich in whole cereals, fruits, vegetables and other wholesome and nutritious foods to one rich in refined cereals and animal products has precipitated the current crisis. Added to this the government policy of heavily subsidizing wrong foods like Corn, Soybean etc and neglect of fruits and vegetables has made animal foods significantly cheaper driving even low income groups to such foods with low credentials vis-a-vis health protection.

Another dimension to the food and health crisis facing that country is indifferent safety of foods emanating from large industrial conglomerates using unsafe chemicals like antibiotics, pesticides and other inputs considered dangerous. Added to this aggressive popularization of GM foods with controversial safety credentials is considered to be adding to the woes of the American consumer. The highly profit motivated food industry does not seem to be too much concerned about the well being of the consumers and its attitude can be summed up as " profit at any cost" and it is up to the consumer to moderate food consumption and maintain health through exercise!
No wonder organic food industry is making considerable in roads into the main food portfolio as citizens are increasingly being scared about the safety of most of the foods offered in the market. It is a matter for serious introspection why food poisoning episodes due to contamination with deadly pathogens is recurring with sickening regularity in this country and there are many documentary evidence to show that the callous attitude and unpardonable mistakes of the industry are responsible for many of the market recalls of products billions of dollars.

In spite of the above serious lacunae America is also the land where innovative people's movements such as local foods, farmers market, urban garden, gorilla garden, terrace garden, community garden, corporate garden etc had started by people concerned with the quality and safety of foods consumed by them every day. The Food Truck phenomenon which has taken roots in this country is a development worth watching because unlike main stream restaurants these mobile vending units serve nutritionally better food at relatively low cost besides procuring their input materials locally. Latest concept to "arrive" is "Campus Garden" created and nurtured by the student community to feel the real thrill in growing food. Though it remains to be seen how far this phenomenon will last, there is good possibility the movement may spread across the continent considering the potential it holds in accessing safe and nutritious foods for the campus community.

The benefits of community gardens can be considerable. A community garden will promote health and wellness, provide a place for leisure and offer food for those in need. Indirectly it can promote wildlife habitats, storm water control and water quality improvement. One of the limitations of modern society is that students in schools are totally cut off from rural areas where food is produced and have no clue as to how farming activities ensure regular supply food for them. If teaching fraternity can be roped in, it will enrich the knowledge of students about agriculture. Imaginative design of such gardens can contribute to the development of good and constructive relationship with the surrounding community, leading to an environment of peace and tranquility. According to the most recent estimates there are 100 colleges and universities with community gardens on campus in the US, working harmoniously with the neighborhood. .

Why not the above experiment be started in various campuses across the country? Many college campuses have hundreds of hectares of land available that can be put to better use rather than allowing them to remain fallow. While Agricultural colleges in the country, many in number can lead the way, other teaching institutions also can follow them and there will be an impact of far reaching dimension in a few years time. What is needed is a set of standardized kits with necessary guidelines for raising some of the fruits and vegetables of short duration. One of the indirect benefits that may eventually flow out of such innovative development is that institutions with community gardens will turn out much better graduates with high sensitivity to nature and environment. Besides the "destructive" energy that is characteristic of modern youngsters can be channeled for a better cause through campus gardens.

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

WELFARE OF TEEN AGE FEMALES-A NEW GOI INITIATIVE

Agreed, lately India has attained notoriety with many scams under investigation but India is also a land of schemes where there are hundreds of programs funded by the governments at the Center as well as in various States. All government schemes have the avowed objective of uplifting the status of the citizens, especially the poor and down trodden ones with no hope for a secure future. Of course whether the money, in billions of rupees booked to the public exchequer, really reaches the beneficiaries is a matter of speculation though the estimated diversion or looting of the resources may be any where from 40-100% of the budgeted amount! Social activists still take heart from the fact that at least some are benefited to some extent, believing in the old adage that "some thing is better than nothing" ! A pitiable state of affairs where decent citizens are forced to condone misappropriation of public funds having no other option but to acquicise! ,

Here is the latest Scheme under the centrally sponsored projects under the banner of "Sabala" which appears to be thought of with noble intention, viz helping females between the age of 11 and 18 to develop into responsible future women with multiple skills and good health. As a first step the scheme is expected to be launched as a pilot trail in 100 districts across the country with a budget of Rs 1000 crore for the current financial year 2011-2012. Once the concept of this scheme is proved to be effective GOI is expected to provide adequate funds to spread the same through out the country. Though details about the program are not yet available, one must admire the intention behind this action because nutrition needs of females change dramatically during this period of growth when they attain puberty and under nutrition and anemia are rampant among this vulnerable group. Added to this the country is in an unenviable position with one out of four girls dropping out of the school during early stages of education and child marriages are very common in many states. The Scheme is all the more praise worthy considering that many families shun girl child if they can help and ultra sound screening to day is common for determining the sex of the child during early periods of pregnancy with temptation for abortion very high.

Sabala scheme, besides its emphasis on health and nutrition, also envisages development of the girls into a responsible woman with focus on upgrading the skill level to equip them with earning capability and improving the home environment with better welfare activities, family health and hygiene. While 100% of girls dropping out of the school between the age 11 and 15 will only be covered, those between 15 and 18 are expected to be fully covered. It is not clear why such a distinction is made though it might be due to the fact this age group is vulnerable to early child bearing with its attendant undesirable consequences in the long run. Considered from any angle this is a gigantic scheme with vast resources being pumped in and extra precaution, better management practices and close monitoring can only achieve even a fraction of the targets set for the scheme.

It is interesting that GOI is willing to shoulder 100% of the expenditure on non- nutrition component of the program but wants the States to share 50% of the expenditure on the food component. Whether health and nutrition will suffer because of the reluctance and economic weakness of the States, that some of them may default on their commitments to share the expenditure on this count is a valid concern. The ceiling limit of Rs 5 for the food component for each beneficiary may be too small to deliver any meaningful food qualitatively and quantitatively and like the mid-day meal program Sabala scheme may also suffer to achieve any tangible result. It is not realized by GOI that good nutrition cannot be envisaged with just food grains but inclusion of pulses, fruits and vegetables in the menu is a must to raise the health status of the beneficiaries. Depending on Anganwadis to deliver the food service also may be fraught with many uncertainties and whether the girls will queue up for cooked foods of indifferent quality in these feeding centers remains to be seen.

A strategy based on ready to eat foods with extended storage life should have been conceived in stead of hot cooked foods served every day at feeding centers. There will be opposition from vested interests because manufacture and distribution of pre-packed RTE foods will have far lesser scope for pilferage and misappropriation of scheme funds by those managing the same. Fortifying cereal based food preparation with proteins, vitamins and minerals as is being done in some food products supplied for applied nutrition programs may not be the best way to deliver "nutrition" and this should have dawned on the planners who came out with the Sabala scheme from past experiences. Food scientists will confirm that Milk and or egg can be the best nutritious source and it must be left to the food technologists to come up with shelf stable products requiring no cooking for such mass distribution programs. If the cost is higher there is no alternative but to increase the outgo on the food component to meet the need.

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

HOW FRESH IS THE "FRESH" PRODUCE?-A QUESTIONABLE INDUSTRY PRACTICE

There is an increasing tendency for people to go for "fresh", "local", "natural" or organic foods and the reason is not far to seek. It is simply the fear factor that is driving millions of consumers away from preserved or processed foods and the food industry is to blame itself for this sorry situation. Historically food technology evolved over centuries to extend the supply chain so that adequate foods are available all year round. Use of salt or sugar which increases the osmotic pressure in food system to discourage proliferation of pathogens and many spoilage organisms continues even to day though from healthy angle they are shunned by a substantial strata of the society. While uncontrolled salt consumption is known to be linked to hypertension and cardiovascular disease, high sugar can be responsible for dental decay, diabetes, obesity and other disorders. Organoleptically too much sugar or salt can create quick satiety. Salt and sugar preserved food products can be farthest from the concept of fresh foods.

Sun drying or the more scientific mechanical drying of perishables which contain high levels of moisture gives products with altered textural features but it still served the purpose of extending the life of the food significantly due to low water activity in such foods after removing bulk of the water content. Besides, the reconstituted final product has drastically different eating quality, not often liked by consumers. Vast improvements in dehydration technology have contributed to better finished products and freeze drying can give a product that can be quite satisfactory though cost wise such products can be very expensive. However dehydrated foods can also never qualify to be called fresh.

It is true that while advances in technology and transportation can extend the shelf life of food, consumer always will have to pay a price for availability and convenience in terms of nutrition and taste. Relentless progress of food science and technology has made it possible to have a wide choice of processing methods for the industry and techniques like atmospheric packs, storage of apples in 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), vacuum packing with carbon dioxide and nitrogen, and refrigeration have provided reliable tools to extend the shelf life very significantly. While most technologies are able to ensure safety of most foods for a long time, what happens to the quality of these preserved foods is an issue often ignored. For example most frozen foods when stored at a constant temperature of -18C can stay safe beyond an year but whether the consumer will accept the eating quality of these long term preserved foods is a genuine concern. Same is true with all preserved foods what ever be the technique used.

It is disputable whether the industry can call any of these foods "fresh"because they can never be equal in sensory quality and nutritive value to freshly harvested produce. According to common sense 'fresh' can only be those foods put on sale as early as possible after the time of picking, catching or producing. True, developments in food technology and storage ensure that the consumer has a wide range of fruit and vegetables available all year round, but it is not correct to call apples that are nine months old truly fresh. Similarly spinach refrigerated for just eight days is known to loose more than 50% of its key nutrients and consumer is never aware of this fact while buying a "fresh looking" spinach from the supermarket. Same is true with most fruits and vegetables seen in these markets. Probably some awareness has been generated amongst the minds of consumers about the relatively lower quality of retailed fresh produce which has spawned the "farmers markets" and "locavore" phenomena in some countries in Europe and the US.

Compared to many technologies freezing process provides the best product approximating to quality as close to its field fresh counterpart and this may be the reason why frozen food industry has made rapid strides world over during the last 3 decades. They are definitely superior to the so called fresh produce offered by supermarkets procured from far away places and transported over long distances. Here again if the consumer is quality conscious long time stored frozen foods must be avoided since even under frozen conditions quality loss does occur, albeit slowly. In the interest of the consumer no processed food industry players must be allowed to use the terminology "fresh" to describe their products, no matter what technology is used..

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

POLYDEXTROSE-A DESIRABLE FOOD ADDITIVE?

The importance of fiber in the diet for maintaining good health has been recognized world over by now. Like water, fiber cannot be strictly classified as a nutrient essential for growth but while water is essential for the very survival, fiber consumption can dramatically influence the quality of life in many ways. The modern "mantra" about consuming whole grains, fruits, vegetables and nuts is based on the indisputable fact that they are rich sources of fiber. A daily intake of 25 gm for an adult is accepted in many parts of the world as essential for normal health..

The euphoria about dietary fiber has spawned many new businesses and there are thousands of products now available in the market claiming to be rich in dietary fiber that can control cholesterol, CVD, diabetes, hypertension and gastrointestinal afflictions. By far strongest evidence has come for the role of dietary fiber in reducing significantly the serum cholesterol level. The role of fiber in maintaining a healthy gut system and generating some nutrients like essential fatty acids are also well documented. Fiber contained in oat bran, whole wheat, beans, prunes and many plant foods are recognized as most effective in obtaining many of the benefits attributed to it.

Though there is distinct difference between soluble and insoluble fibers, both are required for good health. Recent differentiation between dietary fiber and functional fiber was necessary because of the tendency on the part of the industry to use some natural and others man-made substances in product formulations exhibiting some of the benefits of naturally occurring fiber sources. Two important sources of functional fiber are Polydextrose and Inulin,used widely by the food industry for boosting fiber content in processed foods. Polydextrose is made by vacuum melting of glucose with Sorbitol and citric acid resulting in a 3-dimensional structured molecule which resists action of gut enzymes that hydrolyzes starch and other carbohydrates. It is claimed as a soluble form of dietary fiber though every one does not agree that it is a true dietary fiber.

Polydextrose is water-soluble and is used in many beverages with a few advantages. It has a neutral, fresh taste, high solubility and good stability at a wide range of pH conditions. It is also stable at reasonably high temperature conditions without getting hydrolyzed easily. A solution of Polydextrose is clear and transparent in appearance with medium viscosity. Recently reports from China indicate that Polydextrose is an excellent additive for tea to modify the flavor and mouth feel liked by consumers besides contributing to higher levels of functional fiber. The low caloric value of only 1 kC per gm is an advantage while using in formulations with calorie restriction. The relatively low Glycemic Index, less than 7, makes it ideal for diabetic food formulations. Specialty foods incorporating sugar substitutes like aspartame need bulking agent or a carrier with least calorie content and Polydextrose fits into this role admirably.

With an E number of 1200, Polydextrose is widely used in many products where features like low caloric density, increased fiber level and reduced fat content are desired. Such products include beverages, cakes, candies, dessert mixes, breakfast cereals, frozen desserts, puddings, salad dressings etc. Being a humectant, stabilizer, thickening agent and a proven pre-biotic substance, Polydextrose offers opportunities for creating new foods with more diverse sensory characteristics. A few side effects attributed to this food additive include abdominal cramps, bloating of stomach and excessive generation of gas. Consumption of Polydextrose up to 90 gm a day does not cause laxative effect while other pollyols exerts such effects at levels less than 20 gm. Though it is proved to be safe for human consumption, having shown no deleterious effect so far by any scientific studies and approved for universal use as a food additive since 1981, considering that it is a synthetic product created out of chemical reaction, its use should preferably be restricted to specialty foods targeted at over weight, diabetic and diet conscious consumers.

V.H.POTTY

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

THE SCHOOL MEALS-AN AVOIDABLE CONTROVERSY

India's school lunch program is internationally hailed as one of the most enduring social commitments though there are lot of critics who question the efficiency of the entire system. According to the avowed policies of Government of India (GOI), no child should remain hungry due to poverty and huge funds are earmarked regularly in the annual budgets for meeting the expenditure involved in supplying foods in schools and other institutions specifically for children and other vulnerable populations like pregnant women. Providing meals at the schools is supposed to have the added advantage of attracting young children to educational centers to achieve universal literacy and prevent alarming drop out rates. According to official statistics there are about 220 million children of school going age, 4-12 years but about 5% are left out because of many social and economic factors. Leaving out almost a million children from the human resource pool of the country cannot be justified under any governing system and it was hoped that providing good meals during the lunch time would increase the school enrollment significantly.

During early stages of applied nutrition programs in the country, there was preference for processed foods because of ease of handling and account keeping. The Energy Food "era" which covered a substantial portion of the student population could not last with many vested interests blaming the the quality and monotony of the dry product which were not "liked" by the beneficiaries and the hot food craze that started in Tamilnadu was touted as a better alternative though such a concept was fraught with logistical nightmares. The unclean environment in school facilities, shortage of clean water, necessity for cooking fuels and other input materials and the personnel need for cooking were all considered constraining factors. It was realized that mid-day school food program could also create local employment which made the policy makers to lean towards the "hot meal" proposition. With meager financial allocation per child the benefits derived were found to be not up to the expectation and soaring food inflation contributed further to this sense of inadequacy. An allocation of less than Rs 3 per child cannot be expected to provide sufficient calories, protein and other nutrients, let alone the desirable taste appreciated by the beneficiaries. This is where the help and cooperation of Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) with credibility and good track record was sought by GOI.

One of the most remarkable successes in the joint endeavor for providing school lunches was by the International Society for Krishna Conscience (ISKCON) which changed the way the program was being conceived in Delhi. If one can keep aside the religious or cult image of ISKCON, the track record of this NGO was spectacular after it was roped in as a partner by the government. Even there was an image make over when ISKCON floated a separate trust by name Food for Life Foundation to run the school feeding program. Its Akshaya Patra program, being run in seven states covers 6500 schools and 1 million children which of course is a small drop in the ocean. But it has shown the way how the program can be run on modern lines with quality and safety of foods supplied to the schools better than any thing the children have ever tasted in their life. Serving rice or roti, sambar or dal and curd unlimited, to provide at least 550 kCals in hot condition with steaming aroma emanating from the prepared foods, the program has already established its USP as far as children are concerned. Compare this with the GOI norm to provide only 360 kilo calories which cannot be expected to extinguish the hunger in the belly.

Another dimension to this remarkable endeavor is the technological break-through achieved by the organizers in revolutionizing the preparation technology and the 14 kitchens run by them are technological marvels. Each kitchen equipped with industrial steam generators, large mechanized vegetable cutters, huge pumps capable of transferring liquid foods like dal and sambar at mind boggling rate and the 3-level gravity based flow process, has capacity ranging from 50000 to 250000 meals a day. Though most handling is by mechanized systems, there is an employment content here with each kitchen having 150 to 300 workers on its roll. Remarkably some of these kitchens are even ISO certified while the Foundation is planing to engage consultants for quality and safety auditing on a regular basis in future. The hot products from these are delivered in stainless containers to the schools directly in specially designed vans to be served hot to the students in their own environment.

It is realized that such huge kitchens can serve only urban schools whereas thousands of schools in rural areas cannot benefit from such facilities. The decentralized kitchen concept now being tried out for supply of foods to beneficiaries numbering less than 5000 in large areas creates small scale cooking facilities near the schools run by women's Self Help Group, train the cooks on good manufacturing practices and inculcate accountability for supply of raw material inputs. If such a movement takes root, the astronomical investment made on this social transformation project could be considered well spent.

Involvement of ISKCON appears to be evoking some hostility amongst some critics who blame them for economic exploitation and even some court cases are pending in Karnataka where one of the politicians has been arraigned for defamation by ISKCON for making unsubstantiated allegations. On a critical look at the economics of the program it is seen that each meal prepared costs about Rs 4.68 and government budget provides only Rs 2.64, rest absorbed by the organizers raising donations from corporations and individuals all around the world. The vision on the part of ISKCON to reach a target of 5 million children is praise worthy and as long as they are accountable for the donations from the public as well as the government funds received as per country's laws, there should not be any objection to their mission. Probably more NGOs must come forward to create models like this to serve the future needs of the children of this country.

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

BUTTERMILK-THE RIGHT PRODUCT WITH A WRONG NAME!

Why buttermilk, with which most people are familiar, is called so can be a futile task because not much reliable documented information is readily available. One of the anectodes that tries to explain the origin of butter refers to ancient horse riding nomads who hung the milk bags by the neck of their horses and in a few days found it separated into butter and butter milk. Butter was a monetary tool in ancient India 5000 years ago and mention of its association with Lord Krishna is considered proof of its popularity then. Even churning of curd is depicted in ancient epic Mahabharata, Reference to buttermilk also dates back some other civilizations in Asia, Africa and South America. Advent of yogurt made the utility of butter milk some what less with the former being the major fermented milk products from the dairy industry. How ever distinction between yogurt and butter milk is increasingly getting blurred and ultimately it boils down to consistency. While butter milk is more watery yogurt is usually set to different consistency with some versions amenable to clean cut.

The term buttermilk denotes the left over liquid after butter is churned out of fermented milk by traditional process and contains mainly proteins, carbohydrates, less than 1% fat and minerals. Home made buttermilk is obtained after seeding the boiled milk with lactic acid bacteria and subsequent churning to separate butter in granule form from the liquid. Probably the name must have come because it is obtained from the butter churn though it contains only a few specs of butter. Though buttermilk was retained by the families for self consumption as a drink or for making bakery products, after the commercialization of dairy operations, it was being discarded. It was only during the beginning of nineteen fifties that buttermilk started getting importance as a consumer product in the form of beverages and ingredient in baking.

Modern day butter milk products are made by mechanized production facilities with large through put capacities and involves prior cream separation after which the skimmed milk is "fermented" for 12-14 hours with lactic acid bacteria such as Streptococcus lactis, S.cremoris, Leuconostoc citrovorum, L.dextranicum etc singly or in combinations. After the fermentation it is cooled to about 7C for arresting the bacterial growth further and conferring a storage life of about two weeks under refrigerated condition. A typical buttermilk sample has 40 kC energy, 4.8% carbohydrates, 0,9% fat, 3.3 % protein and 116 mg% Calcium.

Indians use yogurt, also called "curd", extensively though commercial versions with reasonable shelf life under refrigerated conditions and diluted buttermilk, salted and spiced, is a drink often preferred during summer months for its cooling effect. Many dairies under the NDDB net work manufacture yogurt and distribute the same in plain LDPE pouches with a couple of days shelf life. In some areas two glasses of dilute plain butter milk is a standard feature of lunch. Amul's efforts to offer a stabilized version of butter milk in tetra packs for drinking as a beverage had limited commercial success, though the product was excellent in terms of quality and acceptability. Many road side vendors, especially in the North, sell buttermilk during hot season. Cost factor plays an important role in the success of any product however good it may be and considering that buttermilk is a highly nutritious beverage, GOI should consider this particular product for promotion by some fiscal incentives to the Dairy sector.

One wonders why the butter milk cannot be called "butterless milk"!

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

MARKET FOODS-CHOOSING THE BEST AND AVOIDING THE WORST!

Grocery stores world over have a variety of foods, good and bad. How does one make a selection of the right food with highest nutritional value when there may be half a dozen brands of same category of products on the shelves? As the right to information is inviolable, the mandatory labeling system is generally designed to provide the consumer with an insight about the nature and quality of food purchased. It is another matter that the logistics of loading all information on a small sized label are cumbersome and often impractical. The consumers in general have very vague ideas about nutritional quality of foods though many know the importance of proteins, vitamins and minerals. Lately more awareness seems to be developing regarding the positive importance of dietary fibers, omega-3 fatty acids, Calcium and antioxidants, Equally true is the knowledge about the negative importance of Sodium, Cholesterol, Saturated fats and Trans fats. Still it is difficult to make an informed choice about relative strength or deficiency of each brand on the market shelf.

From time to time many grading techniques have been considered for providing the consumers with a guideline for selecting or rejecting a particular food based on positive and negative nutritional impact but none seems to have gained universal acceptance so far. One of the better food assessment methods being offered to the industry is the NuVal system pioneered by by a group of nutritional and medical professionals which appears to be gaining popularity amongst smaller manufacturers. The Overall Nutritional Quality Index Algorithm is based on more than 30 nutrients and food constituents, some desirable and others less desirable, the NuVal system assigns a particular number to each product based on detailed chemical analysis which needs to be displayed prominently on the front of the label for easy comprehension by the consumers.

According to this method of nutritional scoring importance is given to positive food constituents like proteins and their quality, Omega-3 fatty acids, dietary fiber, bioflavanoids, Calcium content, Vitamins, some critical minerals while negative ones like Sugar, Salt, Trans fats, saturated fats, Cholesterol will bring down the overall score. The reference values used are based on Dietary Guidelines for Americans and as such may not be applicable in other countries. Fresh vegetables score more than 80, while most of their canned counterparts have scores less than 20. Frozen vegetables score around 60 while fresh fruits have scores more than 80. Processed foods like cereals, breads and rolls, cookies, crackers, salty snacks will not be able to score more than 20 to 30 unless whole grains or multi grains or oats or brans are used in the recipes. Milk products can have high values more than 60 depending on the ingredients added during processing.

A dispassionate observer will find such a system very reasonable but the main stream industry seems to be opposing this approach because most of the products they make are able to muster only low scores, because of too much sugar or carbohydrates with high glycaemic load or high saturated fat levels or high salt content or low content of vitamins or high glycaemic values. Their main contention is that the existing labeling system gives sufficient information to the buyers and NuVal scores may unfairly downgrade their products. This has to be expected because of likely backlash they may face from the consumers with serious financial consequences on their business. But for start up ventures and small scale business NuVal may provide a prop for promoting their products and establish brand recognition.

A country like India should probably buy this patented scoring system for implementing country-wide as a mandatory measure to prevent fake, spurious and adulterated food products flooding the market. A major constraint would be the cost factor for individual manufacturer to generate data on products necessary for arriving at the nutritional score for his product portfolio. To be insisted upon should be the necessity for the conformation of the basic quality of foods so graded to the safety norms stipulated in statute books. If such an approach is not found to be feasible or practical for adoption nation wide, at least it should be made compulsory for foods supplied to the applied nutrition program of the country which involves investment of billions of rupees every year with doubtful impact on child malnutrition. Already some school feeding programs in the US are using NuVal scoring for food supplies entering the program.

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

MUSSELS-A SUSTAINABLE SEA FOOD?

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

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

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

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

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

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