Midday meal program in India-Whose interest it is serving?

 For the last several days in Karnataka, news papers were full of reports regarding the mid day school lunch program in a small village near Mysore where caste politics have caused considerable damage to the teaching environment there. The issue,  raised by this "storm in the tea cup" incidence as some people like to call it, poses a pertinent question regarding the very foundation of the concept of national school feeding programs across all the states. A honest citizen always wonders why the government is resorting to universal feeding in schools forcing all children attending a school where such a program is running to eat the "foods" cooked inside the school premises even if many of them can afford bringing good nutritious food from their home. The excuse for this program has been to try 100% attendance in the school as a part of right to education for every citizen. But the experience in this Karnataka village brings out starkly the anomaly of the program and in the face of some children refusing to eat the foods cooked in the school, authorities concerned were at a loss as to what to do next! 

Indian constitution confers on a citizen, even if he is a school going kid, the basic right to what he wants to eat or not to eat and therefore making it compulsory for all kids to eat the locally cooked foods, whatever be the reason, is coercive and unconstitutional. The "circus" going in this school to gloss over the issue is really amusing. Big politicians, religious saints and others are visiting this school and eating the same food as that being eaten by the students to show case their commitment to a "caste-less" society! The real issue is not caste or creed but the acceptability of the food to all children in the school. Why those who do not like the school foods should be "finger pointed" is baffling. In stead of making eating environment hygienic and clean, wrong emphasis is laid on eating only one food cooked locally! 

In another case reported from the city of Meerut in UP, teachers in a government school refused to eat the locally foods as they felt they are inedible! What logic is there in forcing the same food down through the throat of the hapless children is not clear. According to the rules prevalent governing school foods service, teachers are mandated to taste them before serving the same to the children and this is observed more in breach than adherence. If the teachers cannot eat the food how can the school authorities expect the children to accept them unless coercion is used. Shamelessly the school management routinely claims that complaints filed with higher authorities are routinely ignored and the situation continues, totally insensitive to the welfare of the kids! Does not this amount to criminal negligence on the part of the education department officials and local school management? Is there no solution to this systemic failure? Is it not a national blemish about which every Indian must hang his head in shame?

The concept of midday school feeding program is a novel idea, no doubt but the way it is practiced in the country needs reexamination. Every school must enroll voluntarily the names of kids wanting to be served with food during the lunch time. This should be based on economic criteria rather than on universal basis. Probably inertia on the part of the government in conducting surveys to identify families with low income who deserve free lunch in the school has resulted in opting for an easy recourse to giving food to every body without caring for the waste of resources on a worthless cause. In India there is considerable extent of suppression of income data by the citizens to get the benefit of many subsidies doled out by the governments at the central and state levels and this habit must be curbed as mercilessly as possible for the sake of the country and its honest law abiding citizens.. 

This Blogger has been raising the issue of school feeding during the last 30 years and always frowned upon the the "fresh food serving" lobby which has a powerful vested interest in making a fast buck from such programs through politician-bureaucrat-private contractor nexus. The meager budget for the food program reflects the sham that is being perpetuated in the name of education, social equity and poverty. In spite of some crazy politicians claiming that one can get a sumptuous meat for Rs 5 in this country, the ground reality is totally different. With rice costing Rs 50 per kg, edible oil price beyond Rs 70 per liter, Milk being sold at more than Rs 30 a liter, wheat flour available at prices more than Rs 40 per kg and egg Rs 5 a piece, what nutritious food can be served in the school at the ridiculously low budget of Rs 5 per head. A complete meal must have 16% proteins, at least about 400 kC of energy and adequate micro nutrients that will meet at least 50% of daily Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). If government wants to do justice to its school feeding program it has to double its present budget if 100% of kids in all schools are to be covered. Is it feasible? 

Another mind boggling issue is how advisable it is to make the school assume responsibility associated with raw material procurement, their safe storage, cooking within the premises with crude cooking facilities, accessing safe potable water, arranging for cooking fuel etc. With most schools grossly understaffed, is it fair to load the available teachers with additional burden of looking after the feeding program? No wonder instances like that in Meerut city keep happening all over the country. Food technologists, Nutritionists, medical practitioners, policy makers and industry reps must sit together to evolve a more credible and reassuring programs that will depend on packed foods, centrally manufactured and safety packed with minimum nutritional value and stable shelf life which are amenable to easy distribution, stocking, accounting, serving with minimum risk to the health of the children. 

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

FOOD LABELING -DOES THE CONSUMER UNDERSTAND IT?

Consumers world over are befuddled by the label declarations that appears on the front of a food pack, especially with reference to the dates printed by the manufacturer before releasing to the market. The labeling laws vary from country to country, though the intentions of the law makers are to help and guide the consumers to pick and choose products that are safe and good. The million dollar question is whether these laws are really helping the consumer or not while wading through the isles of a super market where thousands of products are displayed trying to attract the attention of the consumers and persuade them to buy their wares in preference to others. If reports from different parts of the world are to be believed, labeling creates more confusion and uncertainty among the consumers, most of them being ignorant of the implications of the date figures displayed on the label.

Why do the law makers insist on the industry to make label declarations on each and every pack of processed/packed foods that go out of the manufacturer's premises? There was a time during the evolution of food industry when consumers used to buy their foods based on appearance and touch as packing was not in vogue then. The world being a small place such a situation was normal with small communities with access to local markets where fresh foods were sold loose without tamper proof seals as that exists to day. Naturally number of food items to choose also was a minuscule of what is being offered in modern markets. It is only when centralized processing and distribution of the products over a wide geographical area started about 5 decades ago, the necessity was felt for uniform declaration mode that can communicate with the consumer regarding the nature of the content present inside the sealed packs. Over a period of time labeling regulations became more and more stringent and demanding because of the perceived helplessness of the consumer in choosing the right product of their expectation.

Food industry development in any country traditionally follows a route where processing forms a small part of the food landscape and with economic development the extent of processed foods in the every day diet starts climbing progressively. In many wealthy countries processed foods form as much as 80% of the daily diet of the population while in poorer ones it could be as low as 10%. The necessity for transparency between the industry and the consumer is some thing no nation will be prepared to compromise and therefore in keeping with the aspirations of the consumer, regulatory authorities tend to be more and more demanding from the industry to inform truth about their products. Thus labeling is a tool that is vital for creating confidence among the consumers regarding the quality and safety of manufactured food products. It is unfortunate that industry players in many parts of the world tend to focus too much on profitability ignoring the consumer concerns.

Most recent example of the industry trying to roughshod the interests of the consumer is the big fight now in view in the US for the consumer right to know whether industry products in the market contain genetically manipulated ingredients or not. While every one agrees that Genetically Modified (GM) foods are not natural measured by any standards, what is being disputed is the safety of foods in which GM food components are used, especially on long term use or their multigenerational consequences on the consumer.It is strange that the federal as well state governments in that country lack the courage to take a scientifically and ethically sound decision regarding the right of the consumer to know the presence of GM food ingredients in the foods they consume. In stead the so called ballot initiatives are organized where people are asked to decide whether they want GM food label declaration to be made mandatory! No wonder the GM food giants bankroll this referendum by pumping millions of dollars to brain wash the citizens that GM foods are absolutely safe and natural and need not be declared on the label. Safety activists are no match to these industry giants and most of the referendums end up in favor of the industry.    

Coming back to date marking in food labels. a recent survey by the public safety organization NSF International found that most people are confused by the label declarations made in thousands of products marketed even in an enlightened country like the US where literacy rates are considered high. More damaging is the assertion by this agency that food labeling causes more foods being thrown away by the consumers because of their perception that the food is unfit for consumption after the dates indicated on the label. The survey found one in four Americans do not throw away food past the expiration date while more than half throw out food based off the "best used by" date and another third discard food based on the "sell by" date. What is not realized is that the "sell by" and "best used by" dates are more for the sellers than the consumers and the products can often remain in good condition for a week or two after the marked date. 78 percent of people throw away most dairy products after the label date has passed without realizing the marked date is almost always a "sell by" date, a guideline for the stores. Similarly eggs are often still good after the date expiry and people can always crack one open to see if the yolk is flat, which would indicate it has gone bad. 

It is often not realized that the industry is invariably playing it safe when it comes to date marking in order to avoid any possible health hazards with a diverse consumer population base with different vulnerabilities and also to protect them selves from future litigation in the event of unexpected mishaps. An ideal solution to this Catch 24 situation is for the industry to declare on the label a definitive date beyond which the contents are not safe to consume. But it is it feasible? Probably not because of the massive data to be generated on each and every product through time consuming and costly scientific studies. Ultimately the buck stops at the consumer door and an educated consumer has to shoulder the responsibility to decide whether a date expired food is good, bad or dangerous to eat. Economic considerations are to be weighed against the safety or otherwise of date expired foods if to be consumed.

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

              

PROCESSED FOODS WITH LONG LIFE-KUDOS TO TECHNOLOGY!

Human beings, most of them, have a mindset regarding the freshness of foods they consume. This is especially true with many communities in India which consider preserved food as some thing not of desirable eating quality. Probably this is due to the fact that food is a material that can change its taste and other eating characteristics fast with progress of time at ambient conditions of temperature and humidity. Naturally those working in armed forces doing duty on far way and difficult terrains represent a microcosm of the Society and they also prefer to have "fresh" foods for their day to day dietary needs. Food technology as it exists to day had evolved over the last one century from simple traditional processes like sun drying and pickling and sugar steeping into a multitude of processes that can retain most of the sensory quality with minimum distortions. Still given a preference consumers will opt for fresh foods as obtained from nature directly without the intervention of process technologies!

Food technologists world over face stiff challenges in extending the life of foods but dramatic expansion of knowledge in food science and engineering have enabled them to meet these challenges successfully. But there is one area of technology where the challenge is much more formidable with very little success recorded. This is in developing a satisfactory technology that can keep the food in trim condition without affecting the typical eating characteristics of each one of them. Of course mechanically preservation of any food can be done assuring reasonable life of 12 months or less. Similarly technologies such as vacuum packing, ionizing radiation, freeze drying etc can even give shelf lives up to 2-3 years, However in all these cases the consumer will have to compromise on their expectations vis-a-vis optimum eating quality as some changes do take place either during processing or during storage. Pizza is such a product which is so non-homogeneous in nature that it is next to impossible to keep it for more than 3-4 days without affecting its aromas, texture and taste. Imagine the trials and tribulations of a group of scientists in developing an awesome technology for increasing the life of this much liked and typically American staple to more than three years. Extracts of a report from a US laboratory is recounted below for a better understanding and appreciation of this feat    

Pizza with a three-year shelf life will soon be joining the US Army's field rations menu. These infamous MREs (Meal, Ready to Eat) have a long and checkered history, acquiring such sobriquets over the years as "Meals Rejected by Everyone" and "Materials Resembling Edibles." Pizza has long topped the list of requested meals, but the task of providing a palatable slice of this complex food that will survive the required three-year shelf life has foiled all attempts. Now, the folks at Natick's Combat Feeding Directorate have achieved a minor miracle in food technology: stopping time for a slice of Pizza
 
MREs are the basis for feeding assault troops engaged in battlefield combat action. Each MRE provides 1300 calories of high-fat, high-sodium nutrition suited for active combat duty. Individual MREs come sealed in a four-layer plastic pouch measuring about 10 x 6 inches (25 x 15 cm) and weighing about a pound and a half (0.68 kg). The nominal shelf life of an MRE is three years at a storage temperature of 80 ºF (27 ºC), but they must also be able to survive short exposure to temperature extremes from -60 ºF (-51 ºC) to 120 ºF (49 ºC.) MRE packaging must be able to survive parachute deployment from an altitude of 1250 ft (380 m), and a free fall drop from 100 ft (30 m). Much more difficult than satisfying these physical and chemical requirements, however, is satisfying people's instinctive response to a food. The problem is well known in humanoid robotics, where it is called the uncanny valley. If the characteristics and behavior of a humanoid robot are very close to those of a natural human, people will accept the robot as an entity that might be a friend. If the approximation of human characteristics is poor, the robot will still be acceptable as a separate, non-humanoid entity. However, if the robot appears close to human norms, but not close enough, the robot will be rejected as strange and dangerous.

People also have an uncanny valley when it comes to food acceptance. It is often easier to come up with a new dish than to try to reproduce one that is enjoyed and valued. A new dish will be evaluated on its own merits, while a reproduction will be compared to an existing standard. For example, a slice of pizza which has a soggy crust and an oversweet taste will be evaluated differently than a sweet tomato bread pudding with cheese and meat topping. It all comes down to expectations, but our expectations can present extremely powerful barriers to surmount. So how do you make a slice of pizza that will survive three years unrefrigerated that still appears, smells, tastes, and has the mouth feel of a fresh slice of pizza? Natick senior food technnologist Michelle Richardson took on the task after non-soggy sandwiches entered the MRE choices in the 1990s.

"Pizza is a complex food consisting of four major components: bread, sauce, cheese, and sausage (pepperoni in this case). Each of these components has different characteristic levels of moisture, acid, and texture, which must combine harmoniously to produce a slice that will generally be viewed as a "good pizza." In contrast, another combination of bread, sauce, cheese, and sausage made from a hardtack biscuit covered with ketchup, Roquefort cheese, and finely chopped hot dogs won't remind anyone of a good pizza. Richardson had to reach deep into her bag of tricks to pull off the new pizza. The pizza dough had to be enhanced with humectants, substances like propylene glycol or sorbitol, that bind moisture within the bread. This both reduces the possibility of bacterial growth and the tendency of the sauce to make the crust soggy.

Another problem encountered with bread products is that they go stale with time. Contrary to popular opinion, staling is not caused by the bread drying out (which would be counteracted by humectants). Instead, the moisture in the bread migrates within the bread, causing the starch granules to recrystallize. In the end, Richardson and her assistants used gums and enzymes to hold the water within the starch granules, making the pizza crust shelf-stable. The challenge with pizza sauce is to keep the moisture held within the sauce, thereby preventing separation of the components and maintaining the sauce's freshness and mouthfeel. A mix of glycerin, rice syrup, and other sugars were used to make the shelf-stable pizza sauce. For enhanced shelf life, a low-moisture cheese is usually called for. However, one usually expects a pizza to have a reasonably soft, stringy cheese, properties usually not found in low-moisture cheeses. While Natick had used a low-moisture (probably Mozzarella) cheese in other dishes, this cheese became too browned in cooking, making the pizza look burned. This problem was addressed by altering the cooking schedule (time and temperature) and through making blends of various cheeses.

Pepperoni is both fermented and dried, resulting in an acidic, low-moisture sausage that is resistant to most bacterial growth. However, the low pH of pepperoni can encourage mold growth. The result of natural bacterial processes, this is a component which is difficult to control within narrow limits. Beyond the process of making pepperoni, the most important factors in rendering the sausage shelf-stable are osmotic drying and surrounding the pepperoni (and the entire pizza) in a nitrogen atmosphere.A native of Rhode Island, which has a sizable Italian population, Richardson says she set the bar high: "When I first started developing this, me and my daughter would go and taste pizza because I wanted to use that as my benchmark." The Natick pizza MRE is being prepared for final testing. In particular, several types of pepperonis and pizzas are being tested, both for spoilage and for soldier acceptance, to decide what version will make the final cut. We trust it will not disappoint".

Of course proof of the pudding is in the eating and whether the Armed Force personnel will heartily welcome this Pizza version remains to be seen. Looking at the results so far there does not appear to be any strong reason to suspect that this new innovation may be damp squib! What is notable in the above effort is the use of knowledge in microbiology, food chemistry, food engineering, packaging science, physical chemistry, sensory science and analytical chemistry in an integrated way to evolve the technology. India needs such high caliber scientific endeavor to technologize hundreds of ethnic foods for which many people including army personnel are craving for! Most of them have very limited shelf lives and use mostly manual processes to make making them unavailable in many parts of the country. Indian food scientists must wake up now and do some thing in this area.

For further reading refer to: http://www.gizmag.com/three-year-pizza-army-mre-field-ration/30941/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_campaign=50a6aa78e1-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-50a6aa78e1-90820233

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

EXTENDING SHELF LIFE OF FOODS-WHAT IS THE LIMIT?

Food technology strives to process and preserve food raw materials into consumable form for periods ranging from a few days to several years. But the consumer perception about fresh quality food does not help the technologists to actively pursue the research efforts to evolve processes that can ensure shelf stability beyond a certain extent. With the advent of refrigeration many foods can be preserved for a few days to a few weeks at temperatures ranging from 0C to 8C while most foods are preserved at sub-zero temperatures for a few months with minimum quality deterioration. While safety is of paramount importance, eating quality is the critical factor that decides the acceptability or other wise of the processed foods. It is always asked whether it is possible for food technologists to preserve food indefinitely or for long periods, say about 5 years. But a counter question would be who wants to eat a 5 year old food even if there is a workable technology?

A consumer is unlikely to pick up a product from the supermarket with 5 year shelf life if he has a choice of an alternative with two weeks life. Practically every house has a refrigerator with capacity ranging from 100 liters to more than 500 liters and the freezer chest coming with the Frig can carry a few items for consumption in 1-2 months. There are stand alone freezers with small to large capacities which are useful to larger families. These gadgets are normally useful for storing both short term needs as well as long period storage with the latter coming handy to "hoard" those products offered in the market from time to time at promotional or stock liquidation programs. The very fact that consumers have a tendency to pick up products from the shelves with most recent manufacturing date reflects their innate desire to buy products as fresh as possible. This again raises the question whether there will be any takers for products with extra long life?

Food is to be preserved from two angles. First and foremost it has to be safe. The eating quality comes next but it is crucial for a competitive market that food offered has most acceptable sensory quality which includes flavor, texture and taste. Historically preserved foods using salt, sugar, acidity and dehydration were only the choices till the middle of the last millennium and the consumers of yesteryear were contented with the same for want of an effective alternative. To day situation is different with a vast array of technologies available that include canning, aseptic packing, vacuum packing, retort pouch process, irradiation, high pressure processing etc that can give products with varying shelf life from a few months to a few years. The outer space missions by countries like the US, EU, China and Russia require long life food products while military missions in far away places also stock such products. Natural calamity, undeveloped remote areas, especially in the third world countries also depend on preserved products with long shelf life.

Another relevant question is who will make products with long shelf life? The food industry which works incessantly to lure the customers to the products turned out by it wants the customers to increase the frequency of purchase as much as possible and by putting long life products in the market the manufacturers naturally are bound to suffer due to slower turn over. The industry requirement is a maximum shelf life of 9-12 months which gives them sufficient time to distribute the products with least damage and minimum recall in large countries like India. One of the biggest problems faced by the industry is the mandatory provision under the labeling regulation to indicate the manufacturing date on the label which leads to the customers picking up the most recent ones which they believe to be of best quality. The possibility of products manufactured during earlier dates remaining on the shelf without sale and evetually being returned is very high. The market pull will always be the force that is capable of dictating terms to the food scientists for their development agenda and probably long life products will invariably be the ones with least priority.    

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

INDIAN FOODS-OUT TO CONQUER THE WORLD?

Indian ethnic foods were never able to capture global attention compared to others like those from China, Mexico or Japan. One of the major reasons could be the 'reputation' these foods enjoy as strongly spiced because of liberal use of cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli, ginger. black pepper, fenugreek etc in most of the preparations. For long, restaurants serving Indian foods in countries like the US were patronized mostly by immigrant population from India and other South Asian countries,with a just sprinkling of local customers. The UK where there is a substantial population of Indian origin, boasts of hundreds of Indian restaurants where both immigrants as well as the local people frequent making such joints economically viable. Long colonial history that had forged some cultural ties with the UK could be responsible for the popularity of Indian foods in that country. In sheer variety, ethnic foods of India have the unique position unrivaled by any other country in the world. Though curry preparations are invariably associated with India, there are thousands of others crying for attention. In the area of snacks and sweetmeats, some of the varieties made by traditional artisans or 'halwais' can beat many confectionery and savory snacks of the west from sensory angle. If these food products have not crossed the national boundaries and could not make any international impact, blame must go to the industry for not trying harder and the indigenous food scientists for not providing timely research support to standardize, stabilize and mechanize the production during the last 5 decades. According to a rough estimate there are more than 5000 traditional food preparations of Indian origin and most of them have limited shelf life. Their quality is not uniform with the sensory perception varying over a wide range. Almost all of them are manually produced with hardly a dozen products being made by well designed large scale machinery. Any hand-made food will be naturally viewed with suspicion regarding its microbial quality, especially by the western consumers. New opportunities emerged after the Retort Pouch Technology was first developed by the Defense Lab at Mysore which can keep many Indian ethnic foods stable and safe for at least 6-12 months and in some cases even up to 2 years. Large scale exports of these foods to the US, Canada, Australia, Europe and other parts of the world enabled them to be part and parcel of the large grocery chains with high visibility. Added to this is the impetus given to this industry by introduction of many specialized rice preparations in the last 5-6 years by the industry spreading Indian culinary "signature" far and wide. Innumerable number of so called "Indian Stores", that serve the 2.7 million strong Indian community (less than 1% of the population in the US), more akin to the "pop and mom" type of family grocery shops that forms the backbone of food retail here, have substantially contributed to give a distinct identity to Indian foods abroad. It is a pleasure to see large super market shelves in the US, displaying a large range of Indian foods that include pickles, chutneys, sauces, "heat & serve" meals, etc, though much more needs to be done to infiltrate this segment of the market further to enlarge their presence and visibility to non-Indian consumers. Western palate is not considered to be bland any longer and mildly spiced foods are being liked by many of them expanding the range of customers for Indian ethnic foods in these countries. According to market experts, knowledgeable about growth of ethnic foods from different parts of the world, the next decade will see the growth of Indian foods similar to what sushi bars did in the 1980s and Thai food did in the '90s. A recent survey of ethnic food by one of the market research groups in the US found that the fastest growing segment was Indian food, with sales growing by more than 35 percent from 2006 to 2008. Of course the share of Indian food, about $ 40 million in the $2.2 billion ethnic food market, is not considered high compared to $ 1.4 billion generated by Mexican/Hispanic foods in 2009, Indian foods are expected to be the growth engine for this sector during the next decade. It is incredible that a city like New York boasts of more than 350 Indian restaurants to day compared to less than two dozens 3 decades ago. Same is true in many large metros in the US. Better presentation, more safety assurance features, improved ambiance and decor of the eateries, improved service quality, uniform food quality, more promotional activities, reasonable pricing and putting in place a reliable delivery service can make the growth chart steeper than what it is to day. Emerging scientific revelations about the positive impact of Indian foods like turmeric, ginger, chilli, black pepper, fenugreek, cinnamon etc on human health are bound to escalate interest in Indian foods substantially in future. If Indian restaurant set ups are linked to the processed food industry back in India, it should be possible to offer in such eating joints pre-processed foods of impeccable quality and safety that should reassure the non-Indian customers about "risk-free" eating and enhance the brand equity of indian ethnic foods interrnationally. V.H.POTTY http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/ http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

FOOD TECHIES, BE ON ALERT, ENEMY IS REGROUPING!

Food technologists have the onerous job of developing ways and means to protect food from spoilage of any type and save the people from the adverse consequences of consuming spoiled foods. Food infection is as old as human history and man has been striving hard to preempt such incidences of food related damages to the society. The recent food contamination episodes in the most powerful nation on earth, United States of America have compelled its president to overhaul the food safety monitoring system there, on a war footing to preempt such mishaps in future. How far man will succeed in his cherished goal of achieving absolute safety remains to be seen.

Living creatures in nature are endowed with amazing ability to survive adversity and the the fundamental basis of evolution is centered around this phenomenon of adaptation. There are millions of instances when living organisms in different shapes, sizes and complexity of structure and intricacies of the working systems were able to outlive the calamities facing them through sheer ingenuity and marvelous adaptive capabilities endowed on them by Mother Nature. If man has been able to attain a higher degree of survival in the ladder of evolution, it is because of his superior attributes conferred on him during the development process. When it comes to single cell organisms like bacteria, their simple structure masks their ability to survive under most trying circumstances and it is a tribute to their strength that man's superior intelligence has not wiped them out of this planet. The way the recent H1N1 virus was able create a global scare still haunts the world with WHO declaring it as pandemic and despite tremendous advances in the field of virology, no one can predict when the next mutated virus is going to appear on the horizon to cause havoc!

There are many pathogenic bacteria that haunts food industry and the restaurant sector and these include Salmonella, Listeria, virulent E. coli, etc. Food scientists have been able to design excellent technologies to make food safe from these infecting vectors with endo- and exo- toxins. Annihilation of these disease causing organisms in the food, through thermal, chemical, physical, irradiation and biological techniques has been possible with reasonable assurance of safety. Modern machinery designs incorporate CIP(Clean In Place) features that enable food technologists to ensure freedom from contamination between batch operations. Still contamination of processed food continues to pose dangers to the processors as well as the consumers. Of course one can always find the reason in many cases, most of them being management failures but it does not help unless the food safety regime is able to prevent such system failures.

It was almost two decades ago microbiologists raised the alarm after discovering the ability of bacteria to form biofilms which are colonies of these microorganisms, tougher to destroy than planktonic cells. Quorum sensing(QS), known in higher forms of living creatures like insects, was found to be existing in bacteria also which enables them to form biofilms on inter face between liquid and a solid surface. Using signaling molecules called auto inducers or pheromones, the bacterial cells can communicate with each other in the same species or with other species for coordinating through QS and often act as multicellular organism capable of making, detecting and integrating information from multiple auto inducers for cohesive action. While oligopeptides are used as signaling molecules by Gram positive bacteria, homo serine lactone serves the same role for Gram negative bacteria. QS controls such varied activities like bioluminescence, secretion of virulent factors, biofilm formation, sporulation and exchange of DNA.

Biofilm formation occurs on solid surfaces in contact with a liquid. Organic and inorganic material in the liquid sediment on to the solid material. Biologically active microorganisms are attracted to the solid surface and adhere to it for initiating growth for forming an attachment matrix for developing into a complex community. Such biofilms are common on solid surfaces in contact with many different kinds of liquids like fresh water, sea water, oil, milk and others. Cleaning and sanitizing practices generally focus on food contact areas and non-food contact surfaces are not given much attention where biofilms can form with potential for contaminating foods processed in the area. Bends in pipes, conveyor belts, cutting boards and tables, water recycling systems, filters and such areas are vulnerable to biofilm formation and subsequent spread of bacteria into the food materials. This is where food technologists will have to pay more attention to preempt such possibilities. Technology needs to be upgraded to include meeting the challenges posed by biofilms to the safety of processed foods coming out of factories and knowledge emerging about the QS properties of microorganisms will help in designing more reliable approaches to preempt any potential threat.

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

MERCURY SCARE-REAL DANGER OR ABUNDANT CAUTION?

Any safety issue raised, if it pertains to damning the industry, must be put under a thorough scanner to get at the truth. This is especially true after the unnecessary noise raised against soft drink manufacturers in India regarding high pesticide content in their products. All that has happened due to the episode was considerable market flak for their products for some time. Many pointed out at that time how our very own government is indifferent in its constitutional obligation to provide the citizens with clean and safe water which is basic for survival. More than 90% of water supplied through the so called protected water supply schemes in the country does not meet with global standards for potable water and it is only the helplessness of the people that ensures continuation of such a pitiable conditions in this country. Well to do citizenry can afford to spend what it takes to get pure water through treatment or buying treated water from bottled water industry. The latest safety issue that has hit food industry is the reported presence of mercury in some foods and the potential risks to human life.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), also referred to as Isoglucose or glucose-fructose in some countries, already being blamed for the obesity epidemic in the western world, is again in the focus because of some reports detecting mercury in many food and beverage products manufactured and marketed by the industry. Further investigation has turned the spot light on HFCS which is made from corn starch using alkali at one stage. Mercury contamination is thought to be occurring during the conversion of starch to glucose through hydrolysis where alkali is used to neutralize the acid after the hydrolysis. Glucose syrup is then treated with glucose isomerase enzyme to get HFCS-42 containing 42% fructose which is then concentrated to HFCS-90 by liquid chromatography. From HFCS-90 is made HFCS-55 containing 55% fructose and rest glucose. This product is equal to sucrose or cane sugar in sweetness and is most commonly used in soft drinks manufacture. HFCS-42 finds extensive use in other foods including baked goods. Food industry world over prefers HFCS to cane sugar because of cost and user convenience.

If one cares to look at the alkali manufacturing process, some processors make alkali in mercury cells and if the technology is not proper, there is possibility of mercury contamination in the product. In the age old Mercury Cell process sodium ions are reduced to metallic sodium which then forms amalgam with mercury cathode and reacting with water generates sodium hydroxide. Use of mercury tainted alkali when used in processing of foods, can transfer a part of the mercury into the foods. But use of mercury cells has been declining with the advent of processes using Diaphragm Cells and Membrane Cells, both not using mercury cathodes. Therefore how serious this problem is difficult to gauge.

Average consumption of HFCS in USA is estimated at 12 teaspoons a day for adults but it could be more with teen agers who consume soft drinks based on HFCS. The mercury content in HFCS found in some samples was about 0.57 micro gram per gram (ug/g) and this works out to 34.2 ug in 12 tea spoons of HFCS which is much beyond the safety limit of 5.5 ug per day. Mercury is linked to learning disabilities in children and heart diseases in adults. Many products in the western markets containing HFCS as first or second highest ingredient tested positive for presence of mercury and these include Quaker, Hershey's, Kraft and Smuckers, all popular brands in that country.

Should we be too much concerned about mercury ingestion via HFCS in India? Probably not because HFCS use by Indian food processing industry is practically nil since this is a country of cane sugar which is available in plenty. But we must have concern about use of alkali in some processes like chemical peeling of fruits and vegetables, alkalization of cocoa, caramel production, poultry scalding, ice cream production etc. However here also the production of the above type of food products is not considered high warranting an alarm. It may be prudent to keep in mind the potential for such risks in future when the processing sector achieves high growth in the coming years.

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/