KIND HEARTED, CRUEL HEARTED AND HEARTLESS!

The word 'Heart' has no doubt enriched the English language though why this organ, the power pack behind the life of most of the living creatures, should have such an influence in the development of vocabulary in the past. When expressions like kind hearted, weak hearted, cruel hearted, heart-felt, hearty, losing the heart, heartless etc are used to portray the emotions and behaviors of humans, it is least realized that brain that controls every thing has more to do with such activities rather than the heart. It is some thing like calling a person a dog or a monkey while these poor animals never do any thing as "heartless" as many human beings! Similarly the term "chicken hearted" is commonly used to brand people with less courage though what chicken has to do with heart is not clear. Probably chicken is more courageous because it lives only to face certain slaughter eventually! It is paradoxical that one does not call a person with weak heart performance, a weak hearted one but the term is used to call a person with normal heart functions who is not tough to face difficult situations!

To day WORLD HEART DAY is being "celebrated", with the obvious objective of reminding people to keep their hearts healthy by adopting heart friendly living styles. Knowledgeable, not so knowledgeable and plain ignorant but VIPs will be spitting tons of platitudinous words on the subject. There are no two opinions regarding the seriousness of heart problems that confront mankind to day and it may be better to think about the poor heart at least once in a year though many may forget it the other 364 days at their own peril. The chilling statistics reflect the realities.

According to WHO sources, by 2010 India will have the unenviable record of becoming the top nation in cardiovascular diseases with 60% of the world's total cardiac patients being Indians. Of the 17.5 million deaths attributed to heart diseases 2 million occur in India, the urban dwellers more susceptible to this scourge, probably due to their unhealthy life styles. While the urban environment cannot be changed over night to make it more heart friendly, the food consumption habits and quality of foods eaten must be changed consciously to prevent cardiac ailments.

While on the subject one should not forget that to suffer from cardiac episodes, one need not appear to be 'fat' as being wrongly understood; even lean looking persons can also develop heart problems though the chances are less statistically. According to recent findings total body fat is not as critical as the location where it is concentrated and excessive fat deposited around organs and muscles can increase the risk of heart attack significantly. Thin people may have low subcutaneous fat but the level of non-subcutaneous fat deposit which is not visible can make a difference. Of course such claims need confirmation over a long period of observations of subjects with different physical features and health status.



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

SUPER FOODS VS AYUSH FOODS

Capturing and dominating the market are the goals of all commercial food processors. Some do it through innovative developments in products and technology to maintain their cutting edge superiority while many others invest their resources on brand building and promotion with lesser priority for innovations. Consumer trends and their behavior at the market place are monitored to serve as a guide for development of new products though the success rate for such products is generally low.

 

"Super Foods", a new jargon just emerging in the markets of rich countries, are nothing but food products made more nutritious and healthy by marrying two different category of foods to derive full benefit from their nutritional strengths for delivery through a single vehicle, most popular with the consumers. One of the hottest products now being promoted is fruit juices fortified with fish oil, unimaginable before. Of course the product does not smell because the Omega-3 fatty acid has been extracted and ultra purified from sardines and anchovies available in plenty but not consumed regularly as recommended by nutritionists because of their stinking smell. At present these fish are ground and converted to fish meal which is fed to larger animals. The technology of deodorization makes it possible to get the required active component from the fish and consumer will never notice its presence in the juice unless fore warned by the label. Consumers benefit from the ability of the product to protect them from cardio-vascular ailments while helping children in neural development. The 'HeartHealth' brand of orange juice from Tropicana is being walloped by the consumers giving further impetus to the industry to evolve such "super foods".

 

 Many products are in the pipe line which include green tea extracts in ginger ale, yogurt bacteria in salsa, powdered beets in peanut butter, blueberry blends that boost antioxidant properties, cherry anthocyanins that fight inflammation, green banana fibers micronized and encapsulated for blending with any foods, etc. It is not that these were not known before but improvements in technology make it possible to mix any thing with a main popular product without the consumer not able to detect by their organoleptic senses.

 

It is time Indian food technology comes up with a new concept in product development that will marry the ancient ayurvedic ingredients with modern popular foods to derive full benefits from both. The term nutraceuticals, coined to deflect the over dominance of the increasingly aggressive pharmaceutical industry in the every day lives of common man, can only confer legitimacy for their attempts to hijack the food oriented philosophy of our rich heritage which always propound good eating and good food for maintaining good health. With hundreds of plant and herbal parts with established health protecting properties and ability to  counteract ailments like diabetes, cardiovascular insufficiency, hyper tension, kidney disorders, skin problems, liver malfunctions etc there is no reason why Indian food technologists cannot go for a whole series of novel foods that will offer unlimited protection against many of the common diseases. Brahmi and Ashwagandha to prevent Alzheimer's, Basil, Turmeric and Neem to avoid cataract, turmeric against cancer, curry leaves against diabetes and cancer, many herbs with diverse health protecting properties need to be systematically used in new product development. Modern technology can make them flavor neutral like omega-3 rich fish oil so that these products become universally accepted. Let us call the new foods so developed "Ayush Foods", literally meaning foods that gives life and ensure that the leadership remains with the country. Any takers out there for this line of approach?   
 

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

WEIGHT REDUCTION-THE "WBV"ROUTE

Exercise is the surest way to try reducing body mass and combined with negative net intake of calories can be a life time option for health concerned citizen to keep diseases at bay. In an earlier piece in this blog mention was made about the work going on to explore the possibility of using a safe pill that will help those unable to take the strain of physical exercise but still need to reduce weight. Now comes another interesting news that there is a possibility that people with normal health can still manage weight loss without too much moving. The tread mill approach which made it possible for weight watchers to burn calories with out actually jogging or walking or any strenuous exercise is very popular with many people having access to them at home or nearby gymnasium. But standing on a tread mill still calls for limb movements which require some efforts.

 

Scientists at Stony Brook University in the US found that sitting on a buzzing platform for 15 minutes, vibrating it @90 times per second, accelerating up and down at 20% strength of earth's gravitational pull and continuing it for 15 weeks caused a weight loss of 27%. Of course this was not a human experiment and subjects were rats. Still it is difficult to ignore these findings. Scientists at Oregon State University, again the US, confirmed essentially same results with 7 month old rats and reported lower fat percentage in them after 12 weeks while there was no change in the lean muscle mass. University of Idaho scientists added another dimension to this developments by claiming that whole body vibration increased the bone density in women while reducing bone loss in hips and spine. There is along way to go before these tentative scientific findings are replicated in human beings through sound clinical trials by reputed organizations.

 

Whole Body Vibration (WBV) concept have several takers, especially older adults because it is claimed to be more effective in activating muscle fibers than that achieved by regular exercise regimes. The equipment just like a platform balance, available now in the market, can support a person and it is capable of sending vibratory impulses through the feet and into the rest of the body. Relaxing chairs which can be found in Air Port lounges and other places where people congregate on coin operated mode of working are already popular as the vibration generated helps to boost the blood circulation through out the body including the brain but how far they are effective in weight reduction is not clear.

 

30 minutes Ballroom dancing is known to burn 103-189 calories for a 65 kg adult while over 200 calories are burned during ballet and aerobic dancing. Faster pace of dancing kicks in anaerobic system of fat burning while slower movements initiate aerobic system in the body. Jogging and walking most commonly adopted by many people can burn as much as 238 calories in 30 minutes.       

 

It is scary to imagine young adults in their prime of life going in for the easy path of maintaining the weight through WBV machines in stead of active exercise like walking, jogging and others involving movement of all body parts because WBV will not ensure healthy joints which is possible only by active exercise regimes. It may be prudent to insist on the manufacturers of WBV machines to include a warning that "regular physical exercise is the best way to be healthy" to prevent emergence of a WBV society hardly able to move or walk, let alone do heavy jobs requiring not only strong muscles but also sound joints.
 

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

FOOD NUTRIFICATION-LOOKING BEYOND IODIZATION

There was a time in Indian history of recent past when protein was the center of attention amongst nutritionists because of the perceived mal nutrition due to protein deficiency in the diets, especially those based on rice.  The legendary Multi Purpose Food (MPF) based on groundnut cake and gram dal was developed by CFTRI, Mysore, primarily to address this problem. Later the emphasis shifted to Calorie-Protein malnutrition and providing adequate calories would take care of protein needs also became the basis for new strategies to tackle the nutritional problems. Thus was born the Energy Food, that too from the same agency for feeding under the government sponsored nutrition intervention programs. Fortification or supplementation of diet is a well tried out route for overcoming nutritional deficiency in the diets of common man and one of the most successful programs in the world to date is iodine fortification of edible salt under mandatory guidelines.

 

Way back in early seventies, the Food and Nutrition Board of GOI considered deficiency of Vitamin A and Iron as critical requiring fortification and tried several food products as delivery vehicles. These included milk and tea, thought to be consumed by all every day. Development of water soluble versions of Vitamin A in the form of acetate and palmitate esters made it possible to fortify any product but iron fortification proved much more challenging. Tea dust was sought to be enriched with Vitamin A but the practice of severe boiling of tea practically destroyed the nutrient. To day milk is the commonly accepted vehicle for Vitamin A enrichment world over, though how far in India this is effective is debatable with UHT process for milk, which does not need boiling, yet to emerge. Iron was found to be not compatible with both milk and tea as it imparted distinct taste to many products made from such iron enriched milk. The inevitability of delivering these two nutrients can be gauged by the seriousness of deficiency prevalent globally to day with 2 billion people suffering from anemia and 100 million children affected by Vitamin A deficiency. 

 

Salt is emerging as the most feasible vehicle for nutrient delivery because of its daily use at constant levels but development of technology for salt fortification with Vitamin A and Iron has been a challenge for a number of years till the recent break through provide by food technology. The encapsulation process known for many years was confined to flavor stabilization and it is well established in the food processing industry as a standard practice. This technology if applied to Vitamin A and Iron separately, two new ingredient can be created that will not interact with each other affecting the stability of the end product on storage. Micro encapsulation uses a spray of maltodextrines on ferrous fumerate granules to envelop each and every particle and then a further spray with vegetable oil containing Titanium Dioxide masks the undesirable brown color of the iron compound. Same technology an be used also for Vitamin A fortification of salt. 

 

It is heartening that salt is being now fortified with three nutrients, Iodine, Vitamin A and Iron on a limited scale to establish its efficacy and stability under a pilot program in India where 3.6 million school going children have been enrolled. It is true that bio-fortification is the best route with least logistical problems but the experience of golden rice, rich in beta carotene, achieved through genetic engineering is not very satisfying due to high degree of consumer resistance besides adversely affecting the organoleptic qualities in a significant way. 

 

Food technology can rightly take pride for its role in triple fortification of salt when the practice becomes universally applied providing succor to millions of children and adults from life debilitating scourges such as anemia and blindness. Food technologists must look forward for more such societal missions in future to establish their credentials in every aspect of human endeavor.      
 

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

MEGA PARKS, GIGA TARGETS AND NANO OUT PUTS

The recent announcement by the Minister for Food Processing Industry, GOI about a grant of Rs 80 crore to Goa to set up a Mega Food Park and for other schemes, raises many questions regarding such grandiose plans drawn from time to time using public funds liberally for projects with doubtful viability. The statement says that the 'Park' will be a '' well defined agri-horticultural processing zone containing state of the art facilities with supporting infrastructure and a supply chain". Another exalted 'objective' is to make these parks " a mechanism to bring together farmers, processors and retailers and link agri production to the market". The Park is supposed to 'function' as a sourcing hub for retail outlets. Well said and the idea deserves full kudos from all, interested in development of the food sector in the country, It is another thing that the idea is not knew as being imagined because the concept originated almost 3 decades ago at Mysore when the first dedicated food industrial estate was conceived and tried, though on a smaller scale and could not be implemented fully due to many reasons.

Having patted ourselves on our back, let us take a peep at the past record of such schemes. According to the Annual Report of MoFPI (2006-07) a sum of Rs 117.68 crore has been 'released' for 54 food parks out of which 29 has been 'declared' to be operational, whatever that means. In a country where government success is measured in terms of spending the extent of budgetary allocations earmarked, the hard outputs from these investments are conveniently brushed aside. A transparent report should have touched on the status of different food parks measured against their targets and if one goes by news from secondary sources, these parks have not attained even 50% of their targeted out put. If this is the ground reality with the food park projects of the previous 3 Plans, it is beyond any body's comprehension regarding the hurry in promoting even bigger projects under the 11th Plan, calling by any name, without critically analyzing the failures and successes and arriving at right recipe for better results on future investments.

The 11th Five Year Plan envisages 30 'Mega Food Parks' and the scheme provides for 50% grant in general areas and 75% grant in special areas for setting up such Parks. In its search for a right mix of policy support under its Vision 2010 plans to increase food processing from 20% to 35%, value addition from 6% to 20%, export from 1.5 to 3% and mobilize Rs 2 lakh crore investment in food sector, many schemes are being thought of, all in terms of financial support. Most crucial component missing is how to make the government more industry friendly by removing impediments, delay, indifference and interference that is literally killing the industry. As for mega parks, the common man's impression that these are projects intended to benefit real estate agents must be removed and right entrepreneurial credentials should be the criterion for awarding such projects. Probably the land issue that vitiates many projects must be marginalized through appropriate legal provisions.

What is surprising in the present situation is how a mega park can be awarded to a state which very recently revoked its stand on SEZ in the face of opposition from people, where local agri-horticulture potential is some what limited and a modern abattoir complex considered one of the best in India, is lying idle. Besides the mega park grant, the Minister, MoFPI also announced a grant for the existing abattoir, hardly utilized for want of business, another free bee in the form of Rs 15 crore grant! It is time we realize that dolling out money is not what industry expects because good entrepreneurs do not lack funds for right projects and the industry knows that government props do not come without strings attached. What it expects is a total freedom to operate within a stable frame work of supportive policies, minimum controls and least bureaucratic influences and above all trust and confidence in the industry to fulfill its socio-economic responsibilities. The business of managing the industry is not the business of the governments at state and central levels, but managing consumer safety is its business.

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

FOOD KURUKSHETRA-THE PANCHA PANDAVAS

The mythological Kurukshetra war was fought between Kauravas and Pandavas for the tenets of justice and it was eventually won by the latter, signifying the triumph of truth. Since Independence India has been fighting for food self sufficiency to ensure freedom from hunger to all its citizens. In a sense this was also a war, though not literally with soldiers and horses but through innovation and technology development in food production, conservation and processing. While the green revolution was able to raise food production to new heights, meeting indigenous needs till recently, appropriate post harvest technological developments achieved break throughs in waste reduction, quality improvements, value addition and diversification of products to meet the palates of the population.

 

There are thousands of foot soldiers, captains, commanders and generals in this 'food war' as there were in the Kurukshetra war of yester years and the country owes them eternal gratitude for their 'sacrifice'. If one is o pick up the pancha pandavas in this war, the exercise is bound be controversial. In the India of to day, awards and recognition are actively or subtly sought in stead of being conferred, whether it is national, state level or private sponsored ones. Probably such a situation may exist in other countries and at international levels also. But in the current exercise, an attempt is made only to remember a few stalwarts, some even alive to day and others part of history.

 

The pancha pandavas who were responsible for what this country was able to achieve in the food front to day include late Dr V Subrahmanian, Dr H A B Parpia, Dr M Swaminathan, late Dr A N Bose and Prof D V Rege. The occasion to remember them is the completion of the golden jubilee by AFST(I), founded by late V Subrahmanian to invigorate the scientific fraternity engaged in food research and development in the nascent India during late fifties through collective thinking and action. These five highly respected scienists contributed directly as well as through inspiration a sound base for fundamental research in food production, development of technology for conservation and processing and human resources development for R & D and manufacturing industry.

 

No praise is too high for Dr Swaminathan who led the green revolution with a dedicated band of agriculture scientists leading to a quantum jump in production of cereals like rice and wheat. A living legend to day he is the symbol of what dedication, perseverance and commitment can achieve even in a poor country like India. Late Dr V Subrahmanian, the founder Director of CFTRI can be rightly considered as the father of food technology in India and built a core group of developmental scientists to develop indigenous technology for many crucial products like infant food and establish a credible infrastructure for food R & D of contemporary standard. Dr Parpia, who succeeded Dr Subrahmanian as the second Director of CFTRI, was instrumental in expanding the scope and reach of Indian food research far and wide. Country should be thankful to him for making the R & D assume a critical mass and massive infusion of technology into the food industry. The international food technology training center established with FAO collaboration under his regime, gave India a global status and hundreds of food technologists from India to day man important positions in many countries in Asia, Africa and South America.  Prof A N Bose, the pioneering fish technologist gave new orientation to fish foods related technology through his leadership in Fisheries Technology Institute at Kochi, besides giving impetus to training in the east as vice chancellor of Jadavpur University.

                       

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

INDIAN CUISINE-GLOBALIZATION POTENTIAL

Indian cuisines are supposed to be sought after in many countries and presence of ethnic restaurants in every part of the world is cited as evidence for this tall claim. How ever the reality is that all these restaurants are patronized by spice starved Indian immigrants who  become miserable if their native food is not consumed for 2-3 days. If one critically looks at the customers in any of these restaurants less than 5% are non-Indians, reflecting the reality that there are few takers of Indian foods from citizens of other countries. When Chinese and Mexican foods are being walloped without any reservations by millions of customers in thousands of restaurants specialized in these foods, why no major initiative is forthcoming from the much vaunted Indian entrepreneurship, known world over during the last two decades, in this area?

 

One of the drawbacks commonly noticed in Indian eateries is the low priority accorded to presentation and cleanliness which Indian customers may accept but not others, used to ultra clean food outlets and ambiance which are standard features of such eateries. If customers flock to McDonald's, Pizza Huts, Taco Bells, KFCs and other eating chains in USA or Europe it i only due to the confidence on the foods served by them, especially the consistent quality and safety associated with them. Another aspect which deserves attention is the high degree of standardization achieved by these food chains that ensures assured patron ship from discerning customers. But Indian foods widely differ in quality from one restaurant to another affecting the the expectations of customers causing disappointment and reluctance in trying them again in future. The reported success of more than 10000 pubs in UK where papads and similar products are commonly served does not say anything because liquor guzzling customers cannot be connoisseurs of good food.

 

There is an urgent need to look into the above aspects and take up work to evolve a distinct Indian eatery model similar to Taco Bell set up which involves, product identification, recipe standardization, standardization of the preparation mode, equipment design suiting the requirements of eateries, short term preservation, serving mode and presentation for both in place and take out customers. It should be possible to coin a name reflecing Indian origin such 'Roti Pan' or 'Roti Dhaba' or 'Roti Bowl' or 'Roti Nest' or 'Tandoor'  or any other suitable one. Roti is Indian in every respect and products built around roti similar to tortilla based Mexican foods can form the basis for the venture. There can be products like Roti Beans, Roti Alu, Roti Cheese, Roti Curry, Roti Subji, Roti Dal etc. A standard restaurant model will have to be evolved with minimum real estate requirement. Exiting players like ITC, Taj, Oberoi etc can go for larger models while others with experience but with lesser resources may adopt smaller models. The question is who will bell the cat? Why not the Ministry of food Processing Industry or APEDA?      

 

Late Mr Abraham, the founder of famous Bangalore based Bolsts Condiments was able to promote a series of Bolsts Curry House eateries in Japan in eighties but it is not known whether they are still surviving to day. If a single entrepreneur can succeed, why not others with far more resources than him? Walking into an Indian restaurant with out trepidation about the food and the environment in a foreign country and sharing with citizens of other countries, should be a pleasant experience. This will make Indian food universally accepted and sought after, about which every Indian could be proud of.   

 

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