THE 'RUPEES 4.36 LAKH' QUESTION!

Railway catering system, once completely under the in-house catering department of the Indian Railways, started taking a U-turn as a result of economic liberalization and greater appreciation of the role of private enterprises in delivering better service to the consumer. The volume of food catered also is increasing by leaps and bounds with new express trains and deluxe trains being introduced in greater numbers. Food is included as a standard feature in many trains, offered as a part of the tickets when passengers buy them. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), set up as a dedicated service provider under the Railway Board is supposed to have good facilities for supplying part of the food requirements from their base kitchens located at some strategic stations. Private caterers are involved for augmenting the food services based on competitive bidding. Is the present system working efficiently? Is the traveling public entirely satisfied with the quality and cost of the foods served and the in-train service provided during the travel?

Here is an excerpt from a news report in some reputed papers on the subject."Inferior quality and overcharging of food and beverages served in trains and stations falling under the South Western Railway Division is an experience most of the train passengers have endured at least during some train journey". The response from IRCTC to such complaints is that they have so far 'slapped a fine of Rs 4.36 lakh on its franchisees and terminated the services of one contractor' for unsatisfactory performance during April 2008 to February 2009. It further claimed that only 73 complaints were received from passengers in trains like Sampark Kranti Express, Vasco-Nizammudin Express, Sangamitra Express and Karnataka Express during the last 3 months conveniently ignoring the reality that, being a Gandhian country, people stoically put up with such inconveniences without bothering to register any complaint, besides having no confidence on the rectification system that has to deal with complaints! Some of the complaints are of serious nature like serving stale foods unfit for consumption, lack of characteristic taste attributes, missing food items in the meals like roti, curd, sweet etc, cold foods, lack of hygiene and over charging.

According to IRCTC, the organization has deployed some quality control 'professionals' to monitor the quality of foods served in various trains, franchisees are being warned repeatedly for violations, surprise checks are carried out often and a minimum of Rs 20000 fine is imposed on guilty franchisees as a deterrent. The recent order insisting on only branded foods being sold inside the stations, does not serve any purpose at all because it is known that for every one reputed brand of a product there are at least half a dozen imitations from non-decrepit companies with no definite address! For example hardly 1% of the railway stations carry established brands of bottled water while others sell unknown and unheard brands and the thirsty travelers have no option but to buy these questionable quality products to quench their thirst!

Railway catering was a subject matter of one of the earlier blogs where a forceful plea was made to the Railway Board to auction the catering rights in each train to a reputed food company like ITC, Britania, MTR, Dabur Foods etc and the successful bidder can be provided with an exclusive pantry where pre-prepared foods can be stored and heated before serving. Unfortunately Railway Board is more concerned with revenue generation and profit making, sacrificing the comfort and health of its patrons, viz, the Indian Public. R & D Wing of the Railway Board is more interested in designing coaches that can accommodate higher number of passengers who feel more like chickens in a coop with literally no moving space! If passenger care is upper most in the minds of the authorities concerned, more meaningful efforts need to be made to innovate on the foods, their containers and delivery service.

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

'KIDDING' AROUND THE KID'S FOOD- YOU ARE WARNED!

Managing kids to make them eat their food regularly is a challenging task for many mothers. Till the age of three, mothers have to do lot of coaxing,cajoling, and persuasion to feed their children. The problems after wards is making the kid eat the right food with balanced nutrition. If the meals in a day are divided into three portions, breakfast time, between 7 am and 10 am is most important because body's energy reserve is at its lowest. 12-14 hours gap between previous day's dinner and next day's breakfast can result in depletion of all nutrients, though the body is relatively inactive during sleeping, only basal metabolism taking place at the resting period. Logically, therefore, breakfast provides the required recharging to raise the level of body function sufficiently to meet the energy and nutrient needs for the physical as well as brain activities, at least till the lunch time.

A recent survey in the US has brought out a chilling reality that 22% of the school going children do not have enough time or inclination to eat their breakfast and are allowed to go to the school almost on an empty stomach 3 to 5 times a week. A further 20% skip their breakfast on 1 or 2 days in a week. What are the implications of such a situation on the health and attitudes of these children as they grow up? One of the serious consequences could be the ability of such children to focus on the learning with an energy level considered low by normal standards. According to some experts this is analogous to driving an automobile without fuel which can cause serious damage to the engine! How far such a claim can stand scientific scrutiny is another matter. But such children will consider taking break fast as redundant and get adjusted to a routine in life with no morning meal before starting the day. Probably this might be the basis on which many school breakfast programs are operating in many countries. But can this be taken as the gospel truth? Is there sufficient scientific evidence to say categorically that body does not have adequate reserve resources to meet the temporary contingency caused by missing the breakfast? Are the parents of such children guilty of abdicating their responsibility of giving them a decent future? Highly subsidized foods available in the school canteens could be one of the reasons for lulling the mothers to a sense of complacency.

Some stray findings here and there do indicate that breakfast is an important meal and as far as possible must be consumed before starting the day's work. It is believed that children regularly missing their breakfast invariably tend to become obese adults of tomorrow, the odds against them being 4-fold. There are also reports suggesting that those kids with irregular breakfast eating habit have less visuospatial memory and alertness compared to normal kids. They also tend score less in maths and perform below par in attention and memory tests; but their capacity for sustained attention in the class room is not affected adversely. A recent report even suggests that the reaction time of children who did not eat breakfast or who ate simple carbohydrate breakfast was almost same as that of a 70 year old person, which is indeed alarming. Thus not eating the breakfast and eating a 'bad' breakfast such as junk foods are undesirable practices deserving to be discouraged. Even if existing data on ill effects of not consuming breakfasts regularly, do not warrant raising an alarm, common sense and logic demand that kids must be discouraged from ignoring the first meal of the day for the simple reason that a hungry child will tend to over eat at lunch, that too preferring foods rich in calories and fat, certainly not good in the long run. Growing children must get their act together as far as eating habits are concerned to become healthy adults of tomorrow!

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

NON-THERMAL PATEURIZATION-FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGY

Cold sterilization and pasteurization processes are generally based on gamma radiation or X-Ray exposure at ambient temperature without recourse to heating. They have the unique advantage of not affecting the organoleptic quality or the nutrient content of the foods processed. How ever both these technologies are viewed with suspicion by the consumers because of the use of radiation energy which is mistakenly being associated with the lethal Hiroshima Atom Bomb responsible for the death and miseries of thousands of people during World War II. Tons of scientific data have been generated to prove the absence of live radiation in the products treated and more than 40 countries have cleared the use of gamma radiation in selected foods for both indigenous consumption as well as for exports. As for X-Ray treatment, it is a young technology, yet to take off, with lot of promises.

Food contamination with pathogens like E.coli, Salmonella, Listeria, etc is assuming alarming proportion in some of the developed countries in the American and European continents in spite of strict vigilance and the much acclaimed monitoring systems in place. Yet these countries could not prevent the outbreak of E.coli infection in spinach in 2006 in USA killing 3 people and sickening another 200. In USA alone 40000 cases of Salmonellosis per year are being reported killing at least 400 people and 70000 cases of E.coli infection resulting in dozen fatalities. The recent Salmonella contamination reported in Peanut products made in USA, requiring calling back of millions of dollars worth of products containing peanut paste or butter as an ingredient, is still fresh in our memory, hitting hard the credibility of their safety monitoring machinery.

Most difficult materials to be decontaminated are fresh farm produce as they suffer significant quality damage if standard thermal treatment regime is adopted. Though Salmonella is associated more with fish and meat products, their presence in fresh produce is suspected to be due to careless farm practices and indifferent handling in the packing sheds. Treatment with chlorine does help to some extent but this is not a fool proof practice and post-treatment cross infection can still take place with potential hazard to the consumer. Food chain accountability being lax in many countries, it is becoming increasingly difficult to trace the source of infection.

The prayer by the industry for a low cost technology for decontamination of thermally sensitive foods seems to have been answered by the development of a technique using low wattage electricity in the US. Though it may take some time before commercial equipment become available for decontamination of foods, the promise it holds for the future of food industry may be exciting. Excellent results have been reported with tomatoes which after packing in sealed plastic bags were exposed to a plasma field created by two high voltage, low wattage electric coils on either side. Generation of Ozone from the oxygen present with in the bag kills the pathogens within a matter of few seconds. After the treatment ozone does not stay to cause any oxidative damage to the contents and decomposes to the original atomic oxygen. Besides tomatoes, this treatment was found to be effective for spinach also and may work for any food material. The low electricity consumption of 30-40 watts, practically no rise in temperature in side the bag, no electrode intrusion into the container and suitability of both flexible and rigid plastic containers, make this technique attractive to processors as well as the consumers.

Before this technique is adopted some questions regarding use of ozone in food system need to be addressed. Generally ozone is considered a pollutant when it is present at the ground level and it is known to cause head aches, burning eyes and irritation in the respiratory passage at levels as low as 100 ppb. How much residue will remain in the treated produce must be assessed after processing. A concentration of 300 ppb is necessary to get a 99.99% kill of food borne pathogens. Also of importance is the susceptibility of the packaging material to ozone action and possibility of chemicals and artifacts generated that can contaminate the contents during processing. A claim that ozone can decontaminate fruits ad vegetables with respect to pesticide residues also calls for further study. Optimum time of processing for total kill, influence of moisture in the product on the efficacy of the process, effect of varying sizes and shapes of the materials to be treated on the product quality, etc will have to be worked out for different products.

It is likely that the above process, if technically found feasible, will be eventually patented and cost of acquiring it may be exorbitant. In the mean time why not Indian food scientists work on this principle and come out with a successful low cost gadget that will benefit thousands of small scale processors in extending the shelf life of many fresh as well as processed products in the country. Such innovations only can drive Indian food industry up the growth chart on a sustained basis.

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

FOOD AND COLORS-A HEALTHY CONNECTION

Why is that some foods in nature are strongly colored and others are colorless or mildly colored? Many food constituents present in different concentrations have specific roles to play during germination, growth, maturity and senescence. If it is so the multitudes of colors with different hues, represented by different chemicals contained in these foods, must have definite roles during the life cycle of the plants that produce them. Organoleptically, human beings like foods that have bright colors and this may be the reason for the development of the food color industry. From a plethora of manufactured dyes and tints available for edible use a few years ago, the number has dwindled to a handful because of the long term toxicity associated with the use of artificial colors. Shift from synthetic colors to natural colors is a logical corollary to the realization of the dangers of using artificial color adjuncts during food processing.

One of the strong reasons for nature to produce colored fruits and vegetables might be the compulsion of sustaining each species through spreading the progeny to far and wide. Just like the colored flowers attracting bees, insects and birds which carry the pollens and seeds through long distances for propagation, colored fruits and vegetables also may be attracting birds, squirrels and similar creatures as a food material and they serve as propagating agents for the plants. Still it is a mystery why each plant is endowed with characteristic genetic apparatus to produce same colored flowers or fruits or vegetables. It is understandable that plants contain chlorophyll which gives them the distinct green color of varying intensity, vested with the responsibility of fixing CO2 for bio-synthesis of starch in presence of solar light and generating the life-sustaining oxygen in this planet. Plants are responsible for producing a significant portion of the oxygen in the atmosphere while cleaning up the green house gas CO2 responsible for global warming.

Red colored fruits like tomatoes contain Lycopene which gives it the distinct hue during ripening and it is recognized that Lycopene offers protection for humans from diseases like prostate cancer, heart ailment and lung disorders. Purple crops like beets, egg plant, red cabbage and red pepper, containing anthocyanin group of chemicals are considered good for a healthy heart. Orange colored foods like carrots, winter squash, sweet potato and others contain alpha-carotene and beta-carotene good for the eyes. Blue colored crops like blueberries, plum, raisins etc are rich in anthocyanins, phenolics, isoflavones, flavinols, catechins, ellagic acid and minerals like magnesium and are considered excellent protective foods. Yellow and green crops such as spinach, collard, corn, avocado, etc get their color mainly from lutein and zeaxanthine which are known to improve eye health. Green cruciferous vegetables which include broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kole etc contain valuable sulforaphane and isothiocyanates blessed with the ability to inhibit the adverse action of oxyradicals, responsible for the generation of carcinogens in the body and development of cancer. There is a class of crops with neutral or light color such as garlic, onion, sprouts, celery, asparagus, etc which contain allicin and some antioxidants with powerful anti-tumor properties. There are many health experts who advocate regular consumption of the seven groups of colored fruits and vegetables to keep away all the diseases that afflict the modern society.

Interestingly widespread apprehension about the long term effect of using artificial colors in foods on health has led to the emergence of color concentrates extracted from fruits, vegetables, flowers and seeds. One of the earliest used natural colors is annatto dye, extracted from annatto seeds, a forest produce available in plenty in India. Progressive elimination of many coal tar dyes from the list of permitted edible colors compelled the industry to look for alternate natural sources considered much safer. To day a wide choice of natural colors is available from sources like beetroot, safflower, blue grapes, alfa grass, parsley, spinach, carrots, red chilli, caramel, carbon black. blackberry, blackcurrant, kokum fruit, turmeric, etc. Though some of them have the advantage of being nutraceuticals also, the poor tintorial power necessitates use of large dosages which some times adversely affect the organoleptic quality of the end product. Efforts are called for in enhancing their color intensity through molecular modification by application of synthetic organic chemistry and modern physical chemistry.

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

DIPPING INFLATION, RISING MISERY!-THE INDIAN PARADOX

Every one is supposed to go ga ga after hearing the the news that the inflation last week continued to slide down to the lowest figure since a long time. The Official figure of 0.44% inflation based on WPI (wholesale price index) changes reflects a trend that indicates relatively slower rise in wholesale prices as compared to that existed an year ago. It is difficult for a common man to understand the relevance of whole sale prices that prevail in the market as these have no resemblance to the prices that rule the retail market. Of course GOI also brings out Consumer Price Index in three different categories for agricultural labor, urban workers and non-industry workers but as these figures are much higher than WPI they are not widely disseminated. There is widespread apprehension that the country may even get into a deflation mode or negative inflation regime soon, the major reason being declining demand in the country for many products due to recession like situation. Some economists interpret the rapidly declining inflation as a sign of plummeting demand for many things by consumers, left with less and less disposable income.

The 'feel good' factor disappears the moment one looks at the price front, especially for some of the basic food materials in the retail market. The basic staples rice in the South and Atta in the North have registered price increases in the range of 30% to 50% during the last one year for no rhyme or reason. Though GOI claims that this price increase is due to higher support prices offered to the farmers, this is hard to accept because no farmer gets this type of hike in prices for his crops in a single year. Same trend is evident with other essential commodities also except in the case of edible oils, price of which is influenced by the import duty on palm oil and soybean oil. Present zero duty import regime for the above oils, compared to more than 60%-85% earlier, has succeeded in bringing down the prices very significantly, at least for these two items. Whether it is sugar, salt, dal or dairy products, the upward trend in consumer prices is causing misery all around with low income groups cutting down on foods due to economic compulsions, affecting their health adversely. In the case of fruits and vegetables the situation is some what different. The cheapest fruit in the market is Papaya with a ruling price of Rs 10-12 per kg while others cost upwards of Rs 25/kg. Wide fluctuations in prices of vegetables, experienced by the consumer defy any explanation and how meager the farmer gets out of the price paid by the consumer, is a matter that must affect the conscience of this nation.

The PDS which the country put in place under the socialistic pattern of government in sixties does provide some solace to the consumer but the widespread corruption that characterizes the distribution system denies the benefits to a substantial segment of the deserving population. After the economic liberalization reforms in the beginning of the last decade, PDS has become dysfunctional in many states causing further misery to economically weaker sections of the society. It is high time that PDS is reorganized and modernized to serve the purpose of social equity and guaranteed food to meet the minimum nutritional need of the low income population which cannot afford to face the galloping price escalation in the open retail market. Using ration cards as an identity document must be stopped and only those opting for regular purchase of commodities from the PDS, because of economic reasons, should be provided with such cards.

What country needs is a re-look at its food retailing system, giving prime importance to growers' cooperative organizations for marketing the produce from their members directly to the consumers. Amul is a classical model of a cooperative venture that changed the face of dairy industry from one of perpetual shortages into a situation of plenty in less than 4 decades. Why we are not able to clone this model in other areas like edible oil or horticultural crops or food grains is not well understood. NDDB, in 1983-84 made an attempt under Dr V Kurien, to organize production, processing and marketing of fruits and vegetables with a pilot scheme in new Delhi. Though the project gained considerable experience, it could not be implemented across the country like the dairy ventures. Whether it is due to GOI apathy or the strong lobbying by vested interests, people of this country are the real losers in the bargain. If GOI and State administrations provide weighted policy and fiscal incentives to the cooperatives to face the challenges from investment-rich private players, there is no reason why the former cannot succeed in keeping the consumer prices under control. Probably one of the pre-requisites for success is empowering the cooperative producing and marketing organizations, owned and operated by the growers, with the required financial muscle in meeting the credit needs of the agricultural sector. This could be done with a fraction of the massive one time "write off" program under the last year's budget estimated at Rs 60000 crores!

The successful e-choupal model promoted by ITC, a major player in wheat processing industry, can be easily emulated by the cooperatives, the only difference being the direct ownership of the organization when it is in the cooperative sector. Maize cooperatives working in southern Karnataka, are a living example of a successful growers' organization with enormous market clout in fetching maximum returns to their members. Such successes need to be multiplied manifold in all areas of agriculture, horticulture, livestock rearing and captive fisheries if the industrious farmers and the vulnerable consumers in India are to be liberated from the 'middle man' syndrome that is prevalent to day, largely responsible for the consumer misery.

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

RIVER GANGA-THE UNFOLDING TRAGEDY!

Indus Valley is the cradle of Indian Civilization and the river Ganga is ingrained in the ethos of this country through its association with various events spanning over the past 5000 years. Its 2500 km journey from Gaumukh to the Bay of Bengal provided sustenance to millions of people living on its banks. The seven kilometer human chain program stretching from Assi to Adikeshava Ghat on March 22 by school kids, college students and socially active citizens was organized by Sankat Morcha Foundation to create wide awareness about the continued neglect of this ancient river in spite of crores of rupees spent on its restoration by GOI. The occasion was the 'observance' of World Water Day by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), initiated in 1992 at Rio de Jeneiro to focus on the critical problems the world is facing vis-a-vis water.

As a nation ever ready to indulge in such public demonstration for any worth while cause, India has very little to show when it comes to implementation. It is true we have an exclusive Ministry for Program Implementation at Delhi but what it does is any body's guess! Other wise how one can explain the total failure of the 1984 Ganga Action Plan put in place by GOI with much fan fare with the honest intention of freeing this sacred water body from destruction through massive man-made pollution, investing more than Rs 15 billion. It is a tragedy of monumental proportion when it is realized that Ganga water has been declared unfit for drinking along its entire stretch from Haridwar down, as declared by no less an authority than Central Pollution Control Board of GOI. In some cases it is considered not even fit for bathing. Coli form bacteria in Ganga water, for which there are strict restrictions under the India Law, exceeds the safe limit in many places with great potential for many diseases.

It is estimated that River Ganga receives upwards of 1 billion liters of untreated sewage every day from the human settlement on its banks. In Patna alone 190 million liters of raw sewage flows through 29 drains. Under the Ganges Action Plan of 1984, 33 big sewage treatment plants were installed ostensibly to reduce the biological load of sewage flowing into the river. It is a tragedy that all these plants are lying idle, obviously because of apathy and callousness by the authorities concerned. How can we, as a responsible nation condone such colossal waste of national resources on life saving projects like this with no benefits accruing to its citizens. It is all the more pathetic to see public demonstrations like the 7- km human chain show to highlight the same problem even after 25 years of the Plan and realize that the water quality to day is worse that what it was in 1984!

More alarming are the findings by a group of scientists from University of Michigan that human beings are not the only ones affected by this pollution and even fish population undergo changes for the worse. Zooplanktons in River Ganga are so seriously affected by the pollution that they tend to develop tumors which find their way to human food chain through small fish first and then the larger varieties putting in jeopardy the safety of the food chain. Samples collected at Haridwar, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna and Kolkata confirmed the presence of such plankton in the water. Whether drinking of this water in the form of sacred 'Theerth' in small quantities poses any danger is not known but this has not detered a state government in the South to ferry water from Ganga during the recent shivrathri festival for distribution to devotees in some major temples. While packing Ganga water in copper containers for preservation is widely practiced because of the oligodynamic properties of copper which is known to inhibit bacterial growth, whether copper can kill the tumor affected plankton needs to be verified.

The UNCED theme this year during the World Water Day is 'Transboundary Water', obviously to highlight the need for cooperation amongst nations in harnessing river bodies, forgetting the artificial barriers in the form of national boundaries, considered sacrosanct and inviolable by many. One wonders whether this is not an utopian dream in a world where there are countless and mindless water disputes, not only between sovereign nations but also between towns and cities, districts, areas, states and regions within a country, depriving the citizens of even the minimum needs of water for a decent quality of life.

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

THE 'RED MEAT' FACTOR-IS THE HYPE JUSTIFIED?

Meat eating is a way of life amongst majority of the population across the world and forms an inseparable part of their diet. High quality proteins, essential vitamins and minerals that are critical for human growth are present in meat in abundance, making it one of the most concentrated form of foods known to man. The choice between white and red meats is often influenced by the presence of cholesterol in the latter and some time fish is suggested as an alternative to red meat. Added to this dilemma is the linkage between meat raising and greenhouse gas emission as livestock animals are the most polluting sources as far as environmental degradation is concerned accounting for more than 18% of emissions responsible for global warming. Further damage to the credentials of red meat is caused by the drastic changes taking place in farming of animals from a free roaming open farms of yesterday to the present day livestock pen system which seems to have changed the nutritional and health protecting qualities of meat very significantly.

There is a strong argument that man was not designed to eat meat like carnivorous animals and the structure of hands and profile of the teeth in human beings are being cited in support of such claims. Presence of alpha amylase enzyme in the saliva of humans is unique and this probably reflects the predominance of starchy foods in their diets during evolution. Supporters of meat eating tradition highlight the unique presence of Carnitine in the red meat to promote its consumption in moderate amounts. Carnitine is a quaternary ammonium compound synthesised in the liver and kidneys, the precursors being the amino acids Lysine and Methionine and its main role is to transport fatty acids from the cytosol to the mitochondria during break down of lipids. Presence of Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) is critical for this transformation. During growth and periods of pregnancy Carnitine need may exceed the normal supply through in vivo synthesis. Long chain acyl groups from fatty acids are conveyed to the mitochondrial matrix for breaking down through beta oxidation to acetates to obtain usable energy via the Tri Carboxylic Cycle (TCA).

During aging process fatty acid metabolism in various tissues is slowed down due to diminishing levels of Carnitine synthesised in situ adversely affecting the bones which require continuous reconstruction and metabolic functions of Osteoblasts and maintain bone mass. Reduction of Osteocalcin in blood plasma is indicative of reduced Osteoblast leading to on-set of Osteoporosis, especially amongst eldrerly people and post-menopause women. Carnitine is also being promoted as an antioxidant in lipid peroxidation of phospholipid membranes against oxidative stress induced at the myocardial and endothelial cells. Weight loss claims for Carnitine have not been substantiated so far, though the critical role of this chemical in burning of fat is well recognized. However it is widely believed that Acetyl- L- Carnitine exercises some effect on more efficient crossing of the blood-brain barrier, better energy metabolism, improved neurotransmitter function in brain and reduced fatigue in patients undergoing chemotherapy. Up to 2 g of intake per day is considered adequate if supplementation is called for in some cases as absorption saturation is reached at this level. Beyond that Carnitine can cause nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea.

Does Carnitine deficiency occur in humans? Difficult to make a positive statement because of the difficulties in monitoring Carnitine level in the body. 98% of Carnitine is confined to muscles, balance 2% being in the blood. In routine tests the ratio between Acyl-Carnitine to Free Carnitine in blood is determined and a ratio greater than 0.4 reflects deficiency, requiring supplementation. It is known that high fat diet, certain medications and low protein intake can manifest in Carnitine deficiency in the body and the symptoms may include chest pain, frequent tiredness, muscle weakness and pain, increased body fat and elevated cholesterol levels.

Highest levels of Carnitine is found to be in red meat like beef which provides about 95 mg per one serving of 3.5 ounces. Other sources include dairy products like milk and cheese, the concentration being 2-4 mg per serving. Tempeh is reported to contain about 20 mg of Carnitine. Carnitine can be biosynthesized using E.coli or Proteus sp which can convert protonobetaine or D-Carnitine to L-Carnitine. Butyrobetaine and 3-Dehydrocarnitine also are good precursors. While omnivorous humans get about 20-200 mg per day through the diet, intake for vegetarians and vegans is limited to 1 mg a day. It seems 75% of the requirement has to come from the diet while 25% is synthesized in the body. Since the half life of Carnitine in humans is 17 hours, over consumption may not pose any significant risk. These findings raise a pertinent question regarding any justification for external supplementation for normal healthy persons. Crass commercialism should not lead consumers astray by unsubstantiated claims and scarce scientific data to back them up.

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