DESPERATE SITUATION-DRASTIC REMEDY

A recent report implicates food contaminants as one of the causes of uncontrolled weight gain and these include thousands of chemicals used in foods during processing for achieving different functional features and these include growth hormones, antibiotics and migratory chemicals from plastic packing materials. This is contrary to the common wisdom that is prevalent currently blaming over consumption of high calorie foods much beyond the normal needs of the body. These unnatural substances introduced into the food under one or the other justification are collectively being classified under "obesogens" and they are capable of causing heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol that can lead to further complications with aging.

If this is true, exercising control over eating may not be sufficient to deal with the problem. Though statistics about "fat" population in India cannot be reliable in the absence of any organized survey by government agencies, it is guesstimated that it could be around 1% working out to a staggering number of 11 millions. Percentage-wise Americans score over Indians in this regard as 3% of males and 7% of females are reported to be obese with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 40. Being thin is often taken as healthy or slim to distinguish from being fat and many thin looking people could be afflicted with the so called "normal weight obesity"(NWO) which is difficult to be noticed under normal health check up regime.

There is a mistaken impression that BMI is the most reliable indicator of a healthy body and those with BMI less than 25 live blissfully thinking that they are immune to disorders commonly associated with over weight. Those with low BMI can have high visceral fat content or the so called 'internal' fat surrounding the internal organs which can be equally dangerous if not treated in time. How ever no reliable information is available regarding the number of people affected by NWO. This probably explains increasing number of patients looking normal, undergoing cardiac by-pass surgery these days because of arterial blocks, caused by high triglycerides and cholesterol. Most commonly adopted procedure to treat over weight problem is controlled dieting, physical exercise and resorting to drug therapy. In a freak finding, scientists from Germany have recently reported that fat people can lose their body weight significantly by spending some time in mountainous places, much above sea level because of the rarefied air that enhances metabolism and reduces appetite.

Dieting itself is under a cloud because of the potential for dieters becoming compulsive over eaters after denying food for themselves for some time, probably due to changes in brain activity involving the hormone norepinephrine. Such considerations compel people to go for Bariatric surgery which is emerging as a drastic remedy to overcome obesity in people desperately trying to shed their weights after failing to do so through conventional weight reduction programs. Such procedures are carried out mainly to reduce the size of the stomach or removal of a part of the stomach or resecting and re-routing the small intestine, all aimed at cutting down on food intake in one sitting. Lap-Band system and Intragastric balloon inserted into the stomach and inflated after wards can also reduce stomach volume. 5-9 BMI reduction is possible through these surgical techniques. It is unbelievable that more than 1.5 lakh people undergo such surgeries in the US with about 0.2% mortality. What is causing concern is that that many of those undergoing the surgery develop complications such as vomiting,diarrhea, dysphagia, reflux, leaking at the surgical connection between stomach and intestine and abdominal hernia.

It is a Hobson's choice for many obese people between living under great risk of dying due to diseases like CVD, diabetes, and serious disorders early in life and going for intervention surgery with reasonable assurance of a normal life though it involves hospitalization and unpredictable after effects.

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

FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT -INFLUENCE ON SOCIETAL BEHAVIOR

Arrival of Christopher Columbus in India, circumventing the Cape of Hope and overcoming tremendous logistical constraints typically illustrate the inalienable linkage between food and man. Food has been the major driving force for many historical wars and land conquests, whether thousands of years ago or in to day's world. If cash rich countries are buying up or leasing lands in other economically deprived countries, the intention is to ensure food security to their own people.

During thousands of years of evolution, man became a super intelligent creature in this planet and along with it came many societal practices molded by the necessities and the environment. From a hunting culture, the human society mastered the art of domestication of food crops and meat animals so that food is available all year round for leading a peaceful life. Civilizations like Maya in south American continent or Indus Valley in Indian sub continent or dynasties in Egypt or China had their own characteristic societal features and food habits nurtured for centuries before ending in total destruction. Food archeology is a fascinating subject but grossly neglected by modern man in pursuit of pleasure and exalted living styles. Lot can be learned by peeping back into history of foods and if only the rich lessons offered by the past was appreciated, many of the ills that plague the society to day could have been averted.

In India practically no day passes without one or the other group of people agitating for favored status under the Constitution under the much debated reservation system. The basis of such action is that some segments of the society have been suppressed for too long denying them rightful opportunities for growth under the pernicious caste system prevalent in the country for centuries. True there was a rigid hierarchical caste based social structure where untouchability was conspicuous by its practice amongst various ethnic sections. There are views and counter views regarding the desirability of reservation based on castes and sub castes and this is not a place to debate on the issue. Caste system was, probably, relevant in ancient India though one can question the inhuman way lower caste people were treated. Personal hygiene and cleanliness only should determine whether a person is "touchable" or "untouchable" in modern India where there is no excuse for any one to be "unkempt" in spite of availability of soaps, detergents, lotions, washing aids etc with which one can keep oneself clean with no risk of spreading infection. Definitely birth does not decide who is untouchable.

If the younger generation is reminded of caste system, it is only because of the expediency of the political class, which in pursuit of vote bank, wants to perpetuate the same. There can only be one criterion for evolving all inclusive growth and development and that is the economic status of people. Western system has different cultural practices and with hygiene and cleanliness high on their agenda, hand shaking, kissing and hugging are common way of greeting and expressing affection and friendship. In contrast the Indian society evolved a totally different system involving greetings with folded hands which is relatively safe as far as spreading of infection is concerned. Kissing and hugging, being noticed recently, are prevalent amongst some who are exposed to western culture.

It is a debatable point whether under Indian living conditions practices such as the above are safe. High humidity, dusty environment, high temperature, critical shortage of water, indifferent personal hygiene, wide spread dormant infection amongst the population, too frequent crowd congregation for political, religious and other purposes, over crowded transport systems, unkempt walk ways and side walks, the toiletry practices at home, all make it unimaginable for adopting the western pattern of social interaction. It is well recognized that more than 40% of infectious diseases are spread through physical contact between unclean hands and other human parts. That Indians do not suffer as much as others in other parts of the world, probably due to their high immunity to most vectors, does not mean that there is no need for improving hygiene and sanitation. Imagine the consequences of unclean personnel managing catering services and food processing facilities on the safety of foods to the consumers!

Old traditional living style, which exists even to day in some parts of India, had given high priority to hygiene. This is evidenced by the regular washing of feet, hands and face when ever one returns home, removing foot wears before entering the house, use of cow dung slurry to keep the house clean, cleaning the teeth with neem stick or mango leaves, location of toilets away from regular dwelling area, popularity of plantain leaves and stitched dry leaves for eating food, fumigation of the house with traditional herbal preparations, fire wood based kitchen which generates smoke that can snuff out a variety of vectors and many other practices. Refrigerator which can be considered as the single most effective food preservation mode man has ever known is a luxury not affordable to a vast majority of Indian population, especially those living in rural areas where there is power cut for 22 hours in a day and refrigerator in these places is some thing like an innocuous good for nothing "box".

The message is loud and clear. Keep yourself clean through adhering to well proven daily hygienic practices, keep your house and environment clean and follow good societal norms for interaction with fellow citizens. That is the right recipe for avoiding an impression that you are "untouchable", literally!

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

THE "FORBIDDEN" FRUITS-REALLY?

Fruits come under the protective food category because they contain many vitamins, minerals and useful phytochemicals including antioxidants. Practically every country in this planet has put fruits along with vegetables on top of their diet recommendations. In reality the habit of regular consumption of these foods is going down progressively, being replaced by processed foods manufactured by the industry loaded with excessive calories, fat and salt. Economically hard pressed population are forced to shun fruits because of their high cost in the market. In India, to day no fruit can be purchased at a price less than Rs 30 per kg, except may be Papaya. Even the so called poor man's fruit Banana commands more than Rs 25 per kg.

Given a choice, low income population will prefer to fill their stomach with bulk foods like coarse cereals available at lower prices in the range Rs 12 to 15 per kg in the open market while under the BPL population get fine cereals at heavily subsidized prices. Under these circumstances buying fruits regularly is not an option for them. Probably the "survival" philosophy is the corner stone of government policy, ignoring the "well being" factor totally. It is time that the government starts considering putting in place a "fair price" mechanism for fruits at least for the benefit of those unfortunate citizens who cannot afford open market produce. One possibility is to equip some of the ration shops selling grains to offer some fruits also at subsidized rates. Logistically it may pose some challenge which is not difficult to over come.

There is another unfortunate category of population who, by compulsion, are forced to avoid fruits because of their sugar content, considered harmful under diabetic conditions. Those affected by Type 2 diabetes are not as vulnerable to sugar as their counterparts under Type 1 diabetes and while the golden rule is to cut down on carbohydrate and sugar containing foods, there is no absolute bar on sugar consumption. As long as the glycated haemoglbin (HbA1c) values are controlled to be less than 7, food intake should not be an obsession. How ever in practice these victims of sugar "disease" are advised by physicians and also by common perception to avoid fruits totally denying them the goodness that is associated with many fruits.

How far such a step is scientifically justified? It is true that some of the fruits do contain sugars like glucose, fructose, sucrose and some minor ones at concentrations varying from 10% to 20% on an average and consuming a kilo gram of fruit at a time can elevate the blood sugar content to undesirable levels. Many physicians report high blood sugar levels in their patients during the mango season because of uncontrolled eating of this fruit which has a limited "window of season" of about 45 days and as mango is not a fruit amenable to long term storage, there is always a tendency to enjoy the delicious fruit as much as possible during its limited availability period. What about other fruits?

According to a recent study by a group of physicians in Mysore, consuming fruits such as orange, apple, banana, papaya, water melon, mango and pine apple at about 200 gm a day would have no impact on diabetic patients. The reason attributed to this finding is that these fruits have Glycaemic Index ( GI) values of less than 50, tolerated in people with Type 2 diabetes. Guava, Sapota and Jack fruit were found to have GI values between 63 and 78, indicating their sugars are absorbed faster and moderation is advisable in their consumption. There is some logic in the findings as sugars present in whole fruit are in the cells and depending on the masticating action in the mouth, release of sugar can be delayed significantly, reflecting on the GI value. Similarly the findings cannot be taken as absolutely realistic since the sugar content and the extent of its release depend very much on the maturity and ripeness of the fruit consumed. But the essence of the findings is that one need not be unduly obsessed with fruit sugars, even if affected by Type 2 diabetes.

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

OVERCOMING FOOD ALLERGIES-NEW APPROACH

Allergic reactions are more or less unheard off in most of the developing countries including India making it a phenomenon almost exclusive to the Western world. Though there are many explanations for the development of food allergy, the one that makes sense argues that the environment where the person is brought up is responsible for allergy development. In countries where infrastructure development is slow and the environment is not as hygienic or clean as that obtained in advanced countries, immunity to allergy is created during the early stages of life. With the body required to fight all types of infection and other immune related exposure, a highly developed immunity is developed that helps to ward off many types of allergic incidences. But till unanimity emerges regarding the scientific basis of allergy, no definitive views can be taken on this issue.

The fact that in many Western countries almost 6-8% of children and 4% of adults suffer from one or the other form of food allergy that can cause serious consequence even threatening life is scary indeed. While minor symptoms like itching or skin reaction can be mild in nature, some allergies can cause Anaphylaxis leading to death. People suffering from serious allergy problems generally carry injectable epinephrine to counteract the symptoms as and when exposed to allergy. Major allergy causing foods include shell fish, peanuts, tree nuts, marine fish, eggs, milk, soybean and wheat. The allergic symptoms appear because of the response of the immune system of the body that mistakes one of the proteins present in the food as "dangerous" and invokes the immunological defensive measures. It is almost like a vaccination all children undergo during their early years of their life against a number of diseases caused by bacteria and virus.

The situation is so serious in a country like the US that there are mandatory regulations to declare on the label use of any of the above allergy causing food ingredients and also mention whether even those foods not containing these allergens have been processed in equipment used previously for allergic foods. Food allergy should not be confused with food intolerance caused by lactose in milk, caffeine tremors, tyramine migraine, histamine fish poisoning or bacterial toxin induced symptoms. Food allergy is a specific adverse immune response to some proteins present in the food and the concentration of these allergic food ingredients can be very low to elicit the response. A few peanuts can be fatal to a person suffering from peanut allergy!

The quality of life of people affected by food allergy is seriously compromised because of the dangers lurking behind hundreds of foods that flood the market with no guarantee that they are free from the ingredients causing allergy. Newer scientific endeavors bring some solace to these unfortunate people and the most promising is the oral immuno resistance technique that can develop the necessary capability to with stand small doses of allergic foods that one may come across once in a while without causing major hiccup. The British study using small concentration of peanut flour daily for 3 years has confirmed that children can develop strong resistance to eating some peanuts without any adverse reaction. Same approach is being attempted with milk and eggs to lessen the severity of allergy due to exposure to them. The innovative oral immuno therapy (OIT) tried with milk and egg has been claimed to be able to overcome the allergy caused by these foods completely. Probably OIT may be equally successful with other allergic foods also if appropriate treatment regime is worked out.

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

AN "AUTHORITY" FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY-"STIFLING" OF DEMOCRACY

Biotechnology has made tremendous strides during the last two decades, the impact being greatest in pharmaceutical industry. Of course in the area of food also, Biotechnological approach has given rise to genetically modified products which are under consideration for adoption in many countries including India. How ever some countries like the US have gone ahead with massive adoption of all types of GM foods without adequately assessing the adverse impact associated with genetic manipulation of natural foods on long term food safety, environmental hazards and farm economy.

The recent Bt Brinjal debate in India was able to focus the attention of people on the consequences of GM foods under the Indian environment and against substantial opposition from scientific, farming and consumer communities government retreated in grace abandoning, for the time being, the earlier plans for introduction of Bt Brinjal, developed by the global GM seed giant, Monsanto, for commercial cultivation. The much discredited Genetic Engineering Clearance Committee (GEAC) under the Ministry of Environment, chaired by a bureaucrat with no knowledge about Biotechnology, and staffed by some "yes" scientists, whose credentials were questioned even by the Supreme Court in the country, gave its "approval" for regular cultivation
of Bt Brinjal. It is another story that the Environment Minister had the good sense to overturn the irresponsible action of GEAC. With such a background, what will be the future of GM crops in India, is a relevant question.

With two powerful Ministers in the Union Cabinet unabashedly canvassing for GM foods, Prime Minister also seems to be sympathetic to the GM lobby for reasons not yet clear, all under the pretext or illusion that GM technology only can "augment" food supply in future and prevent large scale starvation!. Even the perpetrators of GM food myth do not claim any genuine increase in crop yield but assert that loss due to pests could be less thereby increasing the harvest volume. Now that the much ridiculed GEAC is discredited, GOI seems to be in a hurry to replace it with an "Authority" under the statute for which necessary legislation is being drafted. Probably with the majority UPA has in the Parliament, the proposed "Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India" (BRAI) may become a reality soon, if good sense does not prevail on the MPs during discussion of the legislation. Why the opposition for the proposed BRAI?

If one goes by the experience during the setting up of "Food Standards and Safety Authority of India" earlier, BRAI is also not going to be different. There will be intense lobbying amongst retired bureaucrats with practically no exposure to Biotechnology or related areas of science, to occupy the "Chair" and the country will have to witness this "game of musical chairs" pretty soon. BRAI is a bureaucrat's dream because of the draconian power sought to be vested with it and a cursory look at some of the provisions in the draft bill will convince any one that a police bureaucrat may be more suitable to "administer" the Authority. Most disgusting provision in the bill is to provide for jail term up to one year and a fine of Rs 2 lakh for any one who without evidence or scientific record misleads public about the safety of the products and the organisms used. Adding insult to injury the information about GM products has been kept out of the purview of RTI Act, clearly showing the intention of GOI to push the GM products down the throat of the people with great secrecy. Further the sole responsibility for clearing all GM crops has been given to BRAI with no role for other ministries like those for food, agriculture, environment, health, consumer welfare etc. Is this compatible with democratic credentials of this country?

India seems to be aping the US, at least in promotion of GM crops and BRAI is a pre-requisite for repeating the US experience where GM crops are cleared with executive authority rather than through scientific and democratic route. Unless major changes are made in the proposed Bill, Parliament should not accord approval to this devious strategy of GOI.

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

"FDI" IN FOOD RETAIL-POSSIBLE ANSWER TO FOOD INFLATION?

Foreign investments in retail sector are not possible under the current FDI policy of the Indian government, the main reason being the fear that millions of small traders spread all over the country employing an enormous work force would be adversely affected by the financial muscle power of the large multinational retail giants like Walmart, TESCO etc. GOI may have some justification to take this line because unemployment is one of the most pressing problems country is facing to day if the employment exchange figures are to be believed. But how far the projected unemployment figures reflect the ground reality is another imponderable issue having no definitive answer but there is a strong suspicion that the numbers include a vast population of under employed persons also looking for better prospects in life.

A close look at the food retailing net work that delivers staples as well as perishables to the consumers in the country is based on the so called "middle men" so necessary to provide linkage between the producer and the retailer. More the number of such intermediaries sharper is the escalation in consumer price. In spite of the existence of Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime in many food produce, farmers are not better off than they were in the past, many of them driven to suicide unable to sustain their families. Money lending and muscle force make many farmers literally second class citizens in their own land. Economic subsidies and financial incentives provided year after year in central and state budgets do not seem to have made any dent in the rural poverty.

Food inflation is out of control and the unseemly blame game amongst the political class to pass on the "buck" is adding insult to injury to the citizens who are bruised by the erosion of the purchasing power of the rupee. The media statement that "Pawar snores while the food prices soar" reflects the ridiculous situation that exists in the country. Sugar prices have doubled in no time while millions of tons of imported sugar are piled up in different ports because of the cunning strategy of the hoarders to use GOI facility to starve the market. Same is true in practically every food commodity traded in the country with the hoarders having a vice-like grip on the supply chain. Poor local traders face the wrath of the consumer though he has practically no control over price fixing by the wholesale traders with deep pockets to hold the market to ransom through hoarding, some times under the benign eyes of the politicians at the helm of affairs in the country. Can this situation be allowed to continue for long? Sacrifice is necessary by all the stakeholders and if the present retail community slowly fades away yielding to a competitive organized retailing system, there is good possibility that food prices will come down.

Answerability and accountability are the hall marks of any good management system and that includes governmental activities also. Probably time has come to fix responsibility for the current situation and the Indian government is answerable to the consumer instead of dithering, vacillating and some times reigning over them like a colonial government. It is a shame for any government to admit openly that it does not have the wherewithal to control innumerable retailers who are peddling food. If the state governments are impotent to rein in the retailing business as it operates now, it is time they force GOI to welcome FDI at least in food retailing. This will enable billions of dollars of foreign funds, at present lying idle for want of attractive investment options, to be deployed efficiently to organize retailing on a scientific and modern management principles. A few organized retailers are much more amenable to discipline and monitoring than millions of scattered small traders.

National Dairy Development Board's success in fruit and vegetable marketing, though not dramatic, is mainly due to its organization capability linking producer to the consumer with profit motive made secondary. Similarly if ITC has been able to establish workable and mutually beneficial relationship with farm producers with good will, same can be achieved by foreign retailing industry, investing in India with their enormous organizational and managerial skills. There are a few shining examples of Indian grown retailers establishing backward linkages with producers and delivering prime produce of high quality at costs much less than that by the small traders, at least in some urban areas. Without standing on out-dated philosophy and irrelevant economic basis, GOI must evolve an equitable FDI policy in food retail that can attract "best of the best" from around the world to ensure fair competition in food retailing that will go a long way in providing affordable daily food items to the vast majority of Indian population currently handicapped by uncontrolled inflation. Whether the necessary political will is there remains to be seen under the present coalition government.

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

BIOFUEL-ETHANOL VS BUTANOL

Man's perennial quest for new sources of energy is driven by the direct relationship that exists between development and efficient and cheap energy. To day practically every aspect of modern life depends heavily on energy. Dependence of non-renewable fossil fuels like coal and petroleum which have been cheap to source pushed mankind further into this "energy trap" and the prospects of these fuel supply dwindling at a fast pace have forced the world to look for other sources of more endurable and sustainable nature. Power from nuclear reactors, hydroelectric generators, solar energy, wind mills, geothermal and wave energy is receiving increasing attention and investments to make viable as alternate sources to fossil fuels.

Ethanol was at one time thought to be a viable alternate source for energy and early foray into this renewable source of energy resulted in its use for blending with diesel and gasoline to varying extent, at least to delay the day of reckoning vis-à-vis fossil fuels. Diverting valuable food resources like corn to alcohol production through yeast fermentation was justifiable as long as world was enjoying food surpluses but the situation dramatically changed during the last few years with food shortages and escalating prices of food grains world wide putting a dampener to this fuel program. Such a contingency led to explore the use of agricultural and plant wastes of cellulosic nature for extracting energy economically through the alcohol route and there are commercial plants now being established to produce cellulose based alcohol.

Butanol, a better energy source compared to ethanol, was known since World War II but economic compulsions never allowed it to get to the center stage, especially when fossil fuels were dirt cheap. The fermentation route using Clostridium acetobutylicum bacteria as the conversion agent and many sugar sources like sugar beets, sugarcane, corn grain,wheat,cassava, straw, corn stalks etc as feed stock, biobutanol is making a come back to compete effectively with bioethanol. The structure of butanol is heavier than ethanol and more similar to gasoline making it a better energy source with much wider range of uses like transportation fuel, blends with diesel, ethanol and gasoline, as jet fuel and for conversion into plastics. Its energy content is 29.2 MJ per liter (MJPL) compares well with gasoline with 32 MJPL or ethanol 19.6 MJPL. Since it does not blend with water, it has the added advantage of fitting into the existing fuel processing facilities.

Like ethanol, biobutanol can be fermented from plant sugars, either food grains or cellulosic plant parts. But because its structure is heavier than ethanol and more similar to gasoline, the advanced biofuel has a wider range of end uses -- it can be burned as a stand-alone transportation fuel; blended with diesel, ethanol or gasoline; converted into jet fuel or plastics; or sold in existing industrial chemical markets. Though the technical feasibility of promoting butanol as an energy source is beyond any doubt, the same argument that goes against ethanol, viz need for diverting food crops for its production, holds good for butanol also. A holistic thinking is imperative in arriving at a logical decision regarding the feed stock for biofuels, if they are going to be the true alternative for future energy supply without upsetting the world food supply.

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