"HUMMUS"-WHY CAN'T INDIAN CHUTNEY BE PROCESSED SAME WAY?

Hummus is a chick pea based product with wide international popularity and interestingly it is a relatively stable product with reasonable shelf life. high Pressure Processing Technology (HPP), Chemical preservatives like citric acid, benzoate, pasteurization, hot fill, Tetrapack are all suitable for extending shelf life of this product for a few days. Though it is claimed to be an Arab preparation used by the people in the Middle East for centuries as a dip, this is hotly contested by the Jews who consider it their ethnic food. Interestingly Jews are reported to be consuming double the quantity of Hummus as compared to that by the Arab population. Who ever is responsible for the birth of Hummus, the fact remains that it is a ell established dip or spread product through out the world. Major ingredients in preparing a good authentic Hummus include cooked and mashed chick pea, blended Tahini, Olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. There are dozens of variations evolved over the last few decades to suit the palates of different segments of population. 

Nutritionally it is a well balanced food adjunct containing 166 kC of energy per 100 gm, 14.3% carbohydrate, 9.6% fat and 7.9% proteins. Besides it is also a significant source of iron, Vitamin C, Folates and Pyridoxine. Since it contains solids derived from Sesame, its Methionine content gives a high protein efficiency value to the product while its monounsaturated fat content further boosts up its nutritive value. no wonder Hummus is a $ 300 million business in the US and growing fast among the ethnic foods. One of the variations of Hummus contains coriander making it distinctly Indian reminding many about the chutney preparations in South India, used as an adjunct for ethnic foods like Idli, Dosa, Vada etc. The product is highly perishable with hardly a couple of days shelf life under ambient conditions. It is further known that the life can be extended in the refrigerator up to 7 days while it can last up to 2 months in a freezer chest. Also reported is its ability to stay long if pasteurized and stored at 4C up to 3-18 months. Tetrapack technology claims that the product can be preserved for months if properly processed. Same is true with High Pressure Processing Technology which is recommended for long term storage of Hummus.

According to some experts if packed Hummus is unopened, some pasteurized Hummus brands keep well for periods up to 18 months!. In general, pasteurized brands are known to keep well for 2-3 months. The differences in shelf life between brands can be attributed to variations in the recipe as well as pasteurization methods. While Citric acid and salt are preferred natural preservatives, artificial preservatives like sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate find extensive use by the industry. A growing number of pasteurized Hummus brands are shelf stable and do not require refrigeration. Brands that contain preservatives are safe for up to 60 days while those without preservatives are often marketed as natural or organic, provided they adhere to the standards  required for such labeling. Preservative-free Hummus brands must be stored under refrigerated conditions for good shelf life. Some processors of unpasteurized foods contend that pasteurization destroys nutrients and this is true with any food processing when there is lowering of nutritive vale to some extent. After all processing is based on the concept that there is a trade of between nutritive value and convenience. Because Hummus is marketed as a healthful snack it is natural to expect most brands claiming they are free from artificial preservatives.

Chutneys in South India are many in varieties but commonly they suffer from microbial spoilage, rancidity, staling, discoloration etc and they have never been standardized to the extent that any single product can be said to represent typical home made product in traditional homes in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu. While scientific work on Chutneys is far and few, its popularity is such that most people find it difficult to eat traditional break fast foods without this ubiquitous adjunct. Why Indian Food Scientists have not looked at the preservation technology used by the Hummus industry is really baffling. The similarities between Hummus and Chutney are so much that even in the profile of ingredients used there is some commonality. These preparations have a protein source, a fat source, a spice source, a sourant or a pH modifier and salt. In Chutney coconut serves as a source of fat as well as protein while the sourant may be tamarind, amchur or lime juice. The spice component in Hummus is Garlic while in Chutney it is Chilli. 

The above comparison makes it clear that whatever technologies are used by the Hummus industry can be effective in preserving Chutneys also without any major change. Of course the vulnerability of coconut oil to hydrolytic rancidity is a problem that needs to be tackled. Probably roasting the coconut gratings sufficiently to inactivate lipase enzyme may retard such rancidity. Pasteurization, use of preservatives, Tetrapack technology, HPP Technology, Gamma irradiation, Hurdle technology all may work in getting reasonable extension of shelf life for Indian chutneys. Food industry must put pressure on Public R & D institutions in the country to take up some basic work as well as evolving preservation commercial processes by giving priority it deserves.

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

    

MOVE OVER CANDIES, HERE COMES THE DESI "MITHAI"!

Has any one bothered to ask the simple question as to why modern day youngsters are more enamored by foods from western countries rather than being proud of their heritage foods numbering over 5000, inherited from their forefathers? Why is that a kid, hardly 3 year old, craves for chocolate products and high sugar confectionery items like artificially colored candies in stead of hundreds of sweet meat products available in the corner shops of Halwaiwalla? Is it the taste that drives these kids to western foods or the habit formed during the early childhood due to over indulgence of the parents? Or could it be that the convenience factor, good product stability, attractive packing and massive promotion by the industry that tilt the scale in favor of confectionery products like candies and chocolates? Probably a combination of all the above must have caused this gross distortion in the food preferences of young generation.

There are thousands of ethnic foods originated in India during its 8000 years of history and these food products have been continuously evolving, influenced by successive cultures entering India from time to time. Whether it is a meal or a side dish or a snack or a sweet Indian population, as diverse as they are, can be proud of their indigenous foods which lately are captivating the taste buds of consumers all over the world. If Indian restaurants are becoming more and more popular these days, even over taking Chinese or Mexican cuisines, it can be attributed to the rich diversity of products representing more than a hundred ethnic communities in the country. These culinary treasure will only expand in the coming years if the enterprising restaurateurs pay more attention to the design of their eateries and hygiene and sanitation aspects. Indian "curries", though demonized for their strong smell and spicy and pungent taste, have become cynosure of all eyes because of the realization that spices and herbs are repository of a host of phytochemicals with health promoting properties. 

Emergence of "Retortable Pouch Process" as an industry standard during the last one decade made it possible to "stabilize" shelf life of a number of food preparations of Indian origin. Thanks to this technology there are over three dozen products of Indian origin on the shelves of super markets and retail out lets spanning the entire country. These RTE products faithfully represent the original fresh preparations with least distortion of flavor and taste. Who could have thought a few years ago that the famous Indian Pulav could be preserved for more than 9 months or for that matter the south Indian delicacy Bisibelebath for almost an year? Curry preparations like sambar, rasam, dal, aloo gobi, aloo palak, chole, paneer muttar, avial, kootu, etc are to day preservable for as long as an year. The country must salute the pioneering scientists whose committed work has resulted in making available these products to the Indian consumers in India as well as in other countries on a "platter". 

Snacks and savories which are mostly fried in edible oils are made by thousands of cottage scale operators and are sold fresh from small shops and bakeries with limited shelf life of a few days. Potato chips and extruded products, made by the organized sector enjoy a much longer shelf life because of the antioxidants and other stabilizers used during the process as well as the functionally superior packing materials but typical Indian snacks like Samosa, Vada, Bonda, Dal Vada, Chakli, Mixture, Kodubele, Vadian and Ghattia and many others are still being left in the lurch because of lack of interest among scientists to work on them as well as due to apprehension among the entrepreneurs regarding the difficulties in marketing them. Probably greater R & D efforts are called for in studying the basic aspects of their making that control the final product quality and to work out strategies to extend their shelf life. 

The Indian confectionery products like Chikki, Besan Laddu, Carrot Halwa, Doodhi Halwa, Son Papadi, Jangri, Badam Halwa, Khoa and Chhakka based items, etc are rich in nutrients like proteins derived from  milk, peanuts and Besan, micro nutrients derived from vegetables like Carrot and Ashgourd, PUFA from Almonds and other nuts, though some of them do contain high sugar and fat levels. Compare them with different type of sugar confections of the west which are practically based on white sugar and flavor. Unfortunately the processes to make Indian confections vary enormously from place to place and from person to person while there are no standard quality or safety parameters to be adhered to. No wonder the kids do not get "hooked" on such products so easily, driving them to western products like chocolates and candies.

Recent development of processes that ensure better shelf stability for some important sweetmeat products by a scientific group in CFTRI Mysore bodes well for this sector. Through this work the scientists are atoning for their past neglect of Indian traditional sweetmeat products which are universally liked in the world. For almost 3 decades the only products that could claim long life were Gulab Jamun and Rasagolla which were canned in open top sanitary cans for obtaining a shelf life of about an year without any significant quality deterioration. The CFTRI processes for preserving sweets  like Boondi Laddu, Bombay Halwa, Carrot Halwa, Doodhi Halwa, Doodh Peda, Milk Burfi and Coconut Burfi , without using any chemical preservatives are expected to kick start the revival of this sector in a big way if the technology transfer is not sought to be hampered through high price tags for selling them. As the packing technology is not matched by machinery development for their mass manufacture, it is unlikely that large players would be interested in this development. It is therefore advisable to pass on the technology through mass contact programs involving live demonstrations and some basic training of SMEs in different parts of the country.

Design of appropriate equipment portfolio for mass production of many India sweets are fraught with insurmountable technical difficulties which should be addressed immediately, if Indian sweetmeat products have to become a big hit with foreign buyers. This is an area with some dilemma for the country to decide because most of the traditional preparation processes are predominantly manual in nature involving skilled artisans and introduction of large scale automated machinery may see many of them thrown out of their jobs which may not be a desirable development in a socially sensitive country like India. Keeping this industry labor intensive also serves the purpose of keeping the process and recipe secrets within the country and ensure monopoly for years to come.       

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