PULSED ELECTRIC FIELD-APPLICATION IN FOODS

It was striking to read a claim in the print media recently that a scientific group in India was able to get an international patent covering 120 countries for a process "sterilization of liquid foods by pulsed electric fields". If technically and commercially feasible, beyond any shadow of doubt, this process can revolutionize the milk and juice industry in the country. What practical problems that may arise can be known only when the process is scaled up into a fully baked industrial scale technology with necessary engineering designs for the critical original equipment necessary for its success. According to the claims by the Indian scientists a liquid food like juice or sauce, when passed through a specially designed fluid treatment chamber with provision for generating a short pulse at very high voltage, it was able to kill bacteria, molds and their spores and viruses. Basically the high voltage is supposed to disrupt the cell membrane through the phenomenon of electroporation.

In Pulsed Electric Field processing (PEF), a substance is placed between two electrodes and pulsed electric field is applied. The effect is to enlarge the pores on the cell membrane which kills the cells and releases their contents into the environment. All cells have pores which control the flow of nutrients into, and metabolic wastes out of, the cell. If these pores become wider and larger, the contents can leak into the medium, eventually killing the cell. The temperature rise in such a system due to the electric field is less than 30C and therefore the material treated does not even attain the pasteurization temperature sufficient to kill pathogens by heat alone, The voltage applied can be between 15000 to 30000 volts, where the lower voltage can kill plant cells while the higher voltage brings about the death of bacterial and fungal cells. How this technology can immobilize viruses, as claimed by the Indian scientists is not clear. Also in doubt is the ability of this process to obtain 100% kill of the spores which have very tough membranes that can survive high voltages.

Though useful information about PEF technology started emerging in 1991 and early patents on pulse electric field for sterilization and preservation of liquid foods (US Patents5235905, 5690978 and 6746613) were already granted in the US, it has failed to take off due to certain practical problems when tried on a commercial scale. This technology is used to a very limited extent by the fruit juice industry in the US. Most enzymes are not affected by pulsed electric field which can cause deterioration in the juice under ambient conditions and therefore to preserve the organoleptic quality, the treated products will have to be refrigerated during marketing, up to the point of consumption. Gas bubbles which are trapped in the juice during extraction tend to allow electric arcing between the electrodes causing burning of the substances being processed and consequent generation of potential carcinogenic artifacts.

The media reports convey the impression that PEF technology has been perfected for the first time in India and is ready for commercial use. On the contrary much more work needs to be done to standardize the process for tropical fruit and vegetable products popular in the country. Milk could be the most eligible candidate for mass application of this technology but practically no information is available regarding its suitability in a complex protein-fat matrix like milk. Stray reports do indicate that application of PEF in tandem with heating can extend shelf life of milk up to 24 days. Imagine the advantages for a middle class consumer when the milk sachet which arrives unfailingly every day in front of his house, can be kept under ambient condition or even in a refrigerator for at least a week or more. This is where efforts are called for as India is world's largest milk producer and a major portion is consumed as fluid milk in millions of house holds across the country. Here is a typical example of a patent being touted as the ultimate in non-thermal sterilization but with out any solid data regarding its applicability, efficacy and safety on Indian products. It is sad that good scientific work like this, with potential for far reaching benefits to the society, gets trivialized by premature publicity and bloated claims.

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

THE ALMIGHTY NEEM-MOTHER NATURE'S GIFT TO HUMANITY

According to the Board of Science and Technology for International Development, USNRC, Neem of plant has the potential to usher in a new era in pest control, provide millions with inexpensive medicines, cut down the rate of population growth, reduce soil erosion, slow down the deforestation mania and checking global warming. The origin of Neem is traced to Burma (Myanmar) and there exists (not cultivated) more than 60 million tress in the world with China and India accounting for more than 47 million of them. Till recently India was the leading country in propagation of Neem but China has taken over the lead with an estimated 25 million trees in that country. Why should Neem get the attention it has received and whether all the claims about its omnipotent power are realistic are worth considering.

Traditionally Neem leaves were being used as an insect repellent at the household level which is practiced in many rural areas even to day. Keeping Neem leaves with grains to protect them from insects or using these leaves to repel silverfish that can destroy cloths or heating water with the leaves for bathing can be seen in the rural backyard of the country. Neem is claimed to contain about 100 bioactive compounds but only a few have been researched thoroughly regarding their identity and efficacy as pesticides or medicine. The miraculous attributes to Neem can be gauged from the fact that it is called 'Mwarobaini' in Africa, meaning Tree of 40 that can cure 40 different types of diseases in Man. In India Neem is also referred to as 'Divine Tree', 'Heal All', 'Nature's Drugstore', 'Village Pharmacy' and 'Panacea for All Diseases'. Different parts of Neem plant are effective against 537 species of insects that include Ostracods, mites and ticks, nematodes, some species of snails and fungi. It does not kill the insects unlike the synthetic pesticides but incapacitates them. Neem oil is in great demand for treating skin infection, ring worm infestation, foot rot, scabies, lice, burn wounds, bruises etc.

The bioactive chemicals that make Neem command the attention world over include Nimbin, Nimbudin, Nimbidol, Gedunin, Quercetin, Salannin, Vepol, Meliantriol, Azadirachtan and others. About 40 of these chemical constituents act synergistically to confer on Neem the unique ability as antiviral, antifungal, antimicrobial, antipyretic, antiinflammatory, antitumor, analgestic, immune stimulating, alterative to restore heath, anthelmintic and anti-emitic agent. Seeds, leaves, flowers and bark are commonly used for achieving different results. Tetranortriterpenoids or liminoids which are similar to steroids in nature are the most effective components present in Neem. Azadirachtan, the most studied chemical constituent, is available in concentrated forms for varied applications. Neem oil which is rich in this chemical is widely available in India for use for external application against skin ailments. The pesticidal activity of Neem is due to the interference of the bioactive chemicals in the hormonal functions in the insect resulting in depressed feeding, cutting down on breeding and metamorphosing. Neem is harmless to friendly vectors like spiders, butterflies, bees, ladybirds and earthworms that populate agricultural lands.

It is difficult to imagine Neem as a food material because of its intense bitterness but tender leaves are some times consumed just like a green vegetable in some parts of India. Neem leaves preparations in dried powder form and encapsulated are also available for use as a general Ayurvedic tonic with several benefits attributed to it. In some states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh , during the new year festival Neem leaves and Flowers are consumed with jaggery, probably signifying that life can be bitter as well as sweet and resolving to face both with equanimity is inevitable. A flourishing trade exists with regard to neem oil and deoiled neem seed residue, widely used as natural pesticides and manure, especially for organic food cultivation. It is predicted that the global trade in Neem may exceed $500 million within the next 5 years and India will have to go in for organized cultivation on a massive scale to tap this emerging market.

A pro-active policy to popularize Neem cultivation in the country can have far reaching implications to the health of its population. The Forest Departments in various states are already propagating its planting along with many other fast growing species of perennial trees by distributing saplings free and providing useful information for their tending. Probably a conscious decision to plant this miracle tree on both sides of thousands of kilometers of Federal and State Highways will go a long way in creating an environment that is protective to the public as well as deriving economic benefits to the nation. On a conservative estimate, more than a billion trees can be planted within the next 10 years under a National Plan involving panchayats, urban bodies, NGOs, District Administrations, State Governments and Central Ministries. Food Industry can play a role in this by consciously planting Neem in and around their processing facilities which can ensure a much cleaner environment for handling foods.

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

FOOD HABITS-INFLUENCE OF THE "IDIOT BOX"!

TV viewing by children is sought to be regulated through mandatory control by the GOI as well as voluntary restrictions by the media industry. Screen violence, indecent images and dialogs and content language
can have far reaching influence on the tender minds of children who cannot exercise viewer discretion unlike the adults. The very fact that TV medium has access to millions of homes make it a powerful communicator with potential for harm as well as benefits, depending on how it is harnessed. Depicting smoking or drinking on the screen, especially by familiar personalities with name and fame can have an "imitating" influence on youngsters, aspiring to become some body in life.

When it comes to promotion of food products on the small screen, very little restraint seems to be in place, looking at hundreds of advertisements sponsored by manufacturers of processed foods. In the absence of food and nutrition experts working with the monitoring authorities, many advertisers get away with ludicrous claims of benefits in consuming their products. In a startling observation in the UK it was found that kids spending hours in front of the TV end up with bad eating habits by unconsciously believing that those appearing on the ads are good for them. It is a common knowledge that mostly less healthy food products are advertised in the TV while healthy foods rarely receive any publicity at all. There are isolated instances of industries collectively taking up nutritional causes that may benefit their range of products collectively. Promotion of milk and egg is a typical example but these days these ads are becoming conspicuous by their rare appearances.

How can any one blame the kids when their favorite actor sips a fizz drink in style, singing virtues about the product? Can we find fault with the mothers if they believe in the ads that emphatically proclaims about growing tall, sharp and smart if a particular beverage is consumed? Branded potato chips have become the standard bearer as far as the youths are concerned, thanks mainly to the near saturation advertisements in almost all TV channels. RTE breakfast cereals, most of them loaded with sugar appear every day tempting the kids as well as the mothers to replace traditional foods like Idli, Vada, Dosa, Uppuma, Poori or Chapathi. Is there no way out of this quagmire we see ourselves in? Voluntary restraint by the industry is more easily said than done because business has no human face or social commitment, being driven relentlessly by profit motives and one cannot blame them entirely for this as their investments are at stake. If ads about cigarettes and liquors can be banned, why not apply the same yardstick to those food ads which are misleading? Why cant we have a "TRUTH PANEL" consisting of nutritionists and food scientists to arbitrate on ads which do not reflect reality vis-a-vis foods? At least such ads should have nutritional warnings that consuming them can have negative consequences also.

ICMR, under the Ministry of Health, should take the lead in evolving a practical code for food advertisements and evaluation of outlandish claims with practically no scientific basis. Also for consideration is whether to insist on including a nutritional message with each food ad that appears on the small screen. For example when a cola drink is promoted why not include a message that natural fruit juices are best for the health, or including a message about virtues of fresh vegetables in ads promoting potato chips or highlighting the goodness of milk in ads promoting instant coffee. The MFPI of GOI must take up on a priority development of promotional capsules that will stress on good eating habits, nutritional advantages of traditional foods, superiority of fresh fruits and vegetables for good health, virtues of taking milk regularly and similar causes. Promoting food industry at any cost should not be the motto of the GOI and State Governments but how best it can be done, without compromising on the health of the population, should be upper most in their mind while evolving any future strategy.

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

MILK INTAKE AND COGNITIVE HEALTH

One of the signs of old age is progressive loss of memory that invariably reduces the quality of life and eventually leads to development of diseases like Alzheimer's amongst some old age people. Shrinking of the brain is an indication of its ability to remember and greater the shrinkage, higher will be the neurological damage that leads to dementia like situation. Scientific findings do indicate that if such damages can be prevented or reduced, the cognitive decline due to old age can be prevented to a great extent. The ability of Vitamin B12 to arrest or slow down the process of memory decline is a relatively new finding that can go a long way to address the alarming situation faced by the old age population which does not realize the deficiency of this vitamin in the diet and its serious consequences. In a country like USA, mandatory as well as voluntary fortification and enrichment of processed foods may reduce the chances of deficiency to a greater extent than what we face in India. Even then serious consideration is required regarding the effectiveness of synthetic vitamins, especially their absorption and biological efficacy.

B12 deficiency is commonly asymptomatic and only when anemia is precipitated one becomes aware of the low levels of this vitamin in the body. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is in the range of 0.3 to 2 microgram, depending on the age of the population under consideration. Neurological signs of B12 deficiency can occur without any symptoms of anemia which can manifest in sensory disturbances due to damage to peripheral nerves and eventual irreversible death of nerve cells, It is claimed that almost 40% of world population suffer from low values of B12 below 350 pg/liter in blood but even those with 600 pg/liter may also come under deficiency category. In a typical western diet, B12 level is as high as 5-7 microgram per day but the uncertainties regarding absorption can cause serious imbalances in the body which is influenced by pepsin, hydrochloric acid, R-protein, pancreatic enzymes, intrinsic factor, calcium and cell receptors. During old age due to atrophic changes in GI tract, B12 absorption can decrease significantly and more than one third of world population above 60 years are reported to be affected by this syndrome. About 1-5% of free B12 are absorbed by passive diffusion. One worry that haunts vegetarians is the loss of B12 swept away by the high fiber content in their diet and practically no absorption of B12 produced by the intestinal flora in the Colon. According to one estimate 92% of vegans, 64% of lactovegetarians and 47% of lacto-ovovegetarians suffer from B12 deficiency.

It was erroneously believed that with high meat consumption that is prevalent in many affluent countries, Vit B12 deficiency should not be a major cause of worry since animal based foods, especially red meat are rich in this vitamin. But this belief is seriously being challenged by the reported findings that B12 contained in these foods are poorly absorbed by the body thereby creating deficiency situation, not noticed under normal conditions. As low levels of B12 deficiency are not manifested readily in many people, sub-optimal concentrations in the blood can go unnoticed for long that can cause irreparable damage to the brain resulting in progressive development of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. It is a startling revelation that old age population with low levels of B12 suffer twice as much shrinkage of the brain as those with highest levels of this vitamin.

If the above conclusions, vis-a-vis B12, are true, is there no way one can prevent the onslaught of dementia and related diseases as a consequence of the relentless process of aging?. One suggestion that is worth considering calls for increasing the intake of milk as one ages to meet the optimal need of B12. With millions of processed products available in the markets world over, milk consumption is declining and this is true especially with younger population which does not imbibe the habit of drinking milk regularly. The life style changes taking place at young age, involving replacement of milk with foods which are not as complete in nutrition as milk, continues during old age also that has serious health consequences as brought out by these studies. A daily consumption of half a liter of milk is considered adequate to keep the B12 levels at a safe range and keep at bay dementia and Alzheimer's. More encouraging is the ability of human body to store 2-7 mg of B12 and regular consumption of milk during young age can help to build up this storage to maximum levels.

Milk contains about 7 microgram B12 per liter and daily consumption of two cups of milk will provide more than the RDA of B12 for an adult. One uncertainty with regard to milk is the stability of B12 during processing with some claiming that more than 10% is destroyed even under the comparatively milder pasteurization temperature and what would be the consequences of repeated boiling as practiced in India. But this is not supported by any substantial data and for the time being one can feel comfortable with the fact that B12 resists boiling temperature conditions and it is unstable only under alkaline conditions. As pH of milk is invariably less than 7, unless it is adulterated with sodium carbonate or alkali, significant destruction of B12 is unlikely to happen during boiling. 'Milking' the goodness of the milk should be the motto as one reconciles to the process of aging with grace and serenity!

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

'FATTY' ROLE FOR PROTEINS-NEED FOR BALANCED DIET

Proteins are always considered as a friendly food component by the layman as well as the nutritionists. Millions of words have been spoken and written about the bad effects of carbohydrates and fats, the other two bulk nutrients in foods we consume. While protein has a vital role in body building through tissue development and maintenance through replacement due to aging and normal attrition, carbohydrates and fats are sources of biological energy required to fuel the metabolism that drives life. By now it is very clear that over consumption of these two energy sources can lead to over weight and health disorders that are prevalent to day. How about proteins? Do they have any adverse effects on body if not properly balanced in the diet? If current trend of scientific investigations is taken at their face value, proteins can cause imbalances in body metabolism similar to fats under certain circumstances.

Twenty amino acids, contained in proteins, are the building blocks of all tissues and are involved in a variety of body functions vital for life sustenance. Out of these nine are considered essential as the human body does not have the capacity to make them and are to be supplied through the diet. Others are formed in the body through inter conversions by the mediation of a plethora of enzymes. There are three 'special' amino acids called Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) Leucine. Isoleucine and Valine which are concentrated in muscle tissues and have very important role in muscle formation and physical activity. The two characteristic proteins actin and myosin contained in the muscles have BCAAs up to 35% and therefore they have critical role as raw materials for muscle tissue building. Strenuous exercise for lengthy periods causes break down of muscle tissues and consequently depletion of BCAAs which provides quick energy as other sources become insufficient. BCAAs can decrease up to 20% after intense physical activity in athletes and other heavy workers. BCAAs also help to suppress lactic acid produced during muscular activity which otherwise can lower the pH causing muscle fatigue.and adversely affect muscle contraction. This is one of the reasons why BCAA supplements are taken by athletes and sports persons whose need for these amino acids far exceeds that for a normal person.

BCAAs are components in most proteins and deficiency of these amino acids is not very common. If adequate recommended amount of proteins are not provided through the diet, there can be deficiency of BCAAs also. Most diets for normal persons provide 55-140 mg of BCAAs per kg body weight but for athletes undergoing intense training take supplements containing 5 gm leucine, 4 gm of valine and 2 gm of isoleucine per day to compensate for muscle loss and increased muscle mass, though benefits of such supplementation has not been conclusively proved so far. High intake of BCAAs is not considered harmful as they are converted to other amino acids or used as an energy source or converted to fat for storage. Liver has limited capacity to metabolize BCAAs which pass through it practically unchanged to be preferentially metabolized in muscle cells.

Chance observation that obese people have high BCAA level attracted attention of the nutritionists and any association between excess BCAA and over weight became focus of investigation by some groups of scientists working on obesity problem. High fat content in the diet is certainly a cause for worry because of the attendant consequences but high fat with high BCAA levels in the diet constitutes a much bigger threat in the form of faster development of insulin resistance leading to diabetes. Animal studies show that feeding high fat diets supplemented with BCAAs results in development of insulin resistance with much lesser amount of food consumed. Parallel rise in levels of BCAAs and insulin resistance in over weight individuals is an indicator for likely development of Type II diabetes in the not too distant future. BCAAs, in presence of high fat, seem to be working at the molecular level in the insulin pathway and cause a build up of acyl carnitine involved in fat transportation, at least in animals, that affects the glucose absorption at the cellular level. BCAAs may also be working by chronically activating mTOR, a signaling protein that regulates cell growth and survival and functions as a sensor of cellular nutrition and energy levels. Last word has not yet been said about ill effects of BCAAs as all the above studies were in rats, requiring validation by human studies. But caution is called for while consuming diets rich in fat as well as proteins because of the possibility of developing insulin resistance with even lesser amount of food consumed.

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

MASS CUSTOMIZATION-IS IT A WORKABLE CONCEPT?

"Consumer is the King" is the slogan by which modern marketing pundits swear by unfailingly to come up with new products with novel profiles and USP features. Convenience at the point of consumption has been the single most driving force in evolving new products that require minimum physical effort to prepare and consume within the confines of the house holds. If frozen food products and stabilized RTE preparations are occupying strategic position in super markets, it is because of the convenience factor. Within this group of products, competitors score over each other based on features like organoleptic quality, safety, nutritional superiority or organic credentials.

Mass customization, a relatively new concept was evolved to satisfy individual needs and wants of each customer at the point of sales. The present manufacturing infrastructure is tuned to mass production of products with some common acceptable denominators and is based largely on scale of economy. Fitting this concept calls for innovative thinking and interdisciplinary efforts. Success of such a concept will depend on the adaptability of the existing manufacturing systems to serve the new paradigm of mass customization. It is not that the concept is absolutely new because in many catering centers sufficient flexibility exists to assemble products from several individual ingredients to prepare, within a few minutes, RTE products with varying taste and flavor profiles. Subway chain, flourishing in the US and other developed countries, uses this concept in offering many products based on a dozen pre-processed ingredients, right in front of the customer after eliciting their preferences. There are many others who have adopted this logic and are doing well.

When mass customization is to be taken up by the processing industry, there is the challenge for producing a series of prefabricated components that can be purchased by the customer, taken home and make his own product for immediate consumption giving a greater sense of satisfaction than buying the packed foods with monotonous taste profiles from the markets. As human beings crave for variety in all spheres of activity, food is no exception and therefore the concept of mass customization could revolutionize the food industry in the coming years. Any such system when marketed, must give the customer a wide choice, based on the large multiplicity of combinations that can be obtained from a relatively modest range of components. Both sensory performance and functional diversity will determine the success of this approach. Prefabricated components like grated cheese, sliced cheese, cheese cubes, spreadable cheese, sliced meat, pickled vegetables, frozen precooked vegetables, precooked legumes etc are some examples of such components.

The acronym 'POSI' foods (point of sales individual), coined by one of the major players in the field even caters to individual health needs of the consumer. Using smart ingredients and special software and hardware programs it is possible to design and manufacture a customized food product on the spot for the customer who has keyed in a one-time entry of all the necessary health and preference data. The built-in health and nutritional guidelines, embedded recipes for food formulations and algorithms for delivery that align the composition with the health needs, enable the consumer to get the product within minutes at the point of delivery for consumption later.

It is doubtful whether Indian foods will be amenable to such high tech changes due to their very nature involving extensive cooking, use of a variety of spice ingredients and non-availability of pre-fabricated food components. The Chaat Foods, a truly indigenous system that is widely popular in India, is a rudimentary example of assembling RTE foods from individual preformed ingredients but it has not yet assumed any industrial proportion because of limited life of the components that go in creating the final product. The development of food processing in the country is still limited with small scale processors having scarce financial and technical resources dominating the industrial landscape. The freezing technology which holds so much promise is a non-starter with hardly any major player in the national scene. Retort pouch technology could be a possible route for creating POSI foods which only may be able to expand the market to any significant extent. A combination of a range of retorted component foods and a vast array dry mixes can provide a fillip for such futuristic food products in the country.

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

FOOD WASTES-ENERGY RECOVERY THROUGH BIO-HYDROGEN ROUTE

In any industrial process certain amount of waste is inevitable and food processing is no exception. Wastes from food processing, restaurant industry, municipal garbage and house holds contain energy which can be extracted through thermal process or fermentation using mixed cultures. Methane generation through fermentation is by now well established and thousands of such small scale gas plants are working especially based on cow dung and other wastes containing utilizable carbon sources. However from the pollution angle methane does produce green house gas CO2, when burned to derive energy, contributing to global warming. Innovative scientific developments in the field of biotechnology have raised the possibility of using carbon contents in the waste products for generating a much cleaner energy source, the Hydrogen which, when used as a fuel, produces only water as the end product of combustion.

Bio-hydrogen is a term extensively used to describe the hydrogen produced through microbiological fermentation process different from that produced from natural gas, coal and water through thermal and electric separation or in the nuclear reactors as a by-product. Most of the hydrogen produced to day is from natural gas by thermal process. Till date no process either biological or thermal or electric has been able to separate hydrogen economically as the energy used to produce this fuel is much more than that used in the production process. Still hydrogen from natural gas or coal does not make much sense because both these sources are not sustainable or renewable though environmentally hydrogen is a cleaner fuel at the consumption point.

Bacteria and Algae are attracting the attention of the scientists as tools for hydrogen separation from complex organic molecules containing this element. Bio-hydrogen gas has been produced, though on a limited scale by dark fermentation ( absence of light), thermophilic fermentation and photo fermentation in presence of light using microbes such as Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Enterobacter cloacae and mixed cultures containing hydrogen producing as well as methane producing organisms. Methane produced in anaerobic digestion of wastes can be steam reformed to give hydrogen. Organic wastes, presently used for land refills and treated to reduce BOD before sending out as safe effluent can become the most sustainable energy source in the coming decades. Pilot plant projects have proved that technically this is a feasible process and there are several such projects working in some countries as living example of the feasibility of bio-hydrogen as a source of renewable energy.

Some of the feed stock suitable for bio-hydrogen generation include wastes from cattle farms, dairy industry, starch industry, paper mills, domestic source, restaurants, distillery, oil refinery, food processing etc. Efficacy of the bio-hydrogen fermentation is generally low with one mole of glucose yielding hardly 1-2 moles of hydrogen. Factors such as pretreatment of the culture, pH of the system, organic loading, temperature and waste water characteristics have critical influence on the process. For successful H2 production, the seed culture has to be pretreated at high temperature and low pH to bring about inhibition of methanogens allowing spore forming Clostridium to dominate in the mixed culture. Efficiency can be increased if a 3 step process is deployed where, after the first stage hydrogen generation by dark fermentation, the residue is integrated with photofermentation and then with methanogenesis which will ensure maximum utilization of the latent energy contained in the feedstock. Algae is another promising biological tool and the microorganism C.reinhardtii, when grown under sulfur starvation, produces hydrogen instead of O2 as the by-product of photosynthesis.

"Garbage is Gold" seems to be the modern slogan and most of the on going projects in many municipal towns in some countries use the garbage for burning in heavy incinerators to raise steam and power generation. Plants with capacities as high as 3000 tons trash/day, generated in urban areas, are in operation. A 700 tons/day "trash to power" plant is believed to be able to generate power equivalent to burning of 120, 000 tons of coal an year in a thermal plant. In a country like the US sufficient waste is generated to produce power which otherwise would need 2 million barrels of fossil fuel per day! It is time for the planners world over to think of bio-hydrogen production from these wastes as it is relatively a clean and green energy source causing no adverse effect to the environment unlike the non-renewable sources of energy..


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