ACRYLAMIDE 'SCARE'- A REALITY CHECK

Threat of food contamination from the field or due to processing artifacts has been exercising the minds of the consumer ever since food production and processing became more organized and commercialized. With increasing demand for better quality food in sufficient quantities, the agrofood industry has not spared any efforts to meet the challenges by deploying many new technologies to improve quality, safety and nutrition. But there are many imponderables and contingencies that affect the safety of foods from time to time. The undesirable effect of trans fats which was never anticipated when hydrogenation technology was adopted is an example of how newer knowledge helps to unravel threats from unexpected quarters requiring timely and adequate precautions to overcome them.

A potential threat of recent origin is that posed by Acrylamide ( also known as acrylic amide or 2-propenamide) which has become an international issue with many countries trying to assess the damage it can do to their consumers. Thanks to the diligence of Swedish food scientists, many foods were found to be containing high amounts of the chemical Acrylamide, an artifact generated in the food due to thermal processing at temperatures beyond 120 Celsius. Higher the temperature of processing, larger will be the levels of this chemical present in the final product. In the migration test for food grade plastics, an upper limit of 0.01 mg /kg of food is accepted internationally and in water a maximum of 0.5 parts per billion (ppb) is allowed as an inadvertent contamination from the polyacrylamide resins used for purification. So far these are the standards in force but with foods reported to contain levels several fold higher, it has become a vexing problem for food safety agencies to come up with a figure as safe limit that can be permitted in foods. The problem assumes critical importance as 30% of calories derived by an average consumer in Europe and USA come from foods containing acrylamide.

There is no unanimity regarding the levels of Acrylamide that can be consumed and the figures vary from 1.2 ug to 41 ug per day per person. It is estimated that acrylamide causes several thousand deaths every year though such claims are not substantiated by authentic documentation. What is known is that this chemical at 0.5 mg per kg of food taken causes neuropathy and at 2 mg level leads to infertility as reported by FAO-WHO. Acrylamide is implicated in diseases like cancer in rats and tumors in nervous system, oral cavity peritoneum, thyroid gland, uterus and mammary glands. Foods like potato chips contain Acrylamide at levels varying from 1096 ppb to 3700 ppb while in French Fries levels of 216-606 ppb Acrylamide are reported. Some of the popular foods in developing countries were reported to contain Acrylamide as high as 5000-6000 ppb. The presence of this chemical is reported in baked foods, cereals, coffee and others also, though the concentration is not very high. Use of excessively heated oils for frying and higher pH foods develop increased levels of Acrylamide and these findings are highly relevant to India where hundreds of traditional sweets and snacks are prepared under uncontrolled heating regimes. Unfortunately no reliable data is available in India regarding Acrylamide in these foods. All foods containing the amino acid Aspargine and Glucose are vulnerable to formation of acrylamide during cooking at temperatures above 120C.

The State of California in the US, recently indicted four major snack makers-Heinz, Frito Lay, Kettle foods and Lance Inc for $ 3 million for marketing their products containing high levels of acrylamide and is forcing the industry to reduce the level of acrylamide to safer limits in the interest of the consumers. Such efforts are likely to be emulated by others and eventually new technologies may emerge to make food products free from this undesirable artifact. Already it is known that in Fries made at 175C, the acrylamide concentration was only 300 ppb which increased to 1100 ppb when frying temperature was raised by just 5C to 180C. The Chinese scientists found that a pre-frying step of dipping in bamboo extracts dramatically reduced formation of acrylamide while use of commercial enzymes like 'Acrylaway' and 'PreventAse', two enzymes capable of converting Aspargine into aspartic acid and consequently preventing the amide formation, are being recommended. Use of fresh potatoes or curing of cold stored potatoes or washing of cut potatoes before frying reduces glucose content and consequently the acrylamide formation also.

Whether it is in the house holds or in the commercial kitchens, there is always a tendency to fry at high temperatures, the major objectives being, faster frying, lesser oil uptake and crisper texture. Now one can understand clearly the consequences of fast frying at high temperatures which, besides causing increase in Acrylamide in many foods, can also cause oil deterioration contributing to generation of oxidized and polymerized break down products considered undesirable for health. Though it is scary to think of an Acrylamide driven catastrophe, one can derive some solace from the fact that the threat perception is based on animal experiments using Acrylamide at doses 100000 times higher than the levels found in foods and hope Acrylamide may not be as dangerous as imagined in human system

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

THE TELOMERASE 'MAGIC'- CONTROLLING THE DESTINY?

Healthy living means different things to different people. But quality of life every human being has to strive for is decided by the type of food eaten and the daily regimens followed in managing the day to day stresses. But all said, the cells which make up the tissues in the body are governed by the well established Hayflick limit which restricts the multiplication by division to roughly about 50 cycles where after they die. In contrast an equally stunning discovery revealed how cancerous cells are not constrained by the above limit, being able to multiply rapidly ad libitum and stay young. It was only recently the real reason for such anomalies of cell multiplication was understood and the role of the enzyme telomerase was discovered in influencing cell division. Telomeres, occurring at both ends of chromosomes contain condensed DNA material and almost like a cap (similar to the two capped ends of a shoe lace) it gives stability to the chromosomes. Repeated cell divisions via mitosis reduces the telomere length and after about 50 divisions they practically disappear.

Nature has endowed the cells undergoing regular division such as those in the immune system with the enzyme telomerase to replace the lost bits of telomeres while in most somatic cells this enzyme, even if present, is not active. Embryonic cells express telomerase because of the necessity for fast growth of all cells. Telomerase enzyme is a reverse transcriptase that carries its own RNA molecule which is used as a template for elongation of telomeres which normally get shortened after each replication cycle. Thus telomerase is like a double edged sword because of its positive role in preserving the cells on one hand and the destructive role in helping the cancerous cells to grow unlimited on the other hand.

The Preventive Medicine Research Institute in California, USA came out with the startling findings that the telomerase activity in normal and healthy human beings can be enhanced through a regime of healthy diet, regular exercise and relaxation and cell damage responsible for aging can be slowed down significantly for a longer life. Though this study cannot be considered adequate to arrive at a firm conclusion due to the limited number of volunteers involved, it does give an indication of future direction of endeavors attempting to push life expectancy further and increase longevity. The life style changes used in the study involved consuming for 3 months a diet high in fruits and vegetables, supplements of vitamins and fish oils, adopting an exercise regimen and stress avoidance and it was found that the blood levels of telomerase in these subjects increased by a whopping 29% compared to the levels before the study. As anti-aging foods, drugs and therapies are increasingly becoming popular amongst consumers, this line of investigations will eventually bring about commercially viable technologies based on the telomerase system. Already the Swiss pharma giant Roche has the license to make a unique kit for testing for hard-to-detect cancers like bladder cancer through the telomerase enzyme assay in urine.

The larger question is whether human beings, when they are in the prime of their life, will ever pay attention to the fact that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, when they can afford, will be the biggest investment which will bring returns in later years in the form of longevity and freedom from some of the debilitating diseases that confront the society. It is unfortunate that wisdom dawns only at the old age when it is too late to recover from the past sins of over eating, sedentary living and stressful daily chores.

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

SAFETY OF PLASTICS FOR FOODS-THE IMPONDERABLES

Synthetic plastic materials, most of them derived from petroleum by-products, are widely used for handling of foods whether for packing, storing, cooking or equipment fabrication. Since they are made using a number of organic and inorganic ingredients, many of them with harmful effects at higher concentrations, their safety for food contact applications is of paramount importance. In India the BIS specifications for food grade plastics are mandatory to be followed by the fabricators/converters and there are well defined testing procedures to assess the suitability of these man made materials by food industry and the consumers. Global migration tests using simulating solvent systems like water, acetic acid, alcohol and heptane at different temperatures and concentrations provide vital data based on which the suitability of different plastic materials is determined.

 

The safety of the plastics is premised on the basis of a positive list of chemicals that are allowed in plastics and combined with the limits of migration specified, plastics are cleared for food contact applications. Specific migration limits are also set for monomers like vinyl chloride, styrene, acrylonitrile, caprolactum etc from which polymers are manufactured. Migration of color into the simulating solvents also is taken into consideration. How far this testing methods are realistic for Indian products is a moot question as these have been designed in western countries for assessing their foods. Probably they may be the best bet under the prevailing conditions in absence of any worth while data specifically on Indian foods. More uncertainty is evident when India specific foods are cooked with  microwave energy where migration as well as artifacts cannot be predicted.

 

Bis-Phenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in the manufacture of some plastics like poly carbonates and epoxy resins, a coating material for Aluminum and Steel cans to prevent surface reaction with the food contents. Polycarbonate has excellent clarity and transparency, almost resembling glass and was being manufactured by a small company in Canada for making laboratory wares like burrets, pippets, beakers etc. Over the years it became the most preferred plastic for making feeding bottles for infants. It was recently that traces of BPA were detected in the milk in such bottles. FDA of USA admits that small quantities are leached out into the food or milk when the polycarbonate feeding bottles are used but claims that at the concentration detected it is not dangerous. However National Toxicology Program, the Federal Agency for Toxicological Research categorically claims that BPA can adversely affect the brain development and behavior of fetuses and children. Further Yale School of Medicine showed BPA causing loss of connection between brain cells leading to memory loss, learning problems and depression in children. In rats BPA caused tumors, urinary tract problem and early puberty. Most recent studies have linked BPA to diabetes, heart disease and liver abnormalities in adults.

 

While alternative and safer materials will emerge eventually in place of poly carbonates for feeding bottles, the can industry finds itself in a blind to replace epoxy resins containing BPA. Tritan copolyester is now being suggested as an alternative which does not need BPA. The larger question is what ever has happened to millions of infants fed in poly carbonate bottles during the last few years who must be in the age group between 1 and 15 years by now? Probably one may never know.   
 

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

WHAT IS LIFE WITHOUT SALT?

Before the advent of modern industrialized society, man must have been much more happier than to day as the maxim goes "ignorance is bliss"! The science of health, nutrition and food has thrown up massive information and newer knowledge about the intimate connection amongst the three branches and it is debatable whether this has made man happier. The pundits do not feel tired blaring out what is good and bad for you though they never have unanimity, often contradicting each other. If one goes by the current perception, what is left behind after castigating all known foods in one way or the other, for the man to derive his 2000 calories, 50g each of proteins and fats and carbohydrates that is needed to sustain the life?. Too much protein is not good, fats are to be strictly moderated, high carbohydrates are to be avoided, sugar consumption is dangerous and salt is white poison, all being propagated by knowledgeable as well as not-so-much knowledgeable pundits. The only things left are grass and some fish which have not yet been implicated in any health disorders so far!

 

Salt, which is chemically Sodium Chloride (NaCl), is an essential nutrient and without it in the body, life can be extinguished within 48 hours. It helps to maintain right balance of fluids necessary for homeostasis, aids transmission of nerve impulses and influences contraction and relaxation of muscles. Kidneys have the vital function to regulate the sodium content (Na) in the blood by retaining it when there is a shortage and excreting it through urine under excess conditions. If kidneys cannot eliminate enough Na, it starts to accumulate in the blood. Since Na attracts water, blood volume increases putting a strain on the heart in pumping the blood and consequently increasing the pressure on the arteries. High blood pressure in turn can damage kidneys. Ideally, the optimum Na concentration in blood should be 135-145 mEq/l. High levels of Na can cause hypernatremia when blood pressure increases abnormally. Low levels less than 135 mEq/l leads to hyponatremia, causing muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and eventually shock, coma and death. Of course this happens only with acute gastroenteritis or severe sweating or water intoxication.

 

There is no universal agreement on optimum salt intake in a diet amongst experts. Average Indian consumes about 10g of salt daily, equivalent to about 4000 mg of Na while ICMR recommendation is only 4g. But some reports put the figure as high as 12kg per year. In contrast an American consumes 5000 mg Na though American Heart Association recommends a daily intake of only 2400 mg of Na. There are experts who feel that just 500 mg Na is sufficient for vital body functions though there are also contrary views that high salt consumption is good for longevity, especially if more than 800 mg Calcium is also taken through the diet. USA, Canada, Australia, UK and Portugal have 2400 mg Na as safe limit, while the Netherlands with 3600 mg of Na per day, Belgium with 3500 mg, Germany with 4000mg and Sweden with 800mg have different standards. In a typical diet in rich countries 10% of of total Na ingested comes from natural foods, 15% from added salt and 75% from processed/packed foods. Probably in India also this may be true since consumption of namkins (snacks and savories) is very high amongst Indian population.

 

Many doctors feel reducing daily salt consumption by 3 g could result in a 20% reduction in mortality due to strokes and controlling the salt intake by restricting its level in the diet at 5-6g or a teaspoon a day can be highly beneficial to every body in the long run. Salt substitutes are mostly based on Potassium Chloride, presumably due to the ability of the human body to manage this salt better but those affected by kidney diseases, too much Potassium can also be risky. Recent development of taste boosters that enable dramatic reduction of salt in foods without affecting the taste, may yet be the ultimate answer for controlling the salt dependent epidemic like blood pressure with least pain.

 

As of now it is advisable to control salt intake if the recent findings of American Society of Hypertension are taken seriously. The essence of the finding is that lower the salt intake lower will be the blood pressure without any adverse effect on other systems in the body. Being a well organized study, the above guideline can be followed till any contrary reports supported by scientific data appear on the horizon.

 

 

 
 

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

WORLD FOOD STANDARDS-MUST BE EQUITABLE TO ALL

Codex Alimentarius in Latin means food code which has its origin in 1873 in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire which had evolved it as a specific set of guidelines by which the courts could rule on cases dealing with food. The code was effectively implemented till the fall of the Empire in 1918. It was in 1962 this was revived under the UNO and Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) was created with two third funding coming from World Health Organization (WHO) and the rest shared by Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). CAC standards cover all raw, semi processed and fully processed foods and over 200 food standards have been codified so far. It also covers food labeling, food hygiene, food additives, pesticide residues and procedures for safety assessment. Guidelines for import, export and certification system are also laid down for universal adoption. In its first 20 years of existence CAC compiled hundreds of definitions of food stuffs and additives in 120 member countries.

 

Though harmonization of all national standards with those of CAC is a desirable development for a smooth global trade regime, there are many criticisms against this body for being pro- industry and pro-rich countries, ignoring the realities that exist in many less developed countries. Most controversial issue now being discussed is about fortification of foods with vitamin and food supplements which some consider as drugs while many others feel they are part of foods requiring no separate treatment. Pharmaceutical industry with many multinational giants leading the pack seems to have great influence on CAC on this issue and with rich nations on their side the outcome of CAC can be disadvantageous to the poorer countries. There are grave allegations that some of the critics of CAC like South Africa, Swaziland, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon, Sudan, Nigeria etc are finding it difficult o attend CAC meetings, presently being chaired by USA. A lopsided agenda and any system of global quality and safety standards not based on consensus cannot be forced on the world by a few powerful countries to maintain their monopoly on trading in foods.

 

There are grave apprehensions that if some of the CAC standards become mandatory, as being proposed by December 31, 2009 under WTO, the trade interests of many countries may be adversely affected. To day WTO is using CAC standards for dispute resolution as international reference standards. If exporting countries do not follow mandatory CAC standards, WTO has the power to impose sanctions against them which will have debilitating effect on global trade. Is the world moving towards a regime where every food including water will be controlled by Codex and the maxim that he who controls food will control the entire world will be a reality?

 

As for India the repercussions for its exports can be catastrophic if we lower our guards against unjust technical barriers which should be fought tooth and nail at the appropriate forums. Effective technical interventions are possible only if the country takes up this challenge by creating a brain trust consisting of top experts experienced in food related technical matters to provide the necessary inputs to fight attempts by the dominating nations, that try to control CAC.        
 

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

'GREEN' BUSINESS-GOOD BUSINESS

The Kyoto Protocol, aimed at reducing green gas emissions to arrest the fast deteriorating climate changes, might not be popular with some countries which find it difficult to moderate the lives of their citizens through cutting down on fossil fuel use and ostentatious style of consumption. But world in general seems to be grasping the significance of such measures as switching over to alternate renewable energy sources and countries like Norway are taking up the leadership in this noble endeavor. To day energy is being generated from diverse sources such as Sun, Wind, Atoms, Ocean Waves and the Earth.

Solar energy was touted as the best alternate option because it is the cleanest energy with unlimited potential that can be obtained easily from solar radiation through photovoltaic cells. However the investment per kilowatt of energy captured from the sun is exorbitant, making it difficult to promote on a large scale. Even in the house holds the initial cost works out to more than Rs 3 lakh per kw energy generated and it can never compete favorably with inverters which can be installed at less than Rs 25000 per kw power. Probably heavy subsidization and other economic incentives combined with uncontrollable escalation of the cost of fossil fuels may still rescue solar power from oblivion. Scarcity and unpredictability of power from hydroelectric sources and other conventional power plants will also compel large players to turn to solar power and capitalize the initial cost of building such power packs in newer facilities.

Wind mills are increasingly becoming part of the landscape in many countries including India, China, Germany, Norway, USA etc but here again the initial cost is considered very high and unaffordable for the industry. Governments can think of investing in such power plants for supplementing the grid power, the high generation cost being evened out by the low cost conventional power. Similarly Wave energy now being made technologically feasible may yet emerge as a serious contender as a future source if the initial capital cost comes down significantly. Geothermal energy using heat sinks is being tried out in a limited way to augment domestic power needs and the possibility of further technological break-through to reduce the cost and develop larger versions cannot be ruled out. Nuclear energy is a class by itself and is a zero polluting industry though disposal of waste fuel still poses enormous environmental problems.

The dramatic growth of the green energy sector is reflected by the fact that there are to day about 400 fabricators of power plants based on renewable sources with no environmental hazards, doing business worth $300 billion which is considered bigger than the IT and Bio tech industry put together. From 160 manufacturers in 2004 and 300 in 2007, the present scenario is reassuring and the growth is expected to be phenomenal in the coming years. While majors like L & T, Suzlon, Vestas will redouble their efforts to promote green energy in a big way, many small start up companies will find sufficient space for snatching a piece of cake through innovative and cost effective services.

Considering that food and beverage industry is one of the major CO2 emitting culprits right from production through processing, packing, storage, distribution and retailing, it is time that conscious efforts are made to cut down use of fossil fuels drastically by tapping alternate sources of power in a big way. It is ridiculous that on an average food industry invests 10 kC energy at various stages till consumption to get less than 2 kC of biologically usable energy! Why not assess future food projects more critically in terms of energy consumption, qualitatively and quantitatively and extend initiatives to those with most favorable ratings? In all the proposed Mega Food Parks a larger proportion of power must be generated from alternate sources limiting fossil fuel to absolute minimum. Through policy initiatives, all existing food industry must be given financial incentives to establish power packs based on non-conventional sources over a period of time.

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

'LOCAL PRODUCE' MOVEMENT-ANOTHER FAD?

In to day's world the consumer is constantly being bombarded by the government, industry, marketeers, retailers, consumer activists, news media and scientific community with tons of information and advice, many of them often conflicting putting him in real danger of losing his balance in taking right eating decisions. There are Recommended Dietary Allowances(RDA) based on which governments try to protect the consumers through national policies and various intervention modes besides ensuring safety of foods that emanate from the farms and processing industry. The aggressive salt restriction policy in UK and other countries is a classical example as to how governments try to induce changes in the diets for the sake of protecting consumers from diseases such as hypertension. The policy initiatives in California to ban setting up of fast food joints near some residential areas are meant to arrest the trend of growing obesity attributed to the fast foods rich in fats including trans fats.

With food sourcing from different parts of the world becoming a norm for the processing industry, accountability for quality and safety is becoming increasingly complicated and this has led a country like USA to insist on including information about the "country of origin" on the label with the hope that consumers will pick and choose products from countries with established safety credentials and thus indirectly put pressure on exporting countries to tighten their regulatory regimes over a period of time to face competition. Green food/organic food movements also originated precisely to help consumers to pick up absolutely safe foods though how far practical it is if the entire world's food needs are to be met through this mode, remains to be seen. Even after two decades since the trend became discernible, the share of organic foods is less than 2% of the marketed foods.

Local produce movement started in USA wants preference to be given to locally grown food produce by the retailers, the presumption being that they are free from chemicals and less CO2 is emitted by the operations like growing, cleaning, packing, storing and distribution. The protagonists of this approach also seem to believe that locally grown produce is more reliable and dependable as the farms are nearby and consumers can also feel being a part of the farming community approachable easily from the marketing centers. The fact that the retailing giant Wall-marts is investing $400 million for a program to procure and stock local produce in some of their outlets, has given some respectability to the concept of local produce consumption. It is not clear whether the movement is driven by a genuine aspiration by the consumers for more fresh foods, made possible by minimum lapse of time between harvesting and putting on the market shelves or by social awareness about carbon prints with local produce scoring over produce grown at far away places. It also has a built in bias against imported food produce and if the movement gains momentum, the repercussions on the international trade in foods can be very significant. Globalization will have very little meaning if such sentiments become prevalent posing another trade barrier against the developing countries.

A crucial question is whether this movement is sustainable in the long term and how the logistics of growing near urban consumption centers can be managed. What will happen to the enormous investments that have gone into creating infrastructure for transportation of perishables by air, road, rail and ships world over? Probably it will turn out to be an Utopian dream with no chance of success beyond a few pockets here and there.

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