ANOTHER "OLD WINE" IN NEW BOTTLE!-DIRECTIONLESS FOOD RESEARCH

That scientific research in India has become "directionless" is a known fact and recent "stories" about the integrity or lack of it with two Directors of IITs only reinforce this impression further. Same is true with many scientific institutions under CSIR, DRDO and other public funded R & D agencies in the country. Existence of true scientists with high credibility is also a fact though they are in a microscopic minority. Whether individuals or the scientific environment will have to be blamed for this unfortunate phenomenon is an issue on which the jury is still out. One of the undisputed and bitter truths of industrial research in India is that many R & D institutions set up for helping industry or targeted users are not wanted by the very users for whom they are intended with vast sums of money invested by GOI! Scientists, science administrators and GOI must introspect regarding this sad state of affairs and do some thing drastic to reverse this trend. Here is a typical case of a research institution proclaiming about its "intention" to develop a technology for an obscure product which has never established itself in the country reflecting the poor direction of R & D in this sector.

The growing health concern in consumers is prompting scientists to formulate not only new food products but also newer technologies for obtaining maximum health gains. Keeping these concerns in the backdrop, the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, is contemplating a technology for fortified sugarcane juice, a product obtained form sugarcane juice through fortification.
This was informed to Fnb News in a chat over telephone by Dr P Srinivas, chief scientist , head- plantation products, spices, flavour technology department, CFTRI, Mysore. Dr Srinivas said that beverages were an important source of nutrients and also an easy medium to deliver the nutrients to human body. "We have recently developed sugarcane juice in Tetrapak, and now we are contemplating the same for fortified sugarcane juice," he said. Explaining further, Dr Srinivas said that with food fortification becoming the need of the hour, there was an impetus to developing such technology for nutrient-based beverages in the market. Prior to developing sugarcane juice in Tetrapak, the CFTRI had developed sugarcane juice in glass bottle and the technology for the same had already been transferred to around 1500 entrepreneurs in the industry. According to Dr Srinivas, conditions for processing sugarcane differed in both—glass bottles and Tetrapak. He claimed that Tetrapaks were safer than the bottled juices.

It is true that sugarcane juice is taken by Indian consumers from road side vendors and in summer this is considered a refreshing drink. Efforts made earlier by many research organizations have failed to deliver a product even remotely resembling the fresh juice. The claim that earlier bottling technology has been "sold" to 1500 "entrepreneurs" appears ridiculous and laughable in the face of the reality that the product is not "visible" in any market in the country! The vice like grip soft drink industry has on the Indian consumers, with cola beverages and sugar based drinks dominating the market, there is very little chance for any other product gaining a viable foothold. Similar attempts earlier to pack tender coconut water were also a failure. To day fresh sugarcane juice and tender coconut water are sold in the original form without undergoing any processing by food industry in a scientific way through dedicated outlets, implying that consumers prefer "fresh" drinks to processed ones. Also to be borne in mind is the fact Tetrapack company, a technology and equipment driven company offers plants for any liquid products including the required process details. If a GOI institution wants to waste its funds on such frivolous technology with doubtful viability and demand, it can be termed only as "directionless" research! It is unfortunate that there are "journalists" ready to print such claims without critically analyzing them for their veracity.

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

NEW SALT CONTROVERSY-WILL THERE BE UNANIMITY EVER?

These are the days when every food ingredient that goes into a food product is extensively debated regarding its safety or usefulness. Even salt, consumed for centuries by humans is not spared! Of course no one has quarrel regarding consumption of salt "moderately" but the million dollar question is what can be construed as moderate? Opinions differ from expert to expert and country to country but WHO with a global canvas recommends levels of daily consumption which it considers safe. Here again many do not agree with its recommendation. Here is a very exhaustive commentary on this vexed issue, though after going through it, it will still be difficult to come to any conclusion!

Salt has been taxed, monopolized, treasured and fought over for thousands of years. Today's scientists are waging a modern-day salt war. In the 1970s, American researchers experimenting on rats found very high doses of salt raised blood pressure. Some of the most-cited evidence on salt and health came in a 1988 international study called InterSalt, which surveyed more than 10,000 men and women in scores of populations across the world. The study included four remote tribes in Brazil, Kenya and New Guinea whose people had the lowest salt intake and were also found to have the lowest blood pressure and very few, if any, cases of hypertension. Although these findings were disputed by parties including the Salt Institute, it wasn't long before a scientific consensus emerged that too much salt is bad for you. A 2005 study in the PubMed journal found almost 1 billion people around the world have high blood pressure, which makes the heart work too hard, hardens the walls of the arteries and can cause other problems such as heart failure, kidney disease, and blindness. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, claiming 17.1 million lives a year. A substantial number of these deaths are put down to smoking, which raises the risk of hypertension, strokes and heart attacks. In the past few years, governments have begun to act. Under its health-promoting mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York City pledged in 2010 to coordinate a U.S.-wide effort to cut salt in restaurant and packaged foods by 25 percent. National sodium reduction strategies have been adopted across Europe and inAustralia, China and India. Scores of health authorities around the world advise that we should aim to reduce our salt intake from the roughly 9 to 12 grams a day we eat now down to around 6 grams, about a teaspoonful a day. Since around 75 percent of all the salt we consume comes from packaged and processed
food, rather than from what we sprinkle on top of it, food manufacturers have been in the firing line. Under pressure from health authorities and the WHO, the food industry, which stands accused of using salt to boost the flavor, shelf-life and profit of what would otherwise be bland ingredients, has taken action. Big brands like Heinz, Kellogg's, Nestle, Pepsico, General Mills and others have been steadily reducing sodium levels in their foods. According to Susan Jebb, a nutrition adviser to the UK government, Britain is leading the way, forcing foodmakers to make some "impressive" reductions including a 30 percent reduction in salt in bread, about a 50 percent cut in branded breakfast cereals and around 25 percent in pasta sauces. Among the health-conscious at least, a salt-shaker on the dining table is becoming almost as frowned on as an ashtray.

But the findings that policy-makers have accepted as settled are not as clear-cut among scientists. A study in July by the much-respected Cochrane Library, which conducts meta-analyses of scientific data by grouping together the best studies on a subject and pooling the results,found no evidence that reducing salt intake cuts the risk of developing heart disease or dying before your time. In that study Rod Taylor, a professor of health services research at Exeter University, analyzed seven randomized controlled trials covering more than 6,500 people and found that although cutting down did appear to lead to slight reductions in blood pressure this did not translate into lower risk of heart disease or premature death. In one group of people, those with pre-existing heart conditions, reducing salt was actually associated with an increase in the likelihood of premature death. Taylor said he did not receive payment from, or have links to, the salt industry. His study was funded by a grant from the UK government's National Institute for Health Research. Taylor's study came hot on the heels of another, by Belgian scientists, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). That found people who ate lots of salt were no more likely to get high blood pressure, and were statistically less likely to die of heart disease, than those with low salt intake.

Against the above background, what should be the attitude of the consumer? Is reducing salt is really beneficial? Will the present level of salt consumption lead to premature death? If reduced salt intake can lower blood pressure (BP), especially in high BP consumers, why not adopt such a diet regime? What about the salt "balancing" system human body has which is supposed to excrete excess salt? Can there be a universal salt intake standard when it is known that those living in hot, humid, tropical climates excrete lot of salt through perspiration? Probably normal and healthy consumers must take their own decision regarding what is best for them till a universal consensus emerges on this issue while high BP patients may reduce salt intake to get the supposed benefit of low salt ingestion.

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

THE GM "MONSTER" BEING REVISITED-AMERICAN CONSUMER SAGA!"

The GM controversy has a checkered history ever since the technology bursted on the scene about two decades ago. The million dollar question being asked to day is whether foods created through GMO are really safe for long term consumption by human beings. At least one country and its government, seem to be believing that they are safe and had the audacity to clear many GM foods which have entered the main stream industry surreptitiously without the consumer being aware of it. It is appalling that more than 80% of the processed foods in the US contain GM food ingredient without carrying any label declaration to inform the consumers under the "Right to Know" principle enshrined in the Constitution. A new awareness seems to be emerging among the population there that they are being "defrauded" through concealment of the fact about GM foods in different processed products and one can expect more fierce campaigns in future by the people to force the hands of the government there. Here is a take on this latest development in the GM food front from the country which will have to answer to the world if there are any serious long term consequences arising out of thousands of GM crops being popularized by its Transnational companies with vested interest!

"In a February 1992 memo, Louis J. Pribyl, Ph.D., a scientist in the FDA's Microbiology Group, critiqued a draft of the policy by writing, "There is a profound difference between the types of unexpected effects from traditional breeding and genetic engineering which is just glanced over in this document." Dr. Pribyl added that "several aspects of gene insertion may be more hazardous than traditional plant crossbreeding." In a January 1992 memo, Linda Kahl, Ph.D., an FDA compliance officer, emphasized the lack of scientific data to recognize the safety of GM foods. "Are we asking the scientific experts to generate the basis for this policy statement in the absence of any data?" she asked. "There is no data that could quantify risk." E.J. Matthews, Ph.D., of the FDA's Toxicology group, warned in an October 1991 memo, "genetically modified plants could also contain unexpected high concentrations of plant toxicants." According to Steven M. Druker, J.D., executive director of the Alliance for Bio-Integrity, "Numerous agency experts protested that drafts of the statement of policy were ignoring the recognized potential for genetic engineering to produce unexpected toxins and allergens. But the policy was put into effect despite their scientific judgment that no GM foods can be presumed safe."

There are three aspects of GM foods which continue to be ignored by those who promote them. First about the right to know if the food is made differently. Second about safety of these foods for consumption in the long term. Third about environmental impact due to uncontrolled propagation of these products evolved through genetic engineering. Even if the two latter aspects about safety and environment are not clearly brought out through unanimous scientific evidence, still the first one regarding labeling should be insisted on leaving the choice to the consumer based on individual consumer perception. If irradiated foods are forced to declare the process on the label, why not the GM foods? A valid and relevant question indeed and the safety agency in the US must give a credible answer before long if the current campaigns assume a mass flavor in the coming years!

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

GESTATIONAL DIABETES-VULNERABILITY OF CHINESE POPULATION

The Type I and Type II diabetes that afflict millions of people across the Globe is a scourge on humanity which if not checked in time can create a society of "half sick" people. While reason for Type I diabetes is attributed to genetic inheritance, Type II diabetes is an "invited guest" unwittingly self inflicted due to wrong diets and improper life style. Now comes the news that the incidence of Gestational Diabetes that affects pregnant women is posing serious concern because of its likely impact on the mother as well as the child to develop Type II diabetes eventually. It is felt that this version of the metabolic aberration is due to over eating by the pregnant women at early stages of gestation under the wrong impression that the child born to them would be very healthy and robust. On the contrary development of such diabetic incidence needs to be avoided by strictly moderating the diet of those intending to deliver a healthy child. Here is a take on the subject which throws much clarity on the issue.

"Luo Ting is snacking on a salt-free cracker in a Beijing maternity ward, part of a regimen to curb the glucose in her blood that threatens to cause lifelong harm to the baby she's due to deliver this week. Luo, a 29-year-old sales clerk, says she din't know pregnancy could trigger gestational diabetes until a test in April. Now she's among 15 percent of expecting mothers in Beijing who develop the condition, which can spur excessive fetal growth and raises the diabetes risk for them both. As China's population of diabetes sufferers approaches 100 million, health officials are trying to arrest an obesity-driven explosion in cases that's stretching hospitals and striking down working age men and women. The disease afflicts 1 in 10 adults in China, making it almost as common as in the U.S., and costs about $26 billion a year in medical bills, according to the International Diabetes Federation. "Their health system in the big cities is completely overwhelmed now by diabetes," said Ann Keeling, chief executive officer of the Brussels-based federation, in an interview. "They can't deal with the numbers that they've got coming through." The global burden of diabetes and other so-called non- communicable diseases may hinder development, according to the United Nations, which will discuss the issue at a meeting in New York Sept. 19-20. The talks will address research showing how maternal nutrition influences the risk of obesity and heart disease for both the mother and child in later life".

It is shocking that in a country like China prevalence of gestational diabetes is causing serious concern among the planners. The fact that more than10% of the indigenous population is under the influence of the disease cannot be wished away easily, calling for coherent action on the part of the government to arrest the trend. According to warnings by Diabetes experts, countries like India and China where extra ordinary economic growth has enabled people to have higher income for spending on foods, the diabetes incidence is likely to be high because their metabolic system used to low levels of food intake for centuries can have tendency to store fat at a higher rate with devastating consequences. Interestingly the pregnant women are put on a diet considered very rich by the nutritionists as a part of the traditional practices and naturally this triggers the symptoms of diabetes in these sub-optimally fed women through their life time. Many believe that these two countries will become joint capital of diabetes within a short period of time because of economic factors. Just like the family planning programs taken up in these countries earlier, which were able to check the population growth reasonably well, same approach is needed for tackling diabetes scourge also through state policy orchestration.

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

SMART REFRIGERATORS-CHANGING THE FACE OF MODERN KITCHEN

To day's house wife must be eternally grateful to that smart kitchen appliance going by the name "Fridge" because it gives her tremendous freedom to buy and stock foods that will remain safe for days together if not for weeks. The Freezer chest that is an integral part of a Refrigerator helps her further to keep some foods for several months without getting spoiled. It is another matter that with the advent of Fridge the proportion of foods wasted has gone up because of the difficulty in keeping track of the "stock" of different foods that has been pushed into the "Box"! A common feature of all kitchens is that bigger the Fridge more difficult it becomes to use all that is stocked leading to periodic cleaning to throw out unused materials not edible any more. Here comes a savior for the humble house wife in the form of a "smart fridge" with features that can delight any one because it spares the house wife the need to be eternally alert about foods going waste due to difficulties in keeping track of the stock.

"One appliance creating quite a buzz in the industry is the smart fridge. With Wi-Fi-enabled computer screens built right into the refrigerator door, these appliances are so smart they can tell users when their carton of milk is set to expire or how much butter to buy at the store. The fridge can send recipe lists to smartphones or even activate an alarm if the door is left open. Touch screen apps provide weather information, headline news, photo slideshows and Pandora radio stations. Since the kitchen is a central location for most families, these computers can even organize calendars and notes, all available on smartphones, tablets and computers to keep the family connected. Technology like this is not going to be accessible to everyone, pointed out Cogburn. Don't throw away cookbooks and refrigerator magnets yet. The price tag on these smart appliances are going to deter most buyers. However, fridges on the lower end are still making advances in technology, with LCD touch screens that can set the temperature inside the fridge as well as determine how much ice and water are needed for a single glass, allowing for hands-free filling. New fridges, equal in total space to old fridges, now have more storage space as new technology has made the insulated sides narrower and the ice maker more efficient. Cogburn said some of the higher-end technology might come to Northeast Colorado eventually, but right now it's very limited in certain areas. While smart refrigerators use convenient computer systems as their selling point, other appliances focus on energy efficiency. Some products come with the Energy Star label, a program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. These appliances have met strict energy efficiency guidelines to help Americans save on their energy bill as well as greenhouse gas emissions".

Of course what is not told about this appliance is that one has to be computer savvy to operate them and their cost can be foreboding to most families, at least for now. But imagine the advantages of owning such a fridge which can even convert the kitchen into a mini office that can run many chores! The million dollar question that can befuddle any one is whether these appliances will eventually affect the quality of foods cooked, at least from the taste and flavor angles because of too much pre-occupation of the house wife with the new Gizmo! While computer applications in general can improve the quality of life in many ways, the quality of results will depend ultimately on the operator and in this case also, human element in programming the fridge and equipping it with data can be a tough job and how many house wives will have the skill and patience remains to be seen. For those house wives who are familiar with latest developments in chip applications, the Smart Fridge will indeed be a boon!

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

INDIA-A SCAM RIDDEN COUNTRY WITH NO CONCERN ABOUT FOOD SECURITY!

In to day's India, the most "entertaining" subject of discussion is poverty! Hardly a day passes without some one coming out with a figure for the percentage of families below poverty line and this is funny considering that no one knows where lies the poverty line! Many committees, government departments, Planning Commission (NPC), Social activists, Economic pundits all have their own views regarding this matter. The most ridiculous stand was that of the NPC which told the Supreme Court that Rs 32 (urban) and Rs 26 (rural)earning a day would be the cut off mark, those earning less than these figures being eligible to be called "poor"! Unfortunately the government of the day finds no time to devote to this issue as it is busy doing fire fighting operations against many scams which have surfaced during the last two years draining country's resources. The food security situation can be termed satisfactory if the present quantum of grains hoarded in FCI Warehouses is any indication but the million dollar question is whether these grains are reaching the targeted beneficiaries qualitatively and quantitatively. If international norms for food security are considered India as a country has to hang its head in shame because of its dismal position among the comity of nations! Here is a take on this vital issue that must concern every self respecting citizen of the country.

"India's food security situation continues to rank as "alarming" according to the International Food Policy Research Institute's Global Hunger Index, 2011. It ranks 67 of the 81 countries of the world with the worst food security status. This means that there are only 14 countries in the world whose people have a worse nutritional status. The GHI is composed of three equally weighted indicators - the proportion of the population that is undernourished, the proportion of children who are underweight and under-five child mortality. India's GHI for 2011 was 23.7 - lower than it was last year, but higher than it was 15 years ago - giving it a rank of 67. Pakistan, Nepal, Rwanda and Sudan all did better than India, while Bangladesh, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo were among the countries that did worse. While the DRC is the only country whose food security situation has deteriorated in the last ten years, India has the ignominy of being among the countries with the least improvement in the same period. It has however moved from having an "extremely alarming" food security situation - the worst grade given by IFPRI - to "alarming", that is, having a GHI between 20 and 29.9. China, Iran and Brazil are among the countries that have more than halved their GHI scores over the last decade. The UPA government was not able to introduce a Food Security Bill in the monsoon session and there is little agreement yet over who qualifies as poor enough to receive subsidized food grain".

With massive subsidies being "spent" on the poor, is it not pathetic that the government is still not sure who is really poor and how many are poor in the country ? Where are those subsidies flowing from the Exchequer ending up if poor is not benefited? The much talked about Public Distribution System (PDS) is in shambles with more than 60% of the foods meant for the poor being siphoned off by "thieves and criminals" with political and bureaucratic nexus. The so called Food Security Bill, being drafted since ages does not seem to be any where near the point of being implemented. The debate on making PDS universal is endless and going no where. If the country wishes to be counted among the top economic powerhouses in the world, this is definitely not the way to demonstrate its prowess! At this rate India may be struggling for years to come, even to overtake minor countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka, Haiti, Congo and others with no hope for real food security for its countless millions trapped in poverty!

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

PROBIOTICS AND CHILDREN-NEW DOUBTS ABOUT THEIR BENEFITS

Probiotics and Prebiotics are touted as the best things that have emerged on the health front and there are thousands of foods created incorporating these ingredients. They are supposed to work to protect the gut health and prevent development serious GI tract related diseases. Only recently that the EU food safety agency disapproved most claims to be printed on the label of such products because of lack of conclusive evidence. Still consumers have the perception that these foods really work in protecting health in many different ways. This logic has extended to Children also and many parents believe that by feeding children foods containing probiotics can help evolving a beneficial colony of microorganisms as they grow and thus ensure good health when they become adults. This belief has been rebuffed by recent studies and it turns out that feeding children with probiotic foods regularly and religiously does not benefit them in any way. Here is a take on this interesting development.

'Probiotics are very common in yogurt now-a-days, but are they safe for your kid? Well, they don't pose much of a risk to children, but they don't benefit them much either, scientists say. Some studies showed that probiotics may be beneficial in treating and preventing diarrhoea, but the effects are modest.But, a new study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found no evidence that probiotics provide any relief for kids with constipation, chronic ulcerative colitis, infantile colic or Crohn's disease. In the end, attempts to change the community of bacteria in kids' tummies and consequently their health with probiotics may prove futile, the researchers said. "Given the level of evidence, I can categorically say that I would not recommend parents going out of their way to give probiotics to children," Dr Frank Greer, a professor of pediatrics at Meriter Hospital in Madison, the US, was quoted as saying by LiveScience".

While discussing this issue it may not be out of place to mention that probiotics have been found by many scientific studies to be useful in avoiding many stomach related ailments though clinical studies with human subjects are yet to be taken up on a large scale. The issue is further clouded by the fact that there are different areas in the small intestine and colon where different microorganisms colonize and any study using a single strain of probiotic bacteria cannot be expected to give the true picture. However it may be common sense to expect that a large population of beneficial or friendly microorganisms of different types in a closed environment as that exists in the GI tract can "crowd out" small number of pathogens or "unfriendly" microbes that may gain entry, avoiding any damage due to uninhibited proliferation of the latter. Besides role of probiotics to help rehabilitate the gut colony of microorganisms after antibiotic therapy is well recognized. May countries allow labeling of products containing microorganisms like Lactobacillus (LAB), Bifidus bacteria and others as probiotic foods, provided there are at least 1 billion live cells per gm of the product. But classical food microbiologists insist that there should be at least 10 billion Colony Forming Units per gm of the product. Obviously such high concentrations are necessary to factor the likely destruction of these bugs during their transit through the highly acidic environment of the stomach.

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