CELLULOSE ADDITIVES IN FOODS-GOOD OR BAD?

Some times food industry can be wrongly indicted for doing things which some consider as undesirable. No doubt many practices being indulged by the industry deserve to be condemned in no uncertain terms and deterrent action taken with no leniency shown against proven culprits. But the latest issue which is being raised to insinuate the processing industry cannot be justified if a scientific assessment is made dispassionately. Use of cellulose which is not digested in human GI tract, often included in food formulations is considered harmless and is permitted by law. To castigate the industry that it is making people eat "wood pulp" is outright childish and preposterous.

"Chief among those concerns is the use of cellulose (read: wood pulp), an extender whose use in a roster of food products, from crackers and ice creams to puddings and baked goods, is now being exposed. What you're actually paying for -- and consuming -- may be surprising. Cellulose is virgin wood pulp that has been processed and manufactured to different lengths for functionality, though use of it and its variant forms (cellulose gum, powdered cellulose, micro-crystalline cellulose, etc.) is deemed safe for human consumption, according to the FDA, which regulates most food industry products. The government agency sets no limit on the amount of cellulose that can be used in food products meant for human consumption. The USDA, which regulates meats, has set a limit of 3.5% on the use of cellulose, since fiber in meat products cannot be recognized nutritionally".

Cellulose, if it is of food grade is a dietary fiber required for good health and according to expert recommendations an average adult must consume 25-30 gm of fiber daily to prevent development of a number of diseases. There are many natural sources of fiber with varying molecular structure and properties. While naturally occurring substances like beta glucan and pectin come under the soluble fiber category, cellulose and a host of non-starch carbohydrates serve as insoluble fiber. Both soluble and insoluble fiber are considered essential for good intestinal health in humans. Production of short chain fatty acids including butyrate in the human bowel by "friendly" microbes helps to strengthen tissues besides providing protection against some form of cancer. As long as the cellulose ingredients used is derived from edible plant sources, one should have no objection regarding their presence in processed foods. The levels of use are self-limited by the changes that will be evident if too much of this ingredient is incorporated in the food and besides its role in nutrition, cellulose also serves the technological necessity in creating desirable mouth feel in many products.

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

AN ADDITIVE OR PROCESSING AID?-THE NEW CONTROVERSY IN EU

Man's ingenuity in harming himself through use of unnecessary chemicals in day to day life is some thing difficult to comprehend. According to a recent report food industry alone is permitted to use more than 3000 additives in foods for different purposes, some genuine but most of them unnecessary. Here is an example of a simple chemical permitted to be used for an innocuous purpose viz making fresh apple look shiny and attractive. Morpholine, chemically known as Diethylene Oximide, is a heterocyclic chemical containing both amine and ether functional groups, derived from Diethanolamine by dehydration using sulphuric acid. It is basically an industrial chemical used in petroleum fuels for pH adjustment and in nuclear power plants to avoid corrosion of cooling pipes. Unfortunately it is also an additive in wax coating preparations widely used by the fresh produce industry in some countries. Recent banning of this chemical in the UK has raised a large hue and cry from the industry, giving the impression that it is a "life and death" problem for them! Here is a take on that issue.

"The Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) issued its warning following an announcement from the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) that apples containingmorpholine must be withdrawn from sale and returned to their country of origin. The alarm was raised after it discovered the unapproved additive on imported Chilean fruit. But the UK trade group said it challenged the FSA's interpretation that the substance is a food additive and not a processing aid, as designated in other countries. Morpholine is used as a carrier for glazing agents applied to fruit and is permitted in various countries outside of the EU, including Chile, the USA and Canada".

"The food watchdog has sent letters to fresh produce importers and local authorities after a sampling programme revealed the additive, which is forbidden for use with the European Union, had been found on apples and citrus fruit shipped into the UK from a number of countries. It urged industry to ensure that all future fresh produce imports are morpholine-free in order to meet current EU legislation. "Waxes containing morpholine aren't allowed under EU rules and shouldn't be on food products," said the agency's food safety director Dr Alison Gleadle. "However, eating any of the fruit is unlikely to be a health concern. The FSA added that citrus fruit treated with morpholine could still be sold as they are peeled prior to consumption".

Is it not a paradox that the industry is hiding behind technicalities to justify the use of morpholine by insisting on this chemical as a process aid rather than a food additive? Though there are no clear cut evidence that morpholine is a hazard yet, there are stray reports of workers exposed to this chemical suffering from Rhinitis, lower air way irritation and corneal oedema. The fact is that no major studies have been carried out so far to assess its impact on human health. According to industry sources morpholine is necessary for emulsifying and solubilizing shellac which is used to coat fresh apple and it is further claimed that coating is done just to "replace" the natural wax, lost during washing! Food industry will have to be more sensitive to the increasing consumer concerns regarding use of unnecessary chemicals with doubtful safety credentials, if it does not want to become irrelevant in the lives of the consuming public.

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