FROM IT TO AGRICULTURE-NEW PRIVATE INITIATIVES

In the Indian context it was once asked why no established business houses like Ambanis, Tatas, Birlas, Mundhras and other leading industrialists were not taking any interest in investing in food processing sector which was dominated by transnational companies or their surrogates like Lever, Nestle, Britannia, etc. True that in spite of the presence of these global giants, the small and micro enterprises were still accounting for large volume of processed foods marketed in the country. Probably one of the main reasons could be the relatively high risk involved in dealing with perishable foods compounded by traditional food habits in Indian population, vast majority of whom shun processed foods, preferring to cook at home which is much cheaper and affordable. How ever this trend seems to be changing and entry of some of these domestic players more recently in food retailing augurs well for the country. How far they will be able to sustain in the market, outliving the vibrant Mom & Pop shops controlling more than 95% of the retail market and whether they will ever achieve backward integration with farmers of the country remains to be seen. It is in this context one has to look at the attempts by a few upstarts to establish agri-business which if successful can be a fore runner of more such efforts for lateral entry into food business. Here is the story of a successful IT entrepreneur with some vision to try his managerial and entrepreneurial acumen to establish himself as a significant player in food area. 

"To begin with, the company has already invested about Rs 20 crore in INI Farms, involved in pomegranate plantations on over 1,000 acres across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The project involves doubling productivity and increasing the export content from 40 per cent of the total production now to over 70 per cent with the help of modern farming and post-harvest technologies. The idea is to create a pomegranate brand. "There are huge opportunities in agriculture and health care. Nobody has positioned these sectors as an exciting opportunity when it comes to business, even though the margins are as high as 45-70 per cent. If two or three people start glamorising the industry over the next two-three years, we'll be able to look at scale and brand building for such sectors," he adds. Screwvala is also looking at opportunities in rural health care, a sunshine industry that remains neglected. "That's the opportunity. Chances are you are going to be the only guy in this business. It's true there is a shortage of qualified doctors, but basic amenities in health care like pathology labs don't need MBBS doctors," he says. The second part of his dream project, for which he has himself committed Rs 250 crore over the next five years, is even more ambitious. His foundation called Share has finalised a blueprint to "improve the livelihood and empower people" in seven villages of Maharashtra, covering a million people across eight talukas and five districts. "Our idea is not to donate money but to help the villagers become independent enough to earn their livelihood. We want to have an exit strategy where we help them for the first two years by giving them enough push. Then, they take it over themselves," he adds.

What is striking here is the love and affinity shown by this investor for agriculture and health care after understanding the peculiar situation that prevails in these areas in India. The fact that he is committing a substantial amount of his own money to further his ambition speaks volume about his sincerity and missionary zeal. It is amazing that he has zeroed in on Pomegranate cultivation which has tremendous potential to be a health food in the coming years due to its value as a source of highly active antioxidants. There is a similar parallel in Amla cultivation in Maharashtra by Jain Irrigation of Jalgaon which has revolutionized the production of Indian Gooseberry, one of the much sought after health fruits with thousands of years of history and heritage behind it, beyond recognition. India needs such missionary zeal from local players with resources and vision to change the agriculture and horticulture scenario in the country.

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

POMEGRANATE-THE WONDER FRUIT

Pomengranate is known as a healthy fruit because of the presence of polyphenols of unique nature not found in any other common food. With the discovery of Punicalagins as the active ingredient that confers special health sustaining power to the fruit, Pomegranate has been pitch forked into prominence recently. Punicalagin is a complex polyphenol which is bio-active, meaning that it is absorbed across the intestine and polyphenols are known to have varying degree of antioxidant properties that can neutralize oxy-radicals generated in the body. Antioxidants are formed naturally in the body to nullify the ill effects of oxy-radicals frequently formed as a consequence of various metabolic reactions but supplementation through the diet is considered necessary to fully cope up with modern day life style stresses. Whether the finding that Punicalagins are virtual nutraceuticals can be compared to discovery of aspirin is a debatable point till more data is generated on this plant nutrient. Following report brings out the significance of the latest finding about the benefits of Pomegranate fruit vis-a-vis human health.  

"Scientists have hailed an extract from the humble pomegranate as the 'biggest breakthrough' in natural medicine since aspirin was discovered in willow trees in 1829. They have described it as the "Swiss Army Knife" of natural pharmaceuticals as it can do so many things — from improving heart health, lowering blood pressure, treating inflammation and reducing the risk of cancers to tackling sexual dysfunction, the Sunday Express reported. In fact, this is for the the first time that they have been able to unlock the precious new extract from seeds, skin and pith of the fruit. It contains concentrated punicalagins, a plant nutrient that is virtually unique to pomegranates. Punicalagins are mostly found in the fruit's inedible husk, rind, seeds and inner yellow membranes, which till now we tended to throw away. Dr Sergio Streitenberger, head of research at Probelte-Bio which made the breakthrough, said, "We've been throwing away the seeds, skin and the pith of pomegranates for years because they are inedible an we haven't had the science to enable us to release the benefits." Dr Emad Al-Dujaili at Queen Margaret University, UK claims, "The pomegranate continues to offer remarkable health benefits. "This new extract and the research that supports it suggests the fruit may be a beneficial natural supplement for the prevention of risk in serious diseases." 

That many fruits are rich sources of ployphenols is a known fact and Pomegranate also contains many antioxidants including Punicalagins. How far the new claim regarding this polyphenol can be attributed exclusively to it is not clear. In the Ayurveda system of alternative medicine prevalent in India this fruit has an important place with its peel, pulp, seed and even the tree bark being promoted as cure for many human ailments and there fore the new findings cannot be really considered new! Extensive human trials are yet to be carried out to bring out the benefits of Pomegranate and confirm many of the claims made by manufacturers of food supplements based on this fruit.

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

"OXIDATIVE STRESS"-COMBATING THE ILL EFFECTS

Though the issue of antioxidant benefits for human health is still being debated, there appears to be near unanimity that colored juices, most of which contain polyphenolic substances have health protecting abilities in one way or the other. Fruits and vegetables in general are healthy foods viewed from any angle and no wonder the new "food plate" icon replacing the earlier food pyramid concept includes these plant foods in the plate almost to the extent of 50%. While wholesome fruits and vegetables when consumed provides a variety of nutrients, the extracted juice is devoid of some of them including fiber. But extracted juices can still be rich in antioxidant phytochemicals with some of them having very high ORAC values. One of the recent studies using juices from some of the colorful fruits like Pomegranate has further confirmed this fact.

"Oxidative stress is known to contribute to the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Early signs of the disease include macrophage cholesterol accumulation and foam cell formation, which can result from increased uptake of oxidised low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and/or a reduced rate of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-mediated cholesterol efflux from cells. Dietary polyphenols, such as those present in some beverages, exhibit potent antioxidant and cardioprotective activity. Studies have shown that consumption of grape juice, red wine, blackcurrant and pomegranate juice can increase serum antioxidant potential, exerthypolipidaemic and anti-inflammatory effects, inhibit LDL oxidation and decrease monocyte migration. Wonderful-variety pomegranate juice (WPJ) was also found to protect atherosclerotic patients from further development of the disease".

The moot question is about the availability and affordability of these juices to people with limited income as most of these fruits are priced beyond the reach of bulk of the population. It is most unfortunate that processed foods with high calorie density, high salt content are available in the market at a fraction of a cost of nutrient dense foods like fruits and vegetables, be it in India or any where in the world. In a country like India a substantial portion of the production is lost due to pre-harvest and post-harvest mismanagement and added to this the country wide operation of pre-harvest contractors and exploitative middle men make most horticulture produce over prized in the market.

Is it not a paradox that with a wide ranging climate conditions prevailing in the country, almost all fruits and vegetables can be grown in the country but these produce still cost high to the consumers and if this is not mismanagement, what else it is? It is time India is transformed into a "doing country" from its present image as a "talking country"!

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

THE "WONDERFUL" POM-QUESTIONABLE HEALTH CLAIMS?

Health claims have the potential to make big money because there are millions of unsuspecting consumers yearning for a healthy life style clutching on to such claims for solace to them. That very few label claims are based on any focused research studies are lost on these consumers and this opens virtually a gold mine for amassing fortunes by unethical manufacturers of such products with suspect credentials. While EU countries are getting more and more stringent in allowing health claims unless scientifically validated, most other countries give lot of leeway to the industry in making such claims based on scant scientific evidence. Here is an example of a manufacturer promising "heaven" to the consumers if his products based on the fruit pomegranate are bought and consumed with insufficient evidence to support the same.

"While not disputing that the company's medical studies exist, the commission says that the company's advertising claims overstate the results and ignore that the pomegranate products often showed no more efficacy than a placebo. In addition to the juice, Pom Wonderful sells POMx pill and liquid supplements. The commission cited examples of Pom advertising that said the products produced "improved heart and prostate health and better erectile function." Among the results of various studies were a reduction in plaque buildup in the carotid artery and in blood pressure, and slower progression of an indicator for prostate cancer. Those results ignored the fact, the commission contended, that as early as May 2007 the company knew that a large study financed by the company showed no significant difference in arterial plaque buildup after 18 months between patients who drank Pom and those who drank a placebo. The commission also stated that the company's prostate-related claims relied on a study that itself notes uncertainty as to whether the outcomes cited by the company were relevant as an indication of clinical benefit. It also said the company's studies on erectile function produced no statistically significant results. Pom strongly disputed the commission's assertions. "We do not make claims that our products act as drugs," the company said. "What we do, rather, is communicate, through advertising, the promising science relating to pomegranates. Consumers and their health providers have a right to know about this research and its results." The commission proposed an order that would require the company to get F.D.A. approval before it makes any future claims that its products prevent or treat serious diseases".

A more interesting point to note from this episode is that it is not the FDA of the US which found the products not up to the claims made by the manufacturer but the Federal Trade Commission vested with the responsibility of ensuring transparency and fairness in business in that country. Normally the FDA should have taken measures to preempt such incidences with sufficient infrastructure at its disposal to scientifically evaluate market products and it did not do so speaks volume about its efficiency as a watch dog for food safety.

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