Not yet ‘made’, murabba finds way to shop shelves

1kg pack of Aawla Murabba, manufactured by Patanjali Ayurveda.

LUCKNOW: Officials of the Food Safety and Drug Administration department tumbled upon two 1-kg packs of Aawla Murabba (manufactured by Patanjali Ayurveda), which mentioned the date of manufacturing of the Murabba as October 20, 2016, while its expiry date has been mentioned as October 19, 2017. Interestingly, this sample of Murabba was available for sale in the market.

The sample was taken from a retail shop located in Kalyanpur Ring Road.

Ripening of Fruits with Calcium Carbide is an Offence

கலப்பட பொருட்கள் விற்றால் நடவடிக்கை உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் எச்சரிக்கை

தஞ்சை, மார்ச் 7:
கலப் பட பொருட் கள் விற் பனை செய் வோர் மீது கடும் நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டும் என்று தஞ்சை மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப்பு நிய மன அலு வ லர் ரமேஷ் பாபு கூறி னார்.
தஞ்சை மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப்பு மற் றும் மருந்து நிர் வாக துறை ( உணவு பிரிவு) மாவட்ட நிய மன அலு வ ல ராக பணி யாற் றிய தட் சி ணா மூர்த்தி நாகை மாவட் டத் திற்கு இடம் மாற் றம் செய் யப் பட் டார். இதைத் தொடர்ந்து திரு வா ரூர் மாவட்ட நிய மன அலு வ ல ராக பணி யாற் றிய ரமேஷ் பாபு தஞ்சை மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப்பு நிய மன அலு வ ல ராக நேற்று பொறுப் பேற் றர்.
இவர் தஞ்சை மாவட் டத் தில் கலப் பட பொருட் கள் விற் பனை செய் வோர் மற் றும் சுகா தா ரம் இல் லாத பொருட் கள், கலா வ தி யான பொருட் கள் ஆகி ய வற்றை விற் பனை செய் வோர் மீது கடும் நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டும் என்று கூறி னார்.

Soyabean oil and its import, food uses and health benefits

Friday, 04 March, 2016, 08 : 00 AM [IST] Sajad Ahmad Wani and Pradyuman Kumar Soybean oil is a popular vegetable oil extracted from the soybean. Soyabean oil is valued for its economical, high smoke point and health benefits. Soyabean oil has a faint green or dark yellow color. Soybean oil accounts for 80% of all commercial oil used in the United States. So, the oil of soyabean is all rounder oil, which is used as frying medium, baking and cooking purposes. The process of obtaining soybean oil is through extraction from the soybean. The beans are cracked beans and then heating the beans to remove any unnecessary moisture. After that, the beans are sliced and then rolled to extract the oil from beans. Generally, commercial brands mix the soybean oil with other cheaper oils to make it more economical. The unrefined oils have a stronger flavor as compared to refined oil, but unrefined oil usually retains a higher nutritional value than refined oils. Soybean is the dominant oilseed produced in the world, due to its favourable agronomic characteristics, good quality proteins, and produces valuable edible oil. Soyabean contributes over a half of all oilseeds produced worldwide. The production of soybeans and soybean oil is driven by the need for protein meal that is used mostly in commercial feeds for cattle, swine and poultry. Soybean oil has many desirable compositional and functional properties. The oil of soybean is the predominant vegetable oil produced globally, with palm oil being the second. Soybean oil is produced in largest quantity and is second to palm oil in traded oil. The major producers of soybean oil are the Argentina, Brazil, US, India, China and EU-15. Consumption of soybean oil is seen in every country. Disappearance is generally greatest in the producing countries with five countries/regions exceeding one million tonnes. These are the US (28%), China (13%), Brazil (12%), India (7%), and EU-15 (7%). Argentina is the biggest exporter of soybean oil (43% of total soybean oil exports).The import of soybean oil in India was 1.47 million tonnes in 2000 as shown in table below. The import of soyabean oil goes to the highest 2.026 million tonnes in 2004 with a growth rate of 123.62 %, later on it showed a reduction in the growth rate. As shown in the table below the minimum growth rate of soyabean oil was in the year 2007 (-49.34 %). In 2008-09 it showed a rise in growth rate. In the last year 2014, the quantity of import was 1.85 million tonnes with a growth rate of 1.09 %. Table 1 India’s soyabean oil import by year Extraction of soybean oil The two common processes for soybean oil extraction are solvent extraction and mechanical pressing but in the US, soybeans are processed by mechanical means only less than 1%. Extraction by solvent like hexane is the standard practice in today’s modern processing facilities. There are three major steps involved in solvent extraction these include seed preparation, extraction of oil, and desolventizing of the oil and meal. The conventional seed preparation involves drying to get rid of moisture, cleaning to remove impurities, cracking, optional dehulling, conditioning of seeds and flaking of the seeds. The choice of expanding after flaking is used to improve solvent drainage, percolation and oil extraction, and is accompanied by a doubling of the throughput. The other ways of seed preparation (hot dehulling), the hulls are removed from the split seeds by alternate slow and rapid heating before cracking and flaking. However in the US the majority of soybean oil is chemically refined. Solvent (hexane) extraction of soybeans is a diffusion process achieved by immersing solid in solvent or by percolating solvent through a bed of solids. Horizontal belt, rotary (deep-bed) and continuous loop extractors are used for soybeans. Solvent is recovered from the mixture of solvent and extracted oil (miscella) by double-effect evaporator and steam stripping and from flake by a desolventizer–toaster and is then recycled. The two major mechanical processes for soybeans are continuous screw pressing with extensive heating and extrusion-expelling. Extrusion-expelling technology is used increasingly for processing identity preserved seeds for niche market soybean oil and protein products. The advantages of small tonnage requirement (easy switchover for various different types of seeds, low initial capital investment, no flammable solvent used and unique products) have made this processing technology very appealing for many soybean growers and processors. Food uses of soybean oil Soybean oil is often used to make margarine, salad dressing, mayonnaise and non-dairy coffee creamers. Because of the high smoke point of soybean oil, it is often used for frying purposes. The smoke point of soybean oil is found to be 450 degrees. The shelf life of soybean oil has been found to be one year. Soyabean oil should be stored in a dark place, dry and kept away from hot places. Soybean oil can also be stored in the refrigerating conditions. Soybean oil is popular oil for cooking because it is so versatile and it has a bland flavor that will not interfere with cooking or baking. When purchasing soybean oil, consider buying unrefined soybean oil so that you can obtain all the health benefits this oil provides without any of the negative side effects from the added trans fat. According to Agricultural Statistics 2000 (USDA–NASS 2000, soybean oil was used to produce 95% of the total margarine and 83% of the total shortening. It has been found that 95% of the total soybean oil produced was used in food applications. Among the food uses, 13, 38 and 48% of the soybean oil was used in margarine, shortening, and cooking oil, respectively. Most important uses of soyabean oil are 1. Cooking and salad oils 2. Margarine and shortening 3. Mayonnaise and salad dressing Health Benefits of Soybean Oil The cholesterol level in soyabean is negligible that makes it a perfect choice for persons with heart disease or high cholesterol level. Soybean oil is composed of polyunsaturated fats that have the ability to reduce total cholesterol level, lower low density lipids or bad cholesterol levels and increase high density lipids or good cholesterol levels. The oil of soybean is possessed with omega-3 fatty acids that have shown to decrease the risk of heart disease, lower the growth of atherosclerotic plaque, lower the risk of arrhythmias or abnormal heartbeats and reduces triglyceride levels. Naturally antioxidants have been found soyabean, which remain in the oil even after it is pressed or extracted. These antioxidants protect from the damage caused by free radicals that may help prevent certain cancers. Nutritional Value per 1 tablespoon of soybean oil: 120 calories 13.6 g fat 1.96 g saturated fat 7.87 polyunsaturated fat 3.17 monounsaturated fat 0 mg cholesterol 0 mg sodium 0 mg potassium 0 g carbohydrates 0 g fiber 0 g protein 1 tablespoon of soybean oil is contained with 6% of daily recommended value of vitamin E. Negative Effects of Soybean Oil For the increase of shelf life many commercial brands of soybean oil are often hydrogenated. This hydrogenation process makes Trans fats to the soybean oil that increases the cholesterol of the product. Using soybean oil with Trans fat may increase the risk of certain kind of heart diseases. Global supply demand estimates The major soy meal exporting countries are 1. Argentina (20 MT) 2. Brazil (15 MT) 3. USA (6MT) 4. India (4 MT) 5. European union (3 MT) The major importers of soy meal are 1. European union (22 MT) 2. Central Europe (3.5 MT) 3. Thailand (2MT) 4. South Korea (1.5 MT) 5. Indonesia (1.5 MT) 6. Japan (1MT) 7. Philippines (1 MT) 8. Canada (1 MT) India is fifth largest producer of soyabean in the world, with average production of 4809 TMT of soyabean. Average consumption is 4812 TMT of soyabean. Currently India produces 6 MMT per annum. Soyabean has doubled in the last ten years.

Noodle companies in fresh FSSAI soup

Friday, 04 March, 2016, 08 : 00 AM [IST]

Kunal Kishore

FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) and noodles seem to be not getting along well for some time now. First, it was Nestle’s Maggi, which was banned for the presence of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and excess lead content.Then Patanjali got a notice for its‘Atta Noodles’ on the ground that they had a licence for marketing ‘Pasta’ but not ‘Atta Noodles.’ The latest additions to the list appear to be Knorr Soupy Noodles, Horlicks Foodles Noodles and Ching’s Hot Garlic Instant Noodles. These products allegedly have more ash than permissible. As per the food authorities, the prescribed maximum limit of 1% ash has been breached in these products, which is a limit prescribed for pasta products. The dispute relating to Nestle’s  Maggi was more of a factual dispute regarding the presence of MSG and excess lead, which has been strongly contested on the basis of lab reports, whereas the ones related to Patanjali and the other three are due to lack of clarity about the scope of the food regulations. The basic premise of the notice issued to Patanjali appears to be opposite to the stand taken in the recent disputes reported for Knorr Soupy Noodles, Horlicks Foodles Noodles and Ching’s Hot Garlic Instant Noodles. Standardised category The showcause notice to Patanjali was based on the premise that the noodles was not a standardised product allowed under the Food Standards and Additives Regulations and therefore the same could not have been sold without prior approval. Patanjali has argued that the noodle was covered under the standardised category of ‘Pasta/Macaroni Products’ which was broad enough to cover ‘Noodles’; therefore there was no need to obtain any prior approval. In the latest disputes, a totally opposite stand appears to have been taken. Here, the food authorities are assuming that these three kinds of noodles are covered under the category of ‘Pasta/Macaroni Products’ and therefore the prescribed limit of maximum of 1% of ash has been breached. Nature of action An important question to be answered by the food authorities on this vexed issue is whether ‘Noodle’ is covered under the standardised food category of ‘Pasta/Macaroni Products’ or not. If it is covered, then the prescribed parameters for Pasta will apply and the limit of maximum of 1% of ash has to be maintained. However, in that case the natural corollary would be that the notice issued to Patanjali was incorrect. Meanwhile, if Noodle is not a Pasta product, the question of applying a Pasta standard would not apply. The product will then be covered under the category of ‘Proprietary food’ and the natural corollary would be that the most recent action against the three companies is incorrect. Guidance notes Now, the question arises as to why such diametrically opposite views are being taken by the food authorities. First, the reason could be the absence of guidance notes and uniform training of the food authorities for which the responsibility would lie upon the FSSAI and the food commissioners of the states. The present scenario suggests that the food authorities are reading and interpreting the Act and the regulations on their own without the help of any guidance notes issued by the higher authorities. Second, it could be due to the lack of communication/coherence between the Central and state level authorities. This could be the case since the notice in the case of Patanjali was issued by the Central level authorities whereas the immediate action has been taken by the state authorities. Third, it could be due to the improper implementation of the Food Licensing and Registration System (FLRS) or incorrect understanding of the FLRS. Under the FLRS, when a person applies for a licence as a service sector food business operator like distributor/marketer/ retailer/transporter and so on, only broad categories of food items appear in the drop-down list online; whereas, if one applies as a manufacturer, a more detailed list appears.  This is probably the reason when Patanjali applied as a marketer, it would have got a licence for ‘Pasta Products’ which is a broader category and not ‘noodles,’ a narrower category under it. The FLRS is based on Food Category system, which categorises all kinds of food stuff in 16 categories. It is hierarchical in nature and different food categories have been described in a four level structure wherein food items have been divided into sub-categories and sub-sub categories. When a person applies for a licence in a service sector category like distributor/marketer/retailer/transporter and so on, only the main category appears. Whereas, when one applies as a manufacturer, a more specific entry (sub-categories or sub-sub categories mentioned under the Indian food code) comes in the drop-down list. If someone applies as a marketer, he would get the broad category of “Pasta Products” but if he applies as manufacturer, he would get more specific options like ‘Fresh Pasta and Noodles’, ‘Dried Pasta and Noodles’, ‘Pre-cooked pasta and Noodles’ and so on. This could be the reason why Patanjali as a marketer had a licence for ‘Pasta Products’ whereas its supporting manufacturer had it for a sub-category like noodles. Presence of ash Having analysed the possible reasons for the contradictory stands being taken by the authorities, let us now examine the merit of the latest disputes. A number of questions come to mind in this context. As per the food authorities, the noodles tested contained more than the maximum prescribed limit of 1% ash and therefore they were sub-standard. The first question is why at all ash is allowed in any kind of food. Ash refers to any inorganic material, such as minerals, present in food. It is called ash because it is the residue that remains after heating removes water and organic materials such as fat and protein.  Ash can include both compounds with essential minerals, such as calcium and potassium, and toxic materials, such as lead. Therefore, the presence of ash does not mean that ash in a literal sense is allowed to be added to a food product. The second question is what effect the excess ash can have on a consumer. The ash content has been reported to be in the range of 1-3% in the three products. It needs to be mentioned that in many standardised food items, it has been allowed in the much higher range of 5-9%. Therefore, ash content exceeding 1% does not necessarily mean that the food is unsafe and it will have an adverse impact on the consumer. It only implies that the noodles cannot fall in the category of a standardised food item like Pasta. The third question is whether such products are allowed to be manufactured and sold. As on date, a large number of food products in the market fall under the category of non-standardised food products, as only some food products are standardised. Till a few days ago, there was a doubt whether any non-standardised product could be sold without prior approval or not. Thankfully, that doubt has been set to rest by a recent notification of FSSAI wherein non-standardised products using ingredients used in standardised products or standardised additives have been allowed without any need of prior approval. The final question is if FSSAI has allowed such non-standardised food products without prior approval, what is the relevance of ash content in excess of the prescribed limit. From the perspective of food safety, it will perhaps not have much relevance because it is not considered unsafe per se. However, from the perspective of the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, the marketers might need to make certain adjustments so that the consumer does not get an impression that it is a standardised product.  However, for a resolution of the matter the food authorities would have to take a clear stand as to whether ‘Noodles’ fall under the standardised food category of ‘Pasta/Macaroni Products.’ If, the answer is affirmative, the marketer would have to make certain adjustments in the name of the product but then in that scenario the notice issued earlier to Patanjali would become infructuous. If the answer is in the negative, the current dispute involving Knorr Soupy Noodles, Horlicks Foodles Noodles and Ching’s Hot Garlic Instant Noodles would not have enough basis to survive. In either case, it leaves a lot for FSSAI to ponder as to how to avoid such actions based on contradictory interpretations of the law.If the legal tangle is left unresolved by FSSAI, the food industry cannot hope to have any respite for some time.

Innovations in Dairy Ingredients and Products

Friday, 04 March, 2016, 08 : 00 AM [IST]

Dr R B Smarta

We are all well aware that nutrition is essential for us to sustain growth and maintain good health. But nowadays everyone is talking about the influence of diet and nutrition in not just maintaining our health but also in fighting against diseases. The perception of food and nutrition has evolved over the years from just survival, hunger satisfaction, absence of adverse effects on health to its current emphasis on promoting better health and well-being, helping reduce risk of chronic diseases and so on. Apart from this knowledge and awareness, consumers are looking for natural options than processed and prepared foods. Owing to this, there has been an increase in emergence of many new segments in the nutrition & wellness sector, also a lot of research is being carried out on natural ingredients and foods. One such natural food which has been widely researched is ‘milk.’ Milk is the most basic food that we consume, right from our birth. It is considered as the nature’s perfect food since it has got the unique power to sustain life at all stages of development right from childhood to old age. The importance of milk has also been profoundly expressed in Charak Samhita as well as Atharva Ved. Traditionally we all have been consuming milk in its pure form since ages but the scenario has now changed. Today we all are in need of increased nutrition to meet daily requirements as the foods that we otherwise consume are low in nutrition. With respect to this, there have been lot of innovations in milk and milk products changing the way that milk was represented earlier. The increasing availability of milk and milk products has led to a lot of changes in the consumption pattern and basket of Indian consumers over the period of time. Now there are a number of variants of milk depending upon their composition or content. Consumers are more and more modifying their eating habits for health reasons. There is rising demand of consumers for more healthy variants of milk & milk products such as skimmed, low fat, double toned milk, high protein yogurt, products enriched with pre & probiotics and so on. The milk is processed in order to obtain these healthy variants. During processing, the essential nutrients from milk are lost thus to compensate for these lost nutrients, manufacturers fortify the milk with nutrients. Functional components in milk Milk is composed of a numerous health benefiting components and it has been observed that many of them have nutraceutical potential. Based on the components of milk and their nutraceutical potential, the dairy nutraceuticals market can be segmented in following families: Whey and protein fractions; Bioactive peptides; Probiotics & prebiotics; Lactose derivative; Vitamins & minerals. The macro & micro components of milk have the potential of being nutraceuticals themselves. Due to increasing awareness, the dairy benefits are understandable to the average consumer and dairy products available are affordable even with value-added benefits. Applications of dairy Ingredients in nutraceuticals The dairy industry is currently rightly positioned to profit from the most important consumer trends shaping the food industry. Yogurt and yogurt-based products Driven by growing consumer desire for convenient and health promoting products, especially functional foods, the global yogurt market is projected to surpass $67 billion by 2015. With the increasing awareness about probiotics as well as broad consumer acceptance of packaged yogurt and frozen yogurt products which satisfy the lifestyle and convenience needs of consumers, the market is expected to grow further. Whey proteins The sports foods market is a major segment for dairy ingredients. According to a study by prnewswire, the global whey protein market is expected to reach $13.5 billion in 2020 from $9.2 billion in 2015, with a CAGR of 6.5% for the period of 2015-2020.  Also the sports nutrition as a segment is expected to reach $1.7 billion in 2015 and $2.7 billion by 2020 increasing at a CAGR of 9.0%. The sales of sports nutrition products, most of them based on whey protein, have doubled in India since 2007 to reach $396 million in 2013. With increase in fitness & health-consciousness this category is expected to witness an exponential increase. The various applications of whey protein are represented below: Use of milk in infant formulas The Infant formula market is one of the most developed sectors for the use of dairy nutraceuticals ingredients. There has been generalisation of specific infant formulas such as hypoallergenic formulas, pre-term formulas or formulas to prevent diarrhoea using milk hydrolysates and other specific dairy ingredients. The infant formula manufacturers are now targeting formulas that mimic mother’s milk. Substantial research is also being done on new nutrients from bovine milk to reproduce mother’s milk. The dairy protein fractions such as alpha-lactalbumin, are in growing stage. Milk is fortified for various reasons – Increase the Calcium content (using ultra filtration), avoid allergy problems (ß-lactoglobulin), improve the survival of probiotic bacteria for increased immunoprotection, protein standardisation-property leading to better utilisation of dairy products, increase marketability of dairy products and so on. Food supplements The sale of food supplements is on the rise for past 2-3 years. From the point of dairy ingredients business, this market segment is very important and is now opening to a number of fractions such as the use of alpha-lactalbumin in products for relaxation & anti-anxiety, lactoferrin in blends, ß-lactoglobulin in products for high blood pressure, cGMP in appetite regulation, IgG supplement to antibodies. Use of milk in medical foods The medical foods market revenues (India): expected to reach approximately US$ 4.2 billion in 2017. Milk is widely used in medical foods special formulations for clinical conditions such as premature infants or for infants with special inborn errors of metabolism and so on. Milk as a carrier for nutraceuticals & other bioactive ingredients Milk has been widely used as a carrier / vehicle for various bioactive components. Milk beverages and yogurt are such milk-based products which are widely used as vehicles to deliver non-dairy bioactives, such as phytosterols and Omega-3 fatty acids. A recent development in this area is the use of milk proteins for encapsulation and delivery vehicles of bioactives in functional foods. Dairy market The current market size of the dairy industry in India is Rs 2.6 trillion and is estimated to grow up to Rs 3.7 trillion by 2015. The market share of milk and milk products can be further bifurcated into dairy-based nutraceuticals variants. In case of dairy nutraceuticals products, Japan is globally the most advanced market, where nutraceuticals dairy products represent up to 44% of the total dairy market. The major Asian markets like India and China, also some European markets are following this trend. According to a study, the probiotic food and beverage products have increased greatly over the years, with yogurt continuing to be the most popular delivery vehicle. In countries like the US, probiotic-fortified kefir beverages have also become more popular along with probiotic-enhanced cheeses and yogurts. Resources Ubic Consulting: Dairy nutritional & nutraceutical ingredients market Smartinvestor Business-standard, ASSOCHAM report Whey Protein Ingredients Market, UBIC Consulting, http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/whey-protein-products-global-markets-300206594.html The Economist, Protein shakes, Bruising, The protein-supplement industry takes a punch Apr 27th 2013 Ingredients for the World Infant Formula Market, Ubic Consulting 2014 India Baby Food and Formula Market – Bright Prospects for Dry Baby Food NDDB & Ministry of Animal Husbandry. Indian Dairy Industry Report, Indian Microfinance

FDA Nagpur collects samples of Amul and Britannia products with fungus

Saturday, 05 March, 2016, 08 : 00 AM [IST]

Pushkar Oak, Mumbai

Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Nagpur, has recently collected samples of Amul’s Amrakhand and Britannia’s Nut and Raisin Romance Cake for testing on receiving complaints from two consumers that the said products had fungus. The two consumers bought the products from two different stores but in the same area. “We haven’t assigned any charges on any manufacturer as of now as the laboratory results are yet to mandate the presence of such constituents. FDA has started investigating the products based on citizens’ complaints,” explained Shivaji Desai, joint commissioner, FDA (food), Nagpur. Based on complaints, FDA officials have collected samples of the products and sent them for  laboratory analysis. Desai informed, “The FDA officers are also collecting samples of other products for lab analysis. We have received the complaints and we have acted accordingly.” “Usually it takes 15 days to get the results from the laboratory. Thus, we will initiate action with regards to the results obtained from the laboratory,” stated Desai. Meanwhile, an FDA official said, “The complainants initially fetched help from the customer care of the company but didn’t receive satisfactory response. Later, they lodged the complaint with FDA. Around 18 samples of  products were procured and are sent to the labs for testing.” He added, “Both the products were having proper shelf life with manufacturing date mentioned on the products’ packaging.” Further, FDA Nagpur’s city division has undertaken a drive to keep an eye on products on sale in the city and extended its regular sampling and testing to nearby areas. The two citizens who lodged the complaints, informed that the retailer sent the samples back to the distributor on discovering the fact that the samples had some issues. FDA officials tracked the distributor to get the samples.

Is your milk safe to drink? Containing contamination in milk

Now a cheap milk testing kit has been developed by the Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) in Mysuru, which is a part of the gigantic DRDO

NEW DELHI: India is today the world’s largest producer of milk thanks to the white revolution. Yet more than two thirds of the milk in India does not meet the food safety standards. Adulteration of milk is rampant, a startling six per cent of the samples tested in 2015 by the Ministry of Health had presence of ‘detergents’ in them confirming that ‘synthetic milk’ is a huge problem.

For a lay person trying to differentiate between contaminated and pure milk is a tall order and only specific chemical tests can reveal the truth. Contaminated milk can be a huge health hazard especially when it has been laced with urea, detergents and other toxic chemicals. With the festival of Holi round the corner, it is time to be alert about the dangers of milk contamination.

Now a cheap milk testing kit has been developed by the Defence Food Research Laboratory(DFRL) in Mysuru, which is a part of the gigantic Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). This kit, which even an untrained person can use at home, helps within minutes detect contamination of six common adulterants in milk.

Recently as part of another initiative, Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth SciencesHarsh Vardhan unveiled another dedicated system for the detection of adulteration and analysis of milk, developed by Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CEERI), Pilani.

According to Vardhan, “The gravity of the situation had been such that the National Institute for Transforming India ( NITI Aayog) identified the problem of detecting adulteration in the milk within three minutes at Rs 4 or less, as one of the grand challenge areas being considered under the ‘Atal Innovation Mission’.

In this backdrop, Vardhan appreciated the initiative of CSIR for developing and deploying this technology solution, ‘Ksheer-Scanner’, which instantaneously detects the above – identified adulterants in milk. It is a low-cost portable system with user-friendly features. It enables detection of contaminants in just 40-45 seconds at the per sample cost of less than 50 paise.

Earlier, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh while speaking at National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana said, “India stands first on global milk product scenario. Milk production has been increased from 137.68 million tonne in 2013-14 to 146.31 million tonne in 2014-15. For the first time there is a record enhancement of milk production as 6.3 per cent whereas on international scenario there is only an increment of 2.2 percent enhancement of milk production.”

This is a spectacular achievement for the country which in 1950 was producing a mere 17 million tonnes of milk. An almost nine-fold increase in milk production in a little over 60 years.

However, what is most embarrassing for the country is a 2015 admission by Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare J P Nadda that “the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had conducted a nationwide survey on milk adulteration in 2011. A total of 1791 samples were drawn from 33 states and were tested in the government laboratories. 68.4 per cent of the samples were found to be non-conforming to the prescribed standards. Out of these, in 46.8 per cent samples, milk found to be sub-standard in respect of fat and solid not fat (SNF) contents. Another 44.69 per cent of the samples (548) in respect of skim milk powder were found to be non-conforming to the prescribed standards where presence of glucose was detected in 477 samples. A total of 103 samples (5.75 per cent) were found to be adulterated with detergents.”

“Milk adulteration is particularly high during the festival season, when the demand peaks but production cannot be increased,” explains M C Pandey, a scientist at the DFRL who has helped develop the milk testing kit.

The kit developed by the defence institute uses just a few chemicals and strips of paper dipped in a different chemical. A change in colour of the milk or a change in colour of the paper indicates the presence of a contaminant. When detergents are present in the milk the colour of test turns to green, yellow or blue and Pandey says the test can detect as low a value as 0.5 per cent of the contaminant.

Especially in north India, a lot of milk during the festival season is made using detergents and urea. Called ‘synthetic milk’, it resembles milk but can be very harmful. Every day washing powder and refined oil are mixed and then diluted to make it look and have the consistency of real milk.

Scientists at this nondescript lab in Mysuru developed the kit at a mere cost of Rs 9 lakh and the box containing 320 strips for testing 8 different contaminants with the cost of each test strip coming to just about Rs 2.

Pandey says all the other milk-testing kits require sophisticated laboratory settings but this simple strip based test helps Indian soldiers test supplies of fresh milk even at remote locations.

Occasionally to make milk look fresh, some ‘neutralisers’ are added. Using the strip test the contaminated milk becomes pink in colour. If the milk contains urea the test becomes yellow.

The technology for the milk testing kit has been transferred to a private company Pearl Corporation says Pandey who says the DRDOsold the technology at a royalty of Rs 1.25 crore annually, this according to him marks the success of this technology.

Pandey explains this kit should be very helpful to plug ingress of contaminated milk at source. He suggests if such tests become common then milk when it is collected by suppliers at the level of the households could be tested and if found contaminated it should be rejected right at the doorstep of a small dairy supplier.

Rather than a large consignment of milk being rejected for contamination at the level of a milk plant, where hundreds of tons of milk gets collected for further processing.

Singh says, “Dairy play an important role in agriculture domain of the country with the 3.9 per cent contribution to the national gross product. It is not only a substantial source of livelihood but also most credible basis to ensure the national food requirement. It is the repercussion of the growth in dairying that the growth rate of agricultural sector has been 4 per cent unabatedly.

“Today we have been able to provide on an average 302 gm per person per day milk in the country which is more than the minimum required recommended by the WHO.”

So even as India feels proud of being the number one producer of milk in the world having outpaced US, China and Brazil, the large-scale contamination of milk remains a big blemish for the White Revolution.

Towards that Nadda says “the menace of food adulteration and particularly milk adulteration needs to be eliminated.”

Colourful and Tasty but They can Bite You Back

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chilli has a special place in our food habits, saving some our favourite dishes from blandness. But there is an unnoticed and dangerous side. According to a report released by the Kerala Agricultural University, the chilli powder we get in attractive packets contains pesticides that harm our health.

The report discovered that various spices and condiments brands have been selling products with heavy pesticide residues. Pesticide Residue Analytical and Research Laboratory of the university found at least four different types of pesticides in samples taken from branded red chilli powder sold at various super markets in Kottayam, Changanassery, Alappuzha, Malappuram and Kasargod.

It was found that chilli powder, chilli long dry, crushed chilli, Kashmiri chilli powder, cumin seed , cumin powder, sambar powder, tea powder etc contain pesticide residue. The pesticide limits prescribed by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for food products is not enough to keep the menace away.

From the list mentioned in the university report, food safety officials can take action only against those selling contaminated cardamom because of the specific Maximum Residual Limit (MRL) prescribed for it in the spice and condiments category.

“There has been a delay in expanding the list. Many products we have analysed did not have a MRL prescribed. detailed study is required on poisonous residues found,” said Thomas Biju Mathew, professor and head, PRRAL. The report indicates widespread use of pesticides, finding its way into the food cycle. However, enforcement agencies find themselves helpless with no expansion of the list in the Safety and Standards Rules since 2011.

“MRL limit is fixed after a lot of process. Until the limit is fixed it would be difficult for food safety officials to take action,” said D Sivakumar, Joint Commissioner of Food Safety.

The report has found pesticide residue levels in fruits, vegetables and processed food products. In the vegetable category curry leaves continue to have high pesticide residue. The report found that fruits and cereals collected from market – organic and farm gates – have less pesticide residues.

Fortification of Milk to Combat Malnutrition

The milk, which you buy off the shelves, is going to be fortified with Vitamin A and D to address the deficiencies among the Indian masses. Milk cooperatives across the country have agreed to the proposal and the standards will soon be notified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The move, which the government says will help combat malnutrition, is part of the plan to fortify major food substances like wheat, rice, edible oil and other food products. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of an inter-ministerial group comprising the ministries of Health, Women and Child Development, Food and Civil Supplies, and Human Resource Development. “The milk cooperatives were given a presentation by the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad, and now the food ministry is preparing the detailed guidelines,” sources said. The FSSAI will now notify the standards. The proposal was made by a group of secretaries, working on health and education, before the Prime Minister’s Office in the beginning of January. Wheat is to be fortified with iron, rice with iron and vitamin D, milk and edible oils with vitamin A.

The recommendation also talks about double fortification of salt with iodine, as it was felt that the present standards were not enough.

Cop actions on gutkha illegal: High Court

Aurangabad: The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court has said raids and actions taken by the police against people possessing and storing gutkha were illegal.

Quashing the police action against some applicants and petitioners for possessing and storing gutkha after carrying raids under various sections of the IPC, the court on Friday observed, “The food safety officers were not prohibited from proceedings against the applicants/petitioners under provisions of chapter X of the Food and Safety Standard (FSS) Act, 2006.”

It said, “Since all these criminal applications and criminal writ petitions are taken up for final hearing by consent of all the parties and as the point raised in all these cases is more or less similarly placed, they are disposed of by this common judgment. For the purpose of disposal of the cases, we the bench utilised facts of Writ Petition No. 1027 of 2015 as representative.”

The petitioners had approached the high court through lawyers including R R Mantri, Rameshwar Totla and Rahul Totla, while the government was represented by additional public prosecutor Archana Gondhalekar.

As many as 13 criminal writ petitions and applications were filed in the Aurangabad bench of the HC, challenging the police actions such as conducting raids and seizing of gutkha and pan masala in different parts of the state.

The food security officials had subsequently initiated registration of offences against the petitioners under sections 372, 373, 188 and 328 of the IPC.

While passing the order, the bench of Justice A V Nirgude and Justice Indira K Jain said the police action in these cases were illegal. The bench observed, “By no stretch of imagination, manufacturing and possessing gutkha and pan masala would amount to administering poison.”

It added, “The commissioner (FDA) opined that its sale is not in public interest. This opinion is based on various reports, but not the report of the food analyst appointed under the provisions of the FSS Act. Therefore, it cannot be said that gutkha and pan masala are stupefying, intoxicating or unwholesome drug. Besides, offering these items of food would not amount to intention to cause hurt. The provisions of Section 328 of the Indian Penal Code to the present cases is therefore impermissible.”

The bench noted the contention of the petitions that “on May 14, 2015, the petitioner was found transporting large quantities of pouches of tobacco, which is called ‘gutkha’ in common parlance, pouches of pan-masala in a truck. The truck was stopped by the food security officer, Osmanabad. The officer not only seized the goods but even lodged a police complaint, alleging that the petitioner had violated the government notification (dated May 15, 2014), prohibiting certain acts pertaining to gutkha/pan masala and thereby committed offence punishable under sections 26 and 30 of the Food and Safety Standards Act, 2006.”

Health department fails to meet food safety targets

Health department officials continue to adopt a casual approach towards the monthly targets set by the food safety branch as all districts have completely failed to achieve targets.

Out of the state-wide target for collection of 1,740 samples set by the health department in January, only 816 samples were collected by authorities in the districts. Of these 46% collected samples, 25% tested ‘fail’ and were declared unfit for consumption.

Districts blatantly failing to achieve targets in January include Jalandhar, Bathinda, Ludhiana, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Patiala, Moga, Mansa and Muktsar.

Jalandhar health department was given a target of 150 food samples, but it collected only 75 samples, out of which 12 were found unfit. Ludhiana health department had a target of 250 food samples, but it collected only 87, out of which 40 failed to pass the food safety test. Similarly, 41 samples were collected by Bathinda health department out of a target of 100.

It is not the first time that of ficials are showing apathy towards food safety as in the period from January 1 to December 31, 2015, out of 15,560 target samples, Jalandhar had collected 9,936, out of which 28% samples tested failed.

Moreover, the Food Safety and Standards Act has the provision of compulsory registration for all food businesses to ensure the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption, but districts have been lagging behind in ensuring complete registration.

On March 6, 2014, online registration of food businesses was begun. Jalandhar food safety administration issued 434 licences and did 2,124 registrations of food businesses till February 26 this year. Businesses with a turnover of more than Rs 12 lakh are issued licenses.

Sources in the health department said only milk, milk products, bakery products, sweets and other such samples were being collected as per guidelines issued by higher officials.

They further said even though senior officials had fixed a minimum target to be completed every month, apathetic officials failed to meet the targets.

They added that most drives were undertaken on the heels of Diwali only when the sale of sweets shot up and manufacturers prepared items in bulk with complete disregard of hygiene and food safety.

A health department official said the sampling drive against adulterated food products was being hampered due to interference of political leaders. He added that huge workload and shortage of staff were other reasons behind the failure in achieving targets.