NEW ANTIBACTERIAL MATERIALS FROM TEA-HOW FEASIBLE IT IS?

Scientific research can be funny some times if the objectives and purpose of the efforts by the scientists are carefully looked into. Scientists engaged in research to get a degree can be pardoned to some extent if they take up academic topics with very little relevance to the citizens and after all such work is intended more to train them in carrying out the studies methodically, truthfully and scientifically. There are millions of scientists engaged in food research in public institutions and universities though most of their out put is of very little relevance to the common man. In contrast private sector research produces innumerable patents and workable knowledge based innovations with very high application potential through technologization. Here is a typical piece of investigation from an American university which claims that the high value tea and wines can be used for making antibacterial materials for coating food contact surfaces. Readers may come to their own conclusions after perusing the below referred article.

"Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered new ways of utilizing the properties of naturally occurring polyphenols found in green tea, red wine and dark chocolate. Dissolving polyphenol powders in water with a small amount of salt instantly produces transparent coatings that kill bacteria on contact, have antioxidant qualities and are non-toxic. The sticky nature of polyphenols and the low cost of materials could open the door to a wide range of uses for these coatings. Apparently the coatings can stick to virtually any surface, even Teflon, and are only 20 to 100 nanometers thick, potentially making them ideal for use in a whole range products. "We discovered a way to apply coatings onto a variety of surfaces that takes advantage of the sticky properties of the polyphenol compounds," said Phillip B. Messersmith, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, who led the research. "It's a very simple dip-coating process, and the antibacterial and antioxidant properties are preserved in the coating. One could take a stainless-steel hip implant apply the process to it, and the coating that emerges spontaneously and with no other modifications will kill bacteria and quench reactive oxygen species, such as free radicals."

The results if commercially exploited may have a chance for use in high value applications like coating of biomedical parts for implantation in human body. However to expect that it will find application in food industry as an antibacterial coating may be far fetched. After all tea as well as red wines are food materials that cannot be diverted for non food applications without disturbing the market equilibrium. Probably many non food antioxidants available in plenty in nature could be a better and more appropriate source material for preparing the antibacterial solution. The suggestion that such poly phenols in salt solution can be a good antioxidant product for human consumption is untenable because salt is a substance not recommended for consumption in high quantities because of its role in disease like CVD, kidney malfunction and blood pressure. Nonetheless from the scientific curiosity angle this is a good discovery with some future potential. 

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

THE "OMNIPOTENT" CAFFEINE-WHY THERE IS NO OVERSIGHT YET?

Caffeine, which is both a stimulant as well as an addictive substance, is present in beverage crops like Coffee, Tea and Cocoa. As consumption of these beverages increases the alertness of the consumer, there are millions who take them regularly every day though medical experts and health pundits frown upon its consumption by pregnant women and children. According to present thinking an intake beyond 300 mg a day may carry potential health risks for many people and this maximum recommended level is slowly being reduced to 180 mg per day per an adult. Recent reports about some deaths in the US being ascribed to consuming Caffeine loaded energy drinks highlight the piquant situation in which safety agencies find themselves. In absence of scientific evidence that implicates Caffeine as an unsafe food constituent and safe levels at which it can be ingested not arrived at, it becomes difficult to clamp a ban on the use of Caffeine in formulated foods and beverages. This situation seems to be encouraging many processors to use Caffeine as an ingredient in new formulations claiming some or the other beneficial effect for such products. Here is a take on this evolving situation which is receiving attention world over.

In light of new reports linking 5-Hour Energy drinks to several recent deaths, sleep-deprived consumers may need to find another source of packaged vigor. PepsiCo's Frito-Lay has an unlikely alternative: Cracker Jacks. The company is launching a new line of the sugary treats — aptly named "Cracker Jack'd" — that will contain caffeine, Advertising Age reports. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, which has previously battled such consumer products companies as MillerCoors Brewing Company and Airborne, claims the caffeinated Cracker Jacks violate federal food laws. "Boxes of Cracker Jack are famous for having a toy surprise inside," CSPI said in a Wednesday statement. "But what parent suspects that Cracker Jack might come with a surprising dose of a mildly addictive stimulant drug?" CSPI warned that if the government doesn't crack down on the upcoming Frito-Lay product, it could "set off a new craze in which manufacturers add caffeine to more and more varieties of foods and beverages."

Those who oppose use of Caffeine, often considered as a drug, cite the present US Rules which allow this chemical only in Cola beverages which may contain about 72 mg per a serving size of 12 fluid ounce. Unfortunately there is no mention about using Coffee solids or extracts in any food preparation which loophole is being exploited by the industry and there are such products already in the market providing more than 70 mg per a 2 Oz serving size. The argument by the industry that these products are targeted at adult consumers or the level of Caffeine is already declared on the label cannot justify putting in the market such potentially harmful food products. Probably it is time for safety agencies to revisit presence of Caffeine, either used as a chemical ingredient or through coffee solids and extracts and make the law relating to this more explicit.

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