NEW MICROWAVE TECHNOLOGY FOR BETTER PROCESSING-COMMERCIALLY FEASIBLE?

Rapid development of microwave heating process during the last 25 years has enabled food processing industry and the house hold kitchens to prepare foods rapidly without the conventional electric or gas based heating systems. There is no doubt that microwave ovens have become a ubiquitous part of almost all kitchens in most developed countries because of the great convenience factor associated with their use. Ever since Raytheon developed its monstrous 1.8 meter tall, 340 kg, 3 kWh energy guzzling Radarange oven in 1947 based on microwave radio frequency, to day's sleek models with hardly 1100 watts energy load and looking almost like a small television set in a kitchen has come a long way to capture the imagination of every house holder. From just 1% of families owning a microwave oven in 1971 in the US, to day more than 90% have this modern gizmo improving the quality of their lives dramatically during the last 3 decades. Most microwave ovens operate under 2450 Mega Herz frequency which is universally recognized as a ISM band (Industrial, Scientific, Medical) radio frequency reserve for purposes other than communication. Out of the four ISM bands of 24125, MHerz, 5800MHerz, 2450 MHerz and 915 MHerz only 2450 MHerz is used for designing domestic microwave ovens. Recent emergence of 915 MHerz as an attractive alternative for large scale food processing has opened up opportunities for deploying this technology for heating and sterilization of many food products. Here is a report highlighting the importance of this technology to the industry.

"For decades, realizing the promise of rapid sterilization using microwaves has been a dream of the shelf-stable food industry.  Washington State University in collaboration with Natick Soldier Center formed an industrial consortium to obtain regulatory acceptance for 915 MHz single-mode microwave sterilization.Upon receiving that acceptance, the technology was licensed to Food Chain Safety who developed the technology into a commercial reality.  Rob Wilson, CEO Food Chain Safety said, "This MATS-B installation represents the culmination of years of development work and the start of an exciting new era in food processing."Major benefits of the MATS microwave sterilization system:• It delivers food that not only looks better but also tastes much better than canned foods. • Maintains nutritional value of the food.• Uses high-power microwave energy to heat packaged food to sterilization in a fraction of the time required with traditional canning processes. • Consistently heats products in a repeatable, measurable pattern. • The continuous process allows manufacturers to achieve higher throughput and lower production costs and provide workers with better work environments vs. traditional canning operations. • The new preservation technology offers great opportunities to create new and high quality products that are not possible with conventional methods".

It is not that microwave heating technology was not being used by the industry in the past but often the results have not been entirely satisfactory with energy costs being higher, non-uniform heating, design insufficiency and some food handling problems hampering its wide scale adoption. The new 915 MHerz technology is supposed to address these problems and with the approval from authorities for use of this frequency food industry may be tempted to use the microwave energy more widely in the coming years provided the system is cost effective. Though electric energy conversion into heat is only about 65%, microwave technology still is superior to other modes of heating. Models with capacity as high as 1800 kg per hour continuous processing now being offered, large scale processing is now possible.

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

WELL DONE VIETNAM!-NEW SAFETY MEASURES FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION

Who does not know the human sufferings in Vietnam during the much hated War involving the United States and the Communists which ended eventually after the fleeing of Americans and their cohorts from Saigon in 1975. It is remarkable that this tiny country could recover from the trauma associated with the war and be counted as an economic power house on its own in such a short time. That the country had to start from the scratch to build a viable nation respected by the international community has not deterred it from taking up programs that could uplift the economic well being of its war battered people. It is amazing that Vietnam has one of the fastest growing economies in the world to day and it is the topmost exporter of Cashew nuts and Pepper while its rice exports are next only to the world leader Thailand. Recent news that Vietnam has put in place a rigorous food safety regime to protect its people can bode well for their future, domestically as well as internationally. Here is a take on this emerging development in Vietnam.  

"Under a newly-issued circular from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development which will take effect from September 3, all products and by-products from animals including heads, tails, legs, skin, grease and edible innards must be sold within eight hours at room temperature. Meat products stored from 0-5 Celsius degrees can be sold within 72 hours while by-products in the same conditions have 24 hours to be sold. The measures include a requirement for legal slaughter checking and quarantine stamps on products. A ban on the use of preservatives on raw products and by-products was also included. Butchers and all others involved in slaughtering and transport are required to have a certificate issued by a medical unit from district levels. Last month, there were 16 food poisoning cases nationwide affecting 531 people. Two deaths were reported. In total, some 2,400 people suffered food poisoning, including 16 deaths, in the first seven months of the year".

The new food regulation concerning the safety of products and by-products of meat industry speaks well of the intention of the country not to compromise on the health of its citizens. Contrast this with the situation obtaining in India where the meat industry, catering to domestic consumers, is literally in tatters with no serious monitoring or regulation of its activities. It is common to see carcasses hanging openly on road side vending kiosks, exposed totally to the dust and grime raised by the fast plying automobiles, three wheeler and two wheeler vehicles spewing toxic fumes copiously. Low temperature storage is rarely resorted to and the meat cuts offered must be one of the most contaminated foods in the world. Most of the thousands of slaughter houses run in civic areas are filthy and nauseating and how the consumers are putting up with such conditions is a mystery. Probably the prevalent practice of over cooking the meat once brought home, is thought to be a factor that is responsible for very few safety related episodes in India. Vietnam with less than 100 million population and a per capita income of hardly $ 3500 (PPP) has done exceedingly well in the area of food safety measured by any yardstick, leaving behind its giant fellow Asian countries like China and India.

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

PUNISHING THE "WASTERS"-A NEW APPROACH FOR WASTE REDUCTION

On one side over eating is sought to be discouraged because of the fear of obesity and all consequences associated with this body bloating syndrome. On the other hand many people waste food by not eating all they cook or buy due to many reasons and this is also a global issue of serious concern because almost one billion poor people in this Globe go to bed hungry every night! How can one bring about a balance under such a predicament faced by many nations, especially the ones which are wealthy? There are institutions like Food Banks in some countries which are active in making use of foods that are discarded while many non-government voluntary bodies are actively engaged in utilizing such foods to feed the poor. It is against such a background that the new initiative by a few eateries in some parts of the world to punish those indulging in food wastage, are to be appreciated. Here is a report which highlights such a practice on the part of a few courageous restaurants in some countries. 

A restaurant in Saudi Arabia is making headlines for its unusual policy of penalizing customers for 'wastage of food.' According to the owner of the restaurant based in Dammam, in the Eastern Province, the penalty was put into place after many customers failed to consume their large orders of food—the owners stress wasting food goes against the teachings of Islam. In a culture of excess, a 'food wastage' policy may sound absurd, but this isn't the first time a restaurant has opted for this kind of a penalty. Consider the £20 (Dh114) fee owners of the Chinese restaurant Kylin Buffet charge those diners who do not eat all the food of their plates. The restaurant's policy received much coverage after they fined Beverley Clark, a 40-year-old mother, after her son and niece left two onion rings, a prawn toast and a spring roll at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Or consider the standing policy in a Japanese restaurant in New York called Hayashi Ya which fines a customer 3 percent of their bill, if they do not finish what they serve themselves from the all-you-can-eat buffet. Other restaurants opt for forms of positive reinforcement to encourage good eating habits. A Japanese restaurant called Wafu just outside of Sydney, Australia, gives its customers a 30 percent discount if they eat all the food they ordered. The company's website begins with a special plea to its customers to: "Please be mindful of the amount of food you order – consider ordering just the right amount, in harmony with your appetite!" Food wastage fines isn't altogether a strange concept—but Kipp can't help but think it would be very strange if it was every enforced here in the Emirates. After all, for a city like Dubai which has given birth to the institution of the Friday all-you-can-eat-and-drink brunch, it is difficult to think of such penalties being put in place. Yet given the country's burgeoning obesity problem, perhaps a food wastage fee is exactly what is needed.


The initiative of these pioneers deserves kudos because they are swimming against the tide trying to establish and disseminate the bitter truth that wasting food is a social crime. It may difficult for these players to compete with conventional eateries where jumbo sizes and ad libitum food are the norms. Modern marketing mania depends largely on attracting customers using economic parameters, with low prices and large serving sizes ruling in the market place. The New York "rumblings" in the name of a proposed policy by the authorities to ban sale of jumbo size sugar laden beverages there, is a classical example of the dominance of quantity over quality! Probably the restaurants which impose fines for wastage or encourages lesser wastage through hefty discounts in the bills, have full confidence in the quality of their offerings and expect their customers to come back again even under such an environment. They do serve as a focal point to convey a vital message that "eat as much as you want but do not waste"!  

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

WAR AGAINST PATHOGENS-HUMAN BEINGS BEING OUTSMARTED?

The subject of antibiotic resistance among the disease causing pathogens is the focus of current concern and it is assuming alarming proportion with human beings running out all options to fight this war with bugs. The NIH of USA has recently revealed how difficult it was to trace and identify new resistant strains of Klebsiella which caused a few deaths last year among those being treated in ICUs of some of the best hospitals in that country. The reasons for this dangerous situation are not far to seek. Indiscriminate prescription of front line broad spectrum for treating even a minor cold by small time physicians, probably because of inability to diagnose the diseases properly gave the opportunity to the bugs to develop resistance over a period of time. To compound this situation massive consumption of meat and products derived from animals posed a dangerous situation with frequent food poisoning being encountered with lethal consequences and to meet such contingencies the live stock industry started treating the animals with the very same antibiotics used to treat humans. To day more than 80% of antibiotics produced in the US go to meat industry and one can easily imagine the consequences of such malpractices on the disease front in humans. The above concern is reflected in a report recently published.

"Antibiotics once seemed like a miracle weapon in our fight against microbes that have plagued mankind for millenniums, killing untold numbers of people with wounds and serious infections. But we're in danger of losing that weapon. Over the years, bacteria have grown increasingly resistant to these drugs. We've squandered an invaluable resource that we've overused — some might say abused. The drug industry is spending too little to develop alternatives. Only a concerted effort by government, private industry and the public can avert a crisis. The antibiotic era started less than a century ago with the discovery of the antibacterial drug sulfa. After World War II, the emergence of penicillin allowed doctors to cure a vast range of potentially crippling, if not fatal, infections of the urinary tract, the respiratory system and other parts of the body. These antibiotics did not target a specific infection site but unleashed a lethal attack on the body's trillions of bacteria. Of course, some bacteria survived. These Darwinian "fittest bugs" not only persisted but had the uncanny ability to pass on their genes, which allowed them and other bacteria to survive the next antibiotic assault. The battle was on: humans versus the bugs. Each side started with substantial advantages. The bugs enjoyed staggering numbers, boosting genetic variability that fuels selection of increasingly resistant bugs. Medical science responded with novel antibiotics to kill the hardiest of these bugs. Who will win this epic struggle between genetic diversity and human ingenuity? After nearly a century, the bugs are emerging with the upper hand. And we bear the blame".


Indians are familiar with a strain of  Klebsiella pneuminiae, containing metallo-beta-lactamase-1 enzyme, known by the acronym NDM-1, which was traced to a hospital in New Delhi with resistance to almost all antibiotics and such super bugs are emerging more frequently in other parts of the world also with sickening regularity. One of the imponderable factors that bother health authorities in some of the advanced countries is why these super bugs are more lethal there and why they are not causing any epidemic in countries like India. A clue for this contradiction comes from the reports of health scientists that over obsession with cleanliness, over use of sanitizing chemicals and over processing of most of the foods marketed make the people more vulnerable to even minor infections due to their progressively lowered immune system. Biotechnology which provided the DNA sequencing method to mankind has to be thanked for evolving many techniques for identifying hard to detect microorganisms in extremely small concentrations and food industry is also benefited immensely by the DNA technologies for tracing contamination in food chains for prompt action to counteract against their lethal consequences. The massive on-going efforts under a global program to map out the genomes of almost all microorganisms with pathogenic consequences are expected to add to the existing armor to fight against dangerous infections more reliably and faster than hitherto possible.  

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

"IN-BAG COOKING"-ANOTHER CONVENIENCE IN THE KITCHEN

Food packaging is mainly intended to containerize the contents for convenience of use but over the years the packaging media have become highly functional also performing such useful tasks like preservation, protection, insurance against post processing infection, immunity to oxidation etc. From the simple materials like leaves, some parts of plants and man made papers used traditionally, packaging industry has come a long way and to day it offers a fantastic range of synthetic materials with phenomenal functional versatility. High strength, pliability, transparency, efficient sealing properties, heat durability, easy opening designs, recycling ability etc are hall marks of most packaging materials available to day. Tetrapack technology, aseptic packaging mode, bag-in-the box designs, MAP. CAP, zip lock versions etc are to day very commonly deployed for food packing. After the advent of Microwave heating and cooking technology, need for new types of packaging materials and designs that can with stand the high temperature and internal pressure generated without imparting any taint or leach out dangerous chemicals, has emerged and here is one of the recent developments in this field as being reported about new packing modes that can withstand both freezing as well as cooking temperatures.  

"Cook Chill bags are constructed from multi-layer films designed to protect foods from oxygen and moisture while preserving taste, texture and aroma. Foods made with the Cook Chill process can be stored refrigerated for up to 45 days, then reheated just before serving. The foods can be frozen for up to a year. The strong, ergonomic handle on Plascon's Cook Chill Handle Bags allows the end user to safely handle and transport filled bags even when the contents are hot. The handle can also be used to safely remove bags from hot water during the retherming process. Cook Chill Handle Bags incorporate an angled bottom seal, which maximizes yield of the product when the bag is emptied by eliminating corners where food can be trapped. After filling, Plascon Cook Chill Handle Bags can be clipped or sealed depending on the end user's preference. Cook Chill Bags on a Roll were developed to make the storage and dispensing of Cook Chill bags more convenient and to keep corrugated packaging out of commercial kitchens. Health departments in many areas prohibit corrugated in the kitchen due to contamination concerns. Cook Chill Bags on a Roll are wound on a plastic core and are as easy to dispense as paper towels. They can be used in conjunction with Plascon's Stainless Steel Bag Dispenser that can be used on a counter or mounted horizontally or vertically on a wall to keep bags close to workstations while protecting them from spills and splashes. Bags on a Roll are available in 10" and 12" widths and are packaged 100 bags to a roll and 4 rolls to a case. Each roll is individually wrapped. "These new bag configurations give our customers options that allow them to choose the bag that best fits their application," said David Peterson, CEO of Plascon Group. "We continue to use Cryovac films, the highest quality film that was developed specifically for the Cook Chill Process, which has outstanding seal integrity and the strength and durability to withstand the rigors of processing, handling and transportation."

One of the dangers in microwave heating is that if sealed or closed packs are heated without opening and transferring to open and compatible containers before heating, there is the likelihood of the closed pack bursting with risk of injury to the user. It is usually recommended that contents from a sealed pack must be either opened or transferred to microwavable containers before heating. The new development is highly consumer oriented with convenience in mind and can be cooked directly in hot water or microwave oven with no inherent risk of bursting. Imagine the comfort level of a house wife if unopened bags or packs from a frig or freezer can be taken straight for heating or cooking in hot water or microwave oven just before consumption. Packaging industry which has made tremendous advances, especially during the last two decades can be depended upon to come out with such game changing products with enhanced safety and convenience for the consumers, if the food processing industry continues to grow at the present pace in the coming years.

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

     

VEGETABLES "FROM" GARBAGE!-AN INNOVATIVE CIVIC INITIATIVE

One of the serious problems being faced by towns and cities world over is to make the living environment clean, safe and livable for their citizens by efficient collection and disposal of household waste. This does not mean that the individual citizen has no role to play in this task as most of the refuse comes from thousands of households and the problem of disposal of waste can be considerably reduced by minimizing the quantity of garbage generated for the civic body to handle. The urban refuse can have both organic materials which are biodegradable and recyclable materials having some economic value. While most organic waste can be composted in-house, recyclable materials are to be collected for bulking before delivery to the processing centers. Segregation of waste into biodegradable and recyclable is a prerequisite for efficient removal of unsafe and unhygienic liter from the vicinity of living areas within a town or a city. Many big cities do have working systems to collect the garbage and the portion not recyclable is used for land fill but involvement of the citizens is not as much as one would like to have. It is here that the innovative program of one of the urban entities in Brazil is breath taking in its concept and practice. As an incentive families are offered fresh vegetables for trading in garbage, the program serving the dual purpose of improving the health of the citizens as well as improving the environment of the city! Here are more details about this exciting story worthy of emulation by every town and city in this world.   

"In many urban centers throughout the world, vibrant waste recycling programs aren't just eco-minded niceties, they serve an essential role in keeping communities clean and clutter-free. But thanks to one forward-thinking initiative in the Brazilian city of Jundiaí, trading in trash has never been tastier. Ten years ago, the city's Municipal Utilities department launched "Delicious Recycling", a program aimed at encouraging residents to get into the habit of collecting recyclable waste in exchange for fresh vegetables, grown locally in a public-run garden -- and boy did it take off. Today, the garden boasts more than 30 thousand plants to meet the demand of thousands of veggie-loving recyclers, turning aluminum cans and plastic bottles into edible greens. Ultimately, the program has done wonders for the health of the environment as well, by ridding the city of improperly disposed waste. "What once cluttered and even choked the flow of water from storm drains is today used as currency for healthy food," local mayor Miguel Haddad tellsJundiaí Online. "Everybody wins with this."

Taking the case of India, it is beyond the comprehension of many right thinking people as to why such simple schemes cannot be thought of with thousands of acres of cultivable land owned by the civic bodies available for raising vegetable gardens. These are the days when urban dwellers are clamoring for good quality fruits and vegetables at affordable price, preferably grown locally without using too much of fertilizers and pesticides and there are reports that in many cities in countries like the US, Canada etc, urban gardens are being raised on roof tops, abandoned sites, city lands, balconies etc by the urban families to get their daily needs of vegetables. There are even suggestions that instead of landscaping, people must go for foodscaping where lawns are replaced with food plants capable of yielding a variety of vegetables without disturbing the image of the house. Involving the civic bodies in programs similar to the one reported from Brazil can go a long way in cleaning up the dirty environment which is a feature of to day's urban settlements in India. Such schemes must be encouraged through the much touted JNURM program or the job guarantee schemes of Government of India.  

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

CARBONATED LASSI-WHAT IS THE LOGIC?

Yogurt is a product universally liked and many variations of yogurt have established a niche market in western countries. Traditionally curd, made and consumed in India for centuries is a culinary item served during meals in the southern part of India for mixing with rice as a last course of a meal. In contrast people in northern parts of the country consume curd after beating with sugar or salt, called Lassi as a refreshing beverage. Some times Lassi is flavored with aromatic essences for making it more tasty. The salted version of Lassi has the advantages of a reduced calorie count. Blends of fruit pieces or pulps preserved for a few days through modern technology are very popular among kids in the West and this approach is considered a desirable one to attract children to these products, claimed to be rich in pro and pre biotics with many health attributes. Frozen yogurt is another version that is widely accepted as a dessert in place of ice cream products which are increasingly being shunned due to high sugar and fat contents. If recent reports regarding the development of a carbonated Lassi are true, another hitherto untried version of this product may be available one day to the consumers. Here are some details about such a product reported from a famed dairy research organization in India.

It's a perfect healthy carbonated drink for those who want to avoid heavy calories and sugar," Tomar said.After four years of intense research, scientists at the National Dairy Research Institute ( NDRI) in Haryana have discovered a bacteria stain, Leuconostoc Ln 27, which will be used to manufacture carbonated sweet lassi, just like the soft drinks. "Efforts are on to get the process of preparation of the beverage patented, since patent of organisms is not allowed in India," Sudhir Tomar, senior scientist at the Dairy Microbiology Division, NDRI, told Deccan Herald on Tuesday. "The sweetened carbonated Lassi will be 35 per cent less in calories and 65 per cent low in sugar and sans any artificial sweetener," he added. "The bacteria is unique in its phenomenal ability to release a very high level of natural sweetener, mannitol, when it reacts with sugar in curd. It turns the sweet mixture into a very high value mannitol that preserves the sweetness and is low in sugar content as well. Carbon dioxide is naturally released during the process, which adds fizz," Tomar said. The process took nearly four years, during which nearly 200 plant and animal samples were examined. The research team comprised Falguni Patra, A K Singh and Rameshwar Singh. The NDRI plans to sell the patented technology to a company interested in manufacturing the lassi in the country.  Officials at the NDRI said the carbonated lassi would be pitched as a substitute for soft drinks and is likely to appeal to children and teenagers. 

Drinks like Doogh, Ayran, Labban etc popular in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and other countries are also basically curd preparations with minor variations in composition and preparation mode. Basically Lactic acid bacteria belonging to several species have the capacity to convert Lactose present in the milk to lactic acid and the final texture and taste are influenced by the make up of the seeding culture used for fermentation. Casein and other proteins present in milk naturally get precipitated as the acidity develops. The carbonated Lassi, the new product developed in India apparently used a Leuconostoc strain isolated from indigenous sources and its uniqueness lies in generating sweet Mannitol imparting natural sweetness, avoiding too much loading with sucrose as done during preparation of traditional Lassi products. Another unusual feature is that the product has in situ generated CO2 in stead of the high pressure carbonation method used by the fizz drink industry. How far the product can be called carbonated is not sure because traditional CO2 infusion creates pressure as high as four atmosphere. Probably this product is more akin to Champagne though it is not clear regarding the CO2 pressure developed. It will be interesting to see the organoleptic experience of drinking a carbonated product with such high levels of suspended solids and that it self is exciting!  

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