Sweet-leaved herb stevia gaining presence in city

The city has caught up with stevia fever that has been raging in the country’s research centres in the past few years, thanks to two woman scientists from the city. Stevia, a sweet-leaved herb from south America, is a natural alternative for sugar and is consistently replacing artificial sweeteners in international markets.
Sangeeta Kulkarni from Jnana Prabodhini and Manjusha Savardekar from Bhide Foundation are the two scientist who are doing extraction and product development of the sweetening element in stevia leaves. “I had sent this proposal to Department of Science and Technology under Disha scheme which got selected. DST funded the project for last two years. After completing that project, Manjusha joined my research and we continue to do prototype development that can be used in the market,” Kulkarni said.
“Stevia leaf extract is 300 times sweeter than normal sugar. Stevia is nutrient rich, containing substantial amount of protein, magnesium etc. Stevia can also be used as a house hold sweetener in preparation of sweets,” Savardekar said.
Although approved in countries such as America, Japan, Brazil, Argentina etc, India is yet to open its door to stevia. Sugar lobbies and also artificial sugar industry is being touted to be behind the delay in its approval as a food item. At present, a scientific panel in the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is considering whether stevia can be approved as a food item or not. FSSAI had recommended the use of stevia as a natural alternative in carbonated water, soft drink concentrates, chewing gums and table-top sweeteners in September last year. The recommendations are yet to be cleared by an expert panel of FSSAI which can take up to one year for its implementation. Various companies including Coca-Cola had applied for its permission for usage in India.
“The substance has been in use for many years in America without any side effects. Moreover, India was also supporting stevia cultivation for about 10 years before banning it last year. If the recommendations are approved and implemented by FSSAI, then it will definitely be a boon for diabetic and high BP patients,” Kulkarni said.

Dina Thanthi & Dinakaran

22 கிலோ கலப்பட டீ தூள் பறிமுதல் - டீ கடைகளில் அதிகாரிகள் ஆய்வு

சேலம், டிச.1:

சேலம் மாவட்டம் ஆத்தூர் நகரப்பகுதியில் உள்ள டீ கடைகள் மற்றும் மளிகை கடைகளில் கலப்பட டீ தூள் விற்கப்படுவதாக தொடர்ந்து புகார்கள் வந்தன. இதையடுத்து சேலம் மாவட்ட உணவுப் பொருட்கள் தரக்கட்டுப்பாட்டு அலுவலர் அனுராதா தலைமையில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்கள் ராஜமாணிக்கம், புஷ்பராஜ், சுந்தர்ராஜ் உள்ளிட்ட அதிகாரிகள் ஆய்வு செய்தனர்.

ஆத்தூர் கடை வீதி, பஸ் நிலையம், கடலூர் மெயின் ரோடு என்று 10க்கும் மேற்பட்ட கடைகளில் ஆய்வு நடத்தியதில் 22 கிலோ கலப்பட டீ தூள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது. அவற்றை மண்ணில் கொட்டி அழித்த அதிகாரிகள், கலப்பட டீ தூள் விற்பனையாளர்களுக்கு எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளனர்.

இது குறித்து அதிகாரிகள் கூறுகையில், தரமான டீ தூளை கண்ணாடி டம்ளர் நீரில் கொட்டினால் எந்த மாற்றமும் இருக்காது. ஆனால் கலப்பட டீ தூளை கொட்டினால் அது மஞ்சள் அல்லது பழுப்பு நிறமாக மாறும். கலப்பட தூளில் தயாரிக்கப்பட்ட டீ அருந்துவதால் பல்வேறு உடல் நலக் கோளாறுகள் ஏற்படும். எனவே மேற்கண்ட சோதனை மூலம் கலப்படத்தை கண்டறிவதோடு உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகளுக்கு தகவல் தெரிவிக்கலாம் என்றனர்.

 

݈ɘ ð°FJ™ «ð£L ¯ Éœ 22 A«ô£ ðPºî™

àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ¶¬øJù˜ ïìõ®‚¬è

«êô‹, ®ê.1-
«êô‹ ñ£õ†ì‹ ݈ɘ ð°FJ™ èôŠðì ¯ MŸèŠð´õî£è àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ñŸÁ‹ îóƒèœ ¶¬ø‚° ¹è£˜ õ‰î¶. Þ¬îò´ˆ¶ àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ¶¬ø Gòñù ÜFè£K ÜÂó£î£ î¬ô¬ñJ™, ¶¬ø ÜFè£Kèœ ó£üñ£E‚è‹, ¹wðó£x, ²‰îóó£x ñŸÁ‹ ðô˜ ݈ɘ ðv G¬ôò‹, è¬ìiF, èìÖ˜ ªñJ¡ «ó£´ ÝAò ð°FJ™ «ê£î¬ù «ñŸªè£‡ìù˜.
ÜŠ«ð£¶ «ð£Lò£è èôŠðì ¯ MŸø è¬ìèO™ Þ¼‰¶ 22 A«ô£ «ð£L ¯ ɬ÷ ÜFè£Kèœ ðPºî™ ªêŒî¶ì¡ Üõ˜è¬÷ â„êKˆîù˜. 

Truth about ads

Food regulator’s action against companies making bogus and misleading claims is long overdue
If one is to believe the advertisements that punctuate Indian television programming, Complan will make a child grow tall, Horlicks will make her smart and a Kellogg’s breakfast will keep her slim. It’s just as well, then, that some of the more outlandish claims made by these fast moving consumer goods companies (FMCGs) have been noticed by the food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The FSSAI has issued notices in 38 cases of dubious or misleading claims, and prosecution has reportedly been launched in 19 of those cases.
India is not the only place where FMCG companies have produced slick but factually suspect advertisements. Horlicks, for example, ran an advertisement on British television that it makes children “taller, stronger, sharper”, and this was rejected in a ruling by the UK Advertising Standards Authority. The same watchdog criticised Coca-Cola’s adverts for its “vitamin water”, which it claimed was nutritionally comparable to vegetables, and they had to be withdrawn.
In India, the cases have been filed for violation under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, under which advertisements that falsely describe food and are likely to mislead the public are liable to be penalised. Predictably, there is a pushback from advertisers, who claim the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) already regulates against misleading advertising. Given, however, that patently unscientific claims in advertisements make it through the ASCI’s filters, this is an indicator that consumers need to be protected in a more muscular manner, especially since the ASCI relies on advertisers voluntarily modifying or withdrawing advertisements that contravene its code.