Oct 16, 2016
பரமக்குடி பகுதியில் கலப்பட எண்ணையில் தீபாவளி பலகாரம்
பர மக் குடி, அக்.16:
தீபா வ ளிக்கு விற் பனை செய் வ தற் காக பர மக் குடி பகு தி க ளில் கலப் பட எண் ணெயை பயன் ப டுத்தி பல கா ரம் தயா ரிக் கப் ப டு வ தாக புகார் எழுந் துள் ளது. இத னால் சுகா தா ரத் துறை அதி கா ரி கள் நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் க வேண் டும் என பொது மக் கள் வலி யு றுத்தி உள் ள னர்.
மாவட் டத் தில் பர மக் குடி, ராம நா த பு ரம், ராமேஸ் வ ரம், கமுதி, முது கு ளத் தூர், சாயல் குடி பகு தி க ளில் தீபா வ ளிக் காக இப் போது இனிப்பு, கார வாகை களை தயார் செய் யும் பணி நடந்து வரு கி றது. பேக் கரி மற் றும் இனிப் பு களை தயா ரிக் கும் பணி யில் தற் போது பல கடைக் கா ரர் கள் தயா ராகி வரு கின் றன. பெரும் பா லும் தீபா வளி பல கா ரங் கள் பர மக் கு டி யில் மட் டும் அல் லாது மற்ற ஊர் க ளுக் கும் விற் ப னைக்கு கொண்டு செல் லப் ப டு கி றது. இனிப் பு களை கலப் ப டம் இல் லாத பொருள் க ளில் தயா ரித் தால், உடல் உபா தை கள் ஏற் ப டாது. ஆனால் இதில் லாபம் பார்க்க சில பேக் கரி மற் றும் தனி யார் நிறு வ னங் கள் கலப் பட மாவு, எண் ணெய், நெய் போன் ற வை களை கொண்டு இனிப்பு வகை களை தயார் செய்து வரு கின் ற னர். இதனை மொத் த மாக விற் பனை செய் ய வும் தயா ராக உள் ள னர்.
தீபா வ ளிக்கு 10 நாட் க ளுக்கு முன்பே இனிப்பு மற் றும் கார வ கை கள் தயா ரிக்க தேவை யான கலப் பட பொருள் கள் சந் தைக்கு வந் து விட் டது. இவை கள் அனைத் தும் சில மொத்த கடை க ளில் விற் ப னைக்கு வைத் துள் ள னர். இதனை இப் போதே ஆய்வு செய்து தடுக்கா விட் டால், பொது மக் க ளுக்கு பல் வேறு நோய் கள் வர வாய்ப் பு கள் ஏற் ப டும். மாவட் டத் தில் உள்ள அனைத்து தாலு கா வி லும் உள்ள சுகா தா ரத் துறை அதி கா ரி கள் தீபா வளி பண் டி கைக்கு முன் பேக் கரி, மளிகை கடை கள், மொத்த கடை க ளில் அவ் வப் போது சோதனை செய் ய வேண் டும் என பொது மக் கள் வலி யு றுத்தி உள் ள னர்.
ஓட் ட பா லம் பால மு ரு கன் கூறு கை யில்” பர மக் குடி பேக் க ரி க ளில் சுகா தா ர மற்ற நிலை யில் பொருள் கள் விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டு கி றது. அதி கா ரி கள் பேக் க ரி யில் சோதனை செய் வ தை விட தயா ரிக் கும் இடங் க ளில் சோதனை செய் தால், பர மக் கு டி யில் பிர ப ல மான பேக் க ரி கள் கையும் கள வு மாக பிடி ப டு வார் கள். அனைத்து இடங் க ளி லும் கலப் ப டம் செய் யப் பட்ட பொருள் க ளில் தான் காரம் மற் றும் இனிப் பு கள் தயா ரிக் கப் ப டு கி றது. ஆகை யால் ஓட் ட பா லம், ரயில், பஸ் நிலை யம் உள் ளிட்ட பகு தி க ளில் உள்ள பேக் க ரி களை உணவு பாது காப்பு அதி கா ரி கள் சோதனை செய் ய வேண் டும் என் றார்.
80 சதவீத உப்பு பொட்டலங்களில் அயோடின் இல்லை நுகர்வோர் சங்கம் குற்றச்சாட்டு
தர் ம புரி, அக்.16:
தர் ம புரி மாவட்ட நுகர் வோர் உரி மைப் பாது காப்பு சங்க தலை வர் அண் ணா மலை வெளி யிட் டுள்ள அறிக்கை: அயோ டின் சத் துப் பற் றாக் கு றை யால் கருக் க லை தல், மூளை வளர்ச்சி குறை பாடு, வளர்ச்சி குறை பாடு உள் ளிட் டவை ஏற் ப டு வ தா கக் கூறப் ப டு கி றது. இதற் காக உண வுக் குப் பயன் ப டுத் தப் ப டும் உப் பில் 10சத வீ தம் பிபி எம் அளவு தயா ரிப்பு நிலை யில் அயோ டின் இருக்க வேண் டும். விற் ப னைக்கு வரும் போது 15 சத வீ தம் பிபி எம் அள வுக்கு குறை யக் கூ டாது என உண வுப் பாது காப்பு சட் டத் தில் கூறப் பட் டுள் ளது. தர் ம பு ரி யில் ஆய்வு செய்த வகை யில், 130 கல் உப் புப் பொட் ட லங் கள், 28 தூள் உப் புப் பொட் ட லங் கள், 60 சுத் தி க ரிக் கப் பட்ட உப் புப் பொட் ட லங் களை சேக ரித்து, திரு வா ரூர் மாவட்ட நுகர் வோர் பாது காப்பு மைய ஆய் வுக் கூ டத் துக்கு அனுப்பி வைத் தோம். இந்த ஆய் வில் போது மான அளவு அயோ டின் இல்லை என தெரி ய வந் துள் ளது. பெரும் பா லான கடை க ளில் அயோ டின் கலந்த உப்பு என அச் சி டப் பட்ட கவ ரில், சாதா ரண உப்பு அடைத்து விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டு வ தும் தெரி ய வந் துள் ளது. எனவே உணவு பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் கள் கண் கா ணித்து, துரித நட வ டிக்கை எடுக்க வேண் டும். இவ் வாறு அறிக் கை யில் கூறப் பட் டுள் ளது.
Food safety: notice served on city hotel
The Food Safety wing has imposed a fine of Rs.50,000 and served improvement notice on Hotel SP Grand Days in the city, following an investigation into a complaint given by one of the guests at the hotel. Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety, D. Sivakumar, said that a doctor who had visited the hotel’s restaurant on Friday had given a complaint that a worm had been found in the serving of cut fruits that he had ordered.
The complaint was accompanied by photographs showing the worm, following which Food Safety officials inspected the hotel kitchens on Saturday. ”We found the kitchen to be unhygienic and hence a fine of Rs. 50,000 was imposed and an improvement notice was served,” Mr. Sivakumar said.
Lab tests dispel fears of artificial eggs
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The reports from different labs in the state have finally cleared the air about the so-called artificial or Chinese eggs--the tests have found that all of them were real ones.
The meat technology unit and the department of livestock product technology under the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Science University in Mannuthy has validated its earlier finding that the rumours on Chinese eggs were false. Similarly, tests conducted at the Centre for Advance Studies in Poultry Science (CASPS) of the College of Veterinary and animal sciences (COVAS) on the `artificial' eggs have also found that there was nothing unusual about them.
The food safety department handed over the reports to health minister K K Shylajaon Saturday .
Most of the eggs were very old but the shells, the air cells (which rests between the outer and inner membranes), the egg white and the yolk were found to be normal, said professor P Anita, head of the CASPS.
The reports about `Chinese eggs' had sparked panic among consumers, some of whom had gone to the extent of targeting trucks carrying eggs from Tamil Nadu. There were similar protests against traders in many parts of the state.
Sources in the food safety department said though the reports were found to be fake, it has taken notice of some un necessary practice in the egg trade such as sale of eggs under the category such as extraordinary . "There was no such category of eggs under the food safety and standards Act. It was a case of misbranding. Action will be taken," an official said.
Sources said that there might be several reasons for the suspected changes in the eggs. "In one of the cases, we learned that the eggs were frozen in the production plants in Namakkal before it was transported to the state in large trucks. Sometimes the eggs were stored for more than desirable time and this lead them to rot."
The former head of meat technology unit and the department of livestock product technology at Mannuthy , George T Oommen said the eggs were stored at 10-12 degree Celsius for short-term storage (2-3 weeks). However, after they are moved to room temperature, condensation or sweating on eggs occurs and they start rotting.
"Almost all egg contents are sterile at the time of production. Microbial contamination on the shell surface comes from dust, faecal material and contaminants from previously used packaging materials. Although the egg shell, the shell membrane and antibacterial components in egg albumen resist bacterial growth, the eggs may get spoiled. Spoilage of eggs is due to penetration of microorganisms through egg shell and membrane," he said.
Food contamination can be checked by turning off lights
Purdue University researchers have engineered a new detection method that would enable them to traces E. coli (bacteria) contamination in food by turning off the lights to see if the bacteria glow in the dark.
The bacteriophage called NanoLuc is a virus that only infects bacteria to produce an enzyme that causes E. coli O157:H7 to emit light if infected.
The process can shave off hours traditional testing methods, which can be critical when stopping the distribution of tainted foods.
Researcher Bruce Applegate said, "It's really practical. They (testing labs) don't have to modify anything they're doing. They just have to add the phage during the enrichment step of the testing protocol."
Adding, "We could detect as few as four bacteria in eight hours, and the process is cheaper than tests being used today."
While many strains of E. coli bacteria are harmless, some can cause severe and potentially fatal illnesses.
Ingesting as few as 10 colony-forming units of E. coli can result in serious illness.
Current detection methods cannot find just a few E. coli cells in a sample, so inspectors do an enrichment process, culturing the bacteria to multiply so they can be detected.
With the bacteriophage added to the sample, scientists can add a reagent and detect E. coli before the enrichment process is even finished, within seven to nine hours.
Paper's first author Dandan Zhang, said: "The current detection methods cannot bypass the enrichment process, but our technology can explore the enrichment phase. That can give us a time advantage over other methods."
The process is also unlikely to create a false positive because the bacteriophage cannot produce the light-emitting protein without encountering E. coli, which is the only bacterium NanoLuc is able to infect.
"The phage is just a virus. It cannot carry out metabolism until it infects bacteria, which in this case is E. coli. They won't create these proteins unless they've found their specific host," Applegate said.
Based on the number of bacteriophage added, the amount of time that has passed and the amount of light emitted, the authors can use an equation to determine approximately how much E. coli is present.
Their tests were done in an enrichment broth made with ground beef.
Zhang said future work would focus on detection of E. coli in lettuce, spinach and other produce.
Other bacteriophages could also be developed to detect other pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella, in a similar fashion.
Are your spices adulterated? Check with these simple tests
Take a close look at the spices in your kitchen. Is the clove shrunk and too small? It could be adulterated. Here are easy tests for you to ensure that your spices are pure.
Spices are a must have in every Indian kitchen and no meal is complete without them. You probably end up buying a lot of whole spices and powder from your local baniya.If branded and packaged spices are not available, you tend to buy loosely sold packets. This increases the risk of you consuming adulterated spices. Whole spices are adulterated with similar looking substances like tiny stones, pebbles, grass seeds, etc. Also most spices are sun-dried in the open. which makes them more prone to contamination. Powdered spices, on the other hand, are contaminated with artificial colours, chalk powder, etc., which increases their bulk and also enhances their colour.
Adulterated food is very harmful and food additives like artificial colours, can cause various diseases like skin allergies. But adulterated spices can easily be distinguished from pure ones by performing these simple tests:
| Food product | Adulterant | Test to check adulteration | |
| Whole spices | Dust, pebble, straw, weed seeds, damaged grain, insects, rodent excreta, hair, etc. | Visual examination can help you distinguish between pure and impure form. | |
| Black pepper | Papaya seeds | On visual examination you will find that papaya seeds are shrunken and oval in shape. They are greenish or brownish black in colour. | |
| Cloves | Exhausted cloves (All the oil is extracted from them.) | The small size and shrunken appearance of cloves make them easy to distinguish. Also, the smell is less pungent as compared to true cloves. | |
| Mustard seeds | Argemone seed | On close observation they are easy to separate as, mustard seeds have a smooth appearance, whereas argemone seeds have a grainy and rough surface and are black in colour. You can also press the mustard seed. Genuine mustard seeds have a yellow core, whereas argemone seeds have a white core. | |
| Powdered spices | Added starch (Not applicable to turmeric.) | Add a drop of iodine solution (easily available in medical stores or the one from your first-aid box). Formation of blue colour indicates adulteration. | |
| Table salt | Tasting the spice will help you distinguish between adulterated and pure spices. | ||
| Turmeric powder | Metanil yellow | Take 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder in a test tube, add 3 ml alcohol to it and shake vigorously. Add 10 drops of hydrochloric acid to it. Appearance of pink colour indicates presence of this chemical. | |
| Chalk powder or yellow soap stone powder | Add some dilute hydrochloric acid, if it effervesces; chalk powder or yellow soap stone powder is present. | ||
| Turmeric whole | Lead chromate (Gives a bright appearance to the spice) | Add a piece of whole turmeric to water. If the water turns yellow, it indicates adulteration with lead chromate. | |
| Chilli powder | Brick powder, salt powder or talc powder | Add a tsp of chilli powder to a glass of water. If it is artificially coloured, the water will change its colour. | |
| Rub some chilli powder at the bottom of a glass. If any grittiness is felt, it indicates the presence of brick powder/sand. | |||
| Artificial colours | Sprinkle some chilli powder on a glass of water. Artificial colours will leave a coloured streak. | ||
| Asafoetida (Hing) | Soap stone or other earthy material | Add some water to the sample and shake it vigorously. Earthy material or soap stone will settle at the bottom. | |
| Starch | Add a drop of iodine solution (easily available in medical stores or the one from your first-aid box). Formation of blue colour indicates adulteration. | ||
| Cinnamon | Cassia bark | Cinnamon bark is very thin and can be easily rolled around a pencil or a pen and also have a distinct smell. Cassia barks are tougher and thick. | |
| Cumin seeds | Grass sees coloured with charcoal dust | Rub the cumin seeds on your palms. Colouration of your palms indicate adulteration. | |
| Saffron | Dried tendrils of maize cob (Artificial saffron is prepared by drying tendrils of maize cob and colouring them with food colour) | Try breaking a saffron strand. Genuine saffron does not break on pressing but artificial saffron easily crumbles under pressure. Also, try dissolving saffron in water, pure saffron will keep on giving colour until it completely dissolves.These tests are easy to perform and do not require chemicals other than those easily available. But if you find that your product is adulterated you can also get it analysed by a lab analyst at your own expense. For consumer complaints you can reach out to the national consumer helpline at their toll free helpline: 1800-111-4000. You can visit their helpline at www.nationalconsumerhelpline.in. Also, you can contact your local consumer courts or Food and Drug Administration in your city. | |
There are provisions to seek compensation under the Prevention of Food Adulteration act (PFA), 1954, where you can seek compensation by filing complaints in National Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (NCDRF), if you seek compensation of Rs. 1 crore and above, State Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (SCDRF)(Rs. 20 Lakh and above but below Rs. 1 Crore ) and District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (DCDRF) (Rs. 20 Lakh or below).
Although while filing a complaint you will also have to inform the vendor against whom you are filing it. You may also like to check if your milk and milk products are adulterated.
Govt approves Rs 490 crore for upgrading food testing labs
Around 40 food testing labs will be set up across the country while special attention in this regard will be given to four northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Sikkim.
The government will be spending Rs 490 crore in the next two-three years on upgrading and setting up new food testing laboratories (FTLs) across the country, an official said on Friday vs Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said 45 FTLs would be strengthened across the country while special attention in this regard will be given to four northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Sikkim.
‘The government has recently approved Rs 490 crore for upgrading and strengthening FTLs across the country. The idea is to upgrade at least two FTLs in larger states and one in smaller states and union territories,’ he said. There are 114 FTLs operating in the country of which 112 are NABL accredited private labs notified under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
‘Besides setting at least three new FTLs, there is proposal to set up 62 mobile foot testing labs (MFLs). There will be at least one MFL in each of the states and union territories,’ said Agarwal adding that at least 8-10 private labs were under consideration for notification under the FSS Act.
The FTLs have been facing challenges in terms of availability of sophisticated analytical equipments and trained scientific and technical manpower, he said. ‘The target is to standardise the FTL network in the next two-three years,’ he said.
Tests rule out chances of chemical eggs
The preliminary screening of samples of eggs at the Centre of Excellence in Poultry Science of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Thrissur, in the wake of reports of sale of chemical or ‘Çhinese’ eggs, did not find any artificial nature in the samples. The samples were collected by the Food Safety and Standards authority from various markets in Ernakulam district.
"All the eggs were natural, but the yolks of the samples were thick,” KVASU sources said. Moreover, the egg membrane was easily identifiable because of its thickness, the sources said.
Scientists who examined the samples said since the shelf life of the eggs was comparatively less, poor storage facilities might have affected their quality and consistency. Deep frozen eggs were found to have similar consistency.
If kept for a long time, eggs may show a periodical change in consistency. Consumers may have mistaken this as Chinese or chemical egg, sources added.
The university will test samples collected from other parts of the State.
“At a time when poultry entrepreneurship is emerging as a sustainable agribusiness venture in the State, apprehensions about the poultry product may affect the industry and the livelihood of thousands of entrepreneurs, said T.P. Sethumadhavan, Director of Entrepreneurship, KVASU.
“Of the total eggs produced in the State, more than 90 per cent are from backyard sources. Though there is huge potential for organic or natural egg in the State, more than 60 per cent of the egg requirement is met from nearby States,” Dr. Sethumadhavan added.
Kerala requires an average of 75 lakh eggs a day for consumption, he said.
Samples collected from markets in Ernakulam tested by poultry science centre of KVASU.
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