The Telegraph
Calcutta, India
SMITA BHATTACHARYYA
Jorhat, Sept. 27: Here’s a simple khichdi recipe: rice, dal and potatoes. Now, add some punch: to rice, stir in sprouted moong, a handful of soya nuggets and a sprinkling of dhekia (a fern).
Voila, not only a tasty khichdi but a more nutritious one is ready.
The food and nutrition department of the College of Home Science under Assam Agricultural University in Jorhat has come up with this recipe to enhance the food value of the government’s midday meal scheme for schoolchildren. Teachers and students of the department have demonstrated the way to make this khichdi at no additional cost at several programmes held in remote schools in Jorhat district recently.
The head of the department, Basanti Baroova, said usually the school serves khichdi made of rice, dal and potatoes but “we have shown that at no additional cost one can make a healthier dish”.
“The teachers and parents gathered on the occasion were told about the nutritional value of each item. Dhekia, which is available in plenty in the fields, is rich in micro-nutrients — vitamins and minerals. Sprouted moong, to be used in place of masoor dal (red lentil), is a source of vitamin C and protein and soya has vegetable protein besides rice which provides the carbohydrate. Ours is not just to demonstrate but to educate. We do not give them fish but teach them to capture fish so that they can feed themselves and feed others as well,” Baroova said.
Mamoni Das, another teacher of the home science department, said in every such programme held so far, the department had attempted a holistic approach to build a healthy society. “Our target is not just to better the food of schoolchildren but the whole family and that is why we address the women of the village who cook the food. In one such programme held at the Upar Deori ME School recently, pointers were given as to what constitutes a nutritional diet and what is unhealthy. We tell them about the food value of all things which are usually consumed daily and if they can replace it with something more nutritious — the stress being on greens and other items found in the surroundings,” Das said.
Jashodha Deori, a parent present at one of the meetings, said she would henceforth try to give her children raw peanuts instead of the fried variety and sprouted gram instead of biscuits at snack time.
Anup Deori, an assistant at the school, said they would try to cook the khichdi as demonstrated by the home science department, as it was packed with more nutrients.
To a query on whether the food of the villagers was deficient in nutrients, Baroova said apparently they looked healthy but 80 per cent of women in the country are anaemic and “if we look deeply you will find many suffering from skin and other deficiency-related diseases”.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100928/jsp/northeast/story_12938434.jsp
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Nestlé Announces New Food Science Institute
"Swiss food giant Nestlé plans to step up its involvement in food products designed to prevent disease and improve health. At a press conference this morning, the company announced the creation of a new research center, the Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, to better understand the role of foods in disease prevention. A new daughter company, Nestlé Health Science, S.A., which will incorporate Nestlé's existing health business, will bring the fruits of its labors to the market.
The new institute, based at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, will be led by Emmanuel Baetge, former chief scientific officer of ViaCyte, a biotech in San Diego, California, focussing on stem cell treatments for diabetes. Obesity, diabetes, neurological disorders, and aging will be major targets of the institute's researchers, Baetge said this morning. Nestlé representatives could not say how many scientists it will employ, but the company has said it plans to spend 'hundreds of millions' of dollars on the institute over the coming decade.
So-called functional foods and nutraceuticals, such as yogurts with 'good' bacteria, have already become a multibillion dollar market, but Nestlé says it plans to go a step further by providing consumers with 'personalized health science nutrition'—although company representatives were vague on how this would work exactly.
A key problem with health foods is that it's very hard to demonstrate scientifically that they work. The European Food Safety Agency, which is reviewing thousands of companies' health claims, has so far thrown out the vast majority of them, which could force companies to remove the claims from their labels and ads. But Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke dodged a question today about how his company's future products can avoid that fate."
http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/09/nestle-announces-new-food-science.html
The new institute, based at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, will be led by Emmanuel Baetge, former chief scientific officer of ViaCyte, a biotech in San Diego, California, focussing on stem cell treatments for diabetes. Obesity, diabetes, neurological disorders, and aging will be major targets of the institute's researchers, Baetge said this morning. Nestlé representatives could not say how many scientists it will employ, but the company has said it plans to spend 'hundreds of millions' of dollars on the institute over the coming decade.
So-called functional foods and nutraceuticals, such as yogurts with 'good' bacteria, have already become a multibillion dollar market, but Nestlé says it plans to go a step further by providing consumers with 'personalized health science nutrition'—although company representatives were vague on how this would work exactly.
A key problem with health foods is that it's very hard to demonstrate scientifically that they work. The European Food Safety Agency, which is reviewing thousands of companies' health claims, has so far thrown out the vast majority of them, which could force companies to remove the claims from their labels and ads. But Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke dodged a question today about how his company's future products can avoid that fate."
http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/09/nestle-announces-new-food-science.html
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Six top science bodies’ verdict: Bt brinjal safe
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2010
"Six premier Indian science academies, given the task of evaluating Bt brinjal by Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, have declared it safe, but their findings also say all genetically modified (GM) items pose a risk if the science behind them is flawed. The academies, as part of their mandate, have made key recommendations, including allowing the use of GM crops to meet growing food demands."
http://indiaagronews.blogspot.com/2010/09/six-top-science-bodies-verdict-bt.html
"Six premier Indian science academies, given the task of evaluating Bt brinjal by Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, have declared it safe, but their findings also say all genetically modified (GM) items pose a risk if the science behind them is flawed. The academies, as part of their mandate, have made key recommendations, including allowing the use of GM crops to meet growing food demands."
http://indiaagronews.blogspot.com/2010/09/six-top-science-bodies-verdict-bt.html
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
African countries urged to embrace biotechnology
"Abuja, Sept. 26, GNA - Dr Nompumelelo H. Obokoh, Project Manager of African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), has called on African leaders to position themselves to embrace biotechnology in solving food insecurity in Africa.
She said the challenges of science technology and innovation held the key for improved food security and poverty reduction as global trends have indicated preference for commercialized biotechnology and genetically modified (GM) crops.
Dr Obokoh disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in Abuja.
The Project Manager said the United States, China and South Africa have taken full advantage of the system and expressed worry that trends that were fast changing and improving systems elsewhere was rather slow in Africa.
She advocated the mainstreaming of biotechnology into agricultural production, building of capacity for compliance and migrating to commercial high yielding crops."
http://www.ghananewsagency.org/s_science/r_20814/
She said the challenges of science technology and innovation held the key for improved food security and poverty reduction as global trends have indicated preference for commercialized biotechnology and genetically modified (GM) crops.
Dr Obokoh disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in Abuja.
The Project Manager said the United States, China and South Africa have taken full advantage of the system and expressed worry that trends that were fast changing and improving systems elsewhere was rather slow in Africa.
She advocated the mainstreaming of biotechnology into agricultural production, building of capacity for compliance and migrating to commercial high yielding crops."
http://www.ghananewsagency.org/s_science/r_20814/
Monday, September 27, 2010
Dr. Fred Below gets excited about what he calls “the perfect crop”: corn.
"Ag connect expo 2011 will showcase science based agriculture ......... Dr. Fred Below gets excited about what he calls 'the perfect crop': corn. His enthusiasm for corn, and the power of his presentation, helps you see how producers could ultimately have eye-popping yields of 300 bushels an acre, Below predicts.
'If a scientist had to start from scratch to create a food-producing plant with the most flexibility and the highest responsiveness to management, the results would be corn. It’s the highest yielding crop in the world,' he says.
Dr. Below, who is Professor of Plant Physiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will bring his compelling corn production insights to AG CONNECT Expo, at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, in January next year. ............... Below said he plans to have early data from the 2010 harvest when he shares with attendees the 'Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World' for optimizing crop management and yield at AG CONNECT Expo 2011.
'Science_based agriculture will show the way to feed the earth’s increasing population, and corn will be a keystone to that effort. We need to double food production in 20 years but we can’t do it without biotech,' Below said. 'And corn is the crop that is most amenable to modern scientific biotech management.' "
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/09/ag-connect-expo-2011-will-showcase-science-based-agriculture/
'If a scientist had to start from scratch to create a food-producing plant with the most flexibility and the highest responsiveness to management, the results would be corn. It’s the highest yielding crop in the world,' he says.
Dr. Below, who is Professor of Plant Physiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will bring his compelling corn production insights to AG CONNECT Expo, at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, in January next year. ............... Below said he plans to have early data from the 2010 harvest when he shares with attendees the 'Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World' for optimizing crop management and yield at AG CONNECT Expo 2011.
'Science_based agriculture will show the way to feed the earth’s increasing population, and corn will be a keystone to that effort. We need to double food production in 20 years but we can’t do it without biotech,' Below said. 'And corn is the crop that is most amenable to modern scientific biotech management.' "
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/09/ag-connect-expo-2011-will-showcase-science-based-agriculture/
Sunday, September 26, 2010
About BeanCAP
"The Common Bean Coordinated Agricultural Project (BeanCAP) will significantly impact the future direction of research by providing new tools and research directions for this important nutritional and commodity crop. The first market-class-specific markers, whose value will extend well beyond the project duration, will be a major outcome affecting all bean research. When genotypic data, generated by using these markers, is coupled with nutritional profiling data, also generated by the project, species-wide and market-class-specific loci affecting the nutritional traits will be discovered. This will set the stage for significant common bean improvements for years to come."
Phil McClean mcclean@beangenes.cws.ndsu.nodak.edu
Project Director
North Dakota State University
http://www.beancap.org/BeanCAP.cfm
Phil McClean mcclean@beangenes.cws.ndsu.nodak.edu
Project Director
North Dakota State University
http://www.beancap.org/BeanCAP.cfm
Temperature abuse of packaged salads raises food safety fears - study
"Storing packaged lettuce salads at 5°C (41°F) or below is critical for reducing food safety risks such as E.coli 0157:H7, according to new research.
Researchers said the findings were significant as they demonstrated that foodborne pathogens 'can grow significantly on commercially packaged lettuce salads while the product’s visual quality is fully acceptable.' This challenged the widely held view that temperature control of bagged greens was a quality rather than predominantly a food safety issue, said the team."
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/Temperature-abuse-of-packaged-salads-raises-food-safety-fears-study
Researchers said the findings were significant as they demonstrated that foodborne pathogens 'can grow significantly on commercially packaged lettuce salads while the product’s visual quality is fully acceptable.' This challenged the widely held view that temperature control of bagged greens was a quality rather than predominantly a food safety issue, said the team."
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/Temperature-abuse-of-packaged-salads-raises-food-safety-fears-study
Food Science Activities for Kids
"Food science is an interdisciplinary science, consisting of chemistry, microbiology and biochemistry. Experimenting with food can provide insight into all of these fields. Many schools are even incorporating food science into their curricula, including food science activities that are both educational and entertaining for children. You can also conduct food science experiments at home, using simple household items and ingredients."
This is a great article, and we need to get the kids more involved. The article includes several examples of "food science experiments" that kids can do at home.
http://www.ehow.com/list_7162696_food-science-activities-kids.html
This is a great article, and we need to get the kids more involved. The article includes several examples of "food science experiments" that kids can do at home.
http://www.ehow.com/list_7162696_food-science-activities-kids.html
Bamboo salts may act as sodium replacer: Study
" .........The new study, published in Meat Science, suggests that meat batters formulated with bamboo salts have better physical, chemical, and sensory properties when compared to batters made with conventional, commercially available sodium chloride. ...........Bamboo salts are produced by placing sea salt in thick bamboo stubs and baking them together with pine tree firewood, the process is suggested to purify the sea salt and infuse the oils from the bamboo.
Ancient bamboo salts were baked two or three times, before being used in traditional medical treatments, however it is now common for bamboo salt to be baked more than nine times before use."
My gut feeling is that bamboo salts are a long way from being cost-effective. Just my gut feeling. Otherwise, this is very interesting.
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/Bamboo-salts-may-act-as-sodium-replacer-Study?utm_source=RSS_text_news
Ancient bamboo salts were baked two or three times, before being used in traditional medical treatments, however it is now common for bamboo salt to be baked more than nine times before use."
My gut feeling is that bamboo salts are a long way from being cost-effective. Just my gut feeling. Otherwise, this is very interesting.
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/Bamboo-salts-may-act-as-sodium-replacer-Study?utm_source=RSS_text_news
Food ingredients to drive processing sector
"India is the ingredients bowl of the future. The segment is driven by the growing food processing industry.
The key ingredients are food colours, flavours, sweeteners, antioxidants and antimicrobials, emulsifier and stabilizers. Their use in the food and beverage sector is indispensable. There are also a huge range of special ingredients like probiotics, prebiotics and bio-enzymes. In addition, there are bulk ingredients like dairy, oils, fats, sugars, basic proteins, emulsifiers, acidulants, phytochemicals, sweeteners, flavours, colours, enzymes, meat seasonings, bakery mixes, fruit preps, vitamin/mineral pre mixes, etc. Some of the leading companies in the space are Grifith Labs, Pristine Organics, Cargill Flavours, AB Mauri, Sonarome ITC Colors and Phytotec Extracts to name a few."
A complete and very interesting article.
http://www.fnbnews.com/article/detnews.asp?articleid=28361§ionid=49
The key ingredients are food colours, flavours, sweeteners, antioxidants and antimicrobials, emulsifier and stabilizers. Their use in the food and beverage sector is indispensable. There are also a huge range of special ingredients like probiotics, prebiotics and bio-enzymes. In addition, there are bulk ingredients like dairy, oils, fats, sugars, basic proteins, emulsifiers, acidulants, phytochemicals, sweeteners, flavours, colours, enzymes, meat seasonings, bakery mixes, fruit preps, vitamin/mineral pre mixes, etc. Some of the leading companies in the space are Grifith Labs, Pristine Organics, Cargill Flavours, AB Mauri, Sonarome ITC Colors and Phytotec Extracts to name a few."
A complete and very interesting article.
http://www.fnbnews.com/article/detnews.asp?articleid=28361§ionid=49
NDSU to establish pulse crop quality laboratory
"FARGO - Dil Thavarajah has joined the pulse crop program as an assistant professor-pulse quality and human nutrition in the North Dakota State University School of Food Systems. Thavarajah will be setting up a lab to study pulse crop quality and nutrition. It will be the first pulse quality and nutrition lab in the country.
The pulse crop industry in North Dakota continues to grow as NDSU pulse crop breeders develop new varieties that have high yields, high-quality seed and good agronomic traits.
'Approximately one-third of the world's population suffers from vitamin or mineral malnutrition,' Thavarajah says. 'Pulse crops could be a food-based solution to provide the most bioavailable forms of minerals and vitamins to help those suffering from malnutrition and for millions of those in Western countries who are vegetarians. My research has shown that pulse crops could provide sufficient daily iron, zinc, selenium and other micronutrient requirements by serving 50 grams of pulse crops.' "
This is a very interesting article and program. After the link I am providing more information on pulse crops.
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/292208/group/Business/
A pulse (Latin "puls",[1] from Greek "πόλτος" - poltos, "porridge"[2]) is an annual leguminous crop yielding from one to twelve seeds of variable size, shape, and color within a pod. Pulses are used for food and animal feed. The term "pulse", as used by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), is reserved for crops harvested solely for the dry seed. This excludes green beans and green peas, which are considered vegetable crops. Also excluded are crops that are mainly grown for oil extraction (oilseeds like soybeans and peanuts), and crops which are used exclusively for sowing (clovers, alfalfa). However, in common use these distinctions are not clearly made, and many of the varieties so classified and given below are also used as vegetables, with their beans in pods while young cooked in whole cuisines and sold for the purpose; for example black eyed beans, lima beans and Toor or pigeon peas are thus eaten as fresh green beans cooked as part of a meal. Pulses are important food crops due to their high protein and essential amino acid content. Like many leguminous crops, pulses play a key role in crop rotation due to their ability to fix nitrogen.
Just like words as "bean" and "lentil", the word "pulse" may also refer to just the seed, rather than the entire plant.
India and Pakistan are the world's largest producers and the largest consumers of pulses. Canada, Myanmar, Australia and the United States are significant exporters, and are India's most significant suppliers, in that order.
FAO recognizes 11 primary pulses.
1. Dry beans (Phaseolus spp. including several species now in Vigna)
Kidney bean, haricot bean, pinto bean, navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Lima bean, butter bean (Phaseolus lunatus)
Azuki bean, adzuki bean (Vigna angularis)
Mung bean, golden gram, green gram (Vigna radiata)
Black gram, Urad (Vigna mungo)
Scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus)
Ricebean (Vigna umbellata)
Moth bean (Vigna acontifolia)
Tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius)
2. Dry broad beans (Vicia faba)
Horse bean (Vicia faba equina)
Broad bean (Vicia faba)
Field bean (Vicia faba)
3. Dry peas (Pisum spp.)
Garden pea (Pisum sativum var. sativum)
Protein pea (Pisum sativum var. arvense)
4. Chickpea, Garbanzo, Bengal gram (Cicer arietinum)
5. Dry cowpea, Black-eyed pea, blackeye bean (Vigna unguiculata )
6. Pigeon pea, Arhar /Toor, cajan pea, Congo bean (Cajanus cajan)
7. Lentil (Lens culinaris)
8. Bambara groundnut, earth pea (Vigna subterranea)
9. Vetch, common vetch (Vicia sativa)
10. Lupins (Lupinus spp.)
11. Minor pulses include:
Lablab, hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus)
Jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis), sword bean (Canavalia gladiata)
Winged bean (Psophocarpus teragonolobus)
Velvet bean, cowitch (Mucuna pruriens var. utilis)
Yam bean (Pachyrrizus erosus)
Pulses are 20 to 25% protein by weight, which is double the protein content of wheat and three times that of rice. For this reason, pulses are called "vegetarian's meat". While pulses are generally high in protein, and the digestibility of that protein is also high, they often are relatively poor in the essential amino acid methionine, although Indian cuisine includes sesame seeds, which contain high levels of methionine. Grains (which are themselves deficient in lysine) are commonly consumed along with pulses to form a complete protein of diet.
Pulses have significant nutritional and health advantages for consumers.[3] They are the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people of different ethnicities,[4] and in the Seven Countries Study, legume consumption was highly correlated with a reduced mortality from coronary heart disease.[5] Furthermore, pulses are especially high in amylose starch making them a good source of prebiotic resistant starch.[6]
The pulse crop industry in North Dakota continues to grow as NDSU pulse crop breeders develop new varieties that have high yields, high-quality seed and good agronomic traits.
'Approximately one-third of the world's population suffers from vitamin or mineral malnutrition,' Thavarajah says. 'Pulse crops could be a food-based solution to provide the most bioavailable forms of minerals and vitamins to help those suffering from malnutrition and for millions of those in Western countries who are vegetarians. My research has shown that pulse crops could provide sufficient daily iron, zinc, selenium and other micronutrient requirements by serving 50 grams of pulse crops.' "
This is a very interesting article and program. After the link I am providing more information on pulse crops.
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/292208/group/Business/
A pulse (Latin "puls",[1] from Greek "πόλτος" - poltos, "porridge"[2]) is an annual leguminous crop yielding from one to twelve seeds of variable size, shape, and color within a pod. Pulses are used for food and animal feed. The term "pulse", as used by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), is reserved for crops harvested solely for the dry seed. This excludes green beans and green peas, which are considered vegetable crops. Also excluded are crops that are mainly grown for oil extraction (oilseeds like soybeans and peanuts), and crops which are used exclusively for sowing (clovers, alfalfa). However, in common use these distinctions are not clearly made, and many of the varieties so classified and given below are also used as vegetables, with their beans in pods while young cooked in whole cuisines and sold for the purpose; for example black eyed beans, lima beans and Toor or pigeon peas are thus eaten as fresh green beans cooked as part of a meal. Pulses are important food crops due to their high protein and essential amino acid content. Like many leguminous crops, pulses play a key role in crop rotation due to their ability to fix nitrogen.
Just like words as "bean" and "lentil", the word "pulse" may also refer to just the seed, rather than the entire plant.
India and Pakistan are the world's largest producers and the largest consumers of pulses. Canada, Myanmar, Australia and the United States are significant exporters, and are India's most significant suppliers, in that order.
FAO recognizes 11 primary pulses.
1. Dry beans (Phaseolus spp. including several species now in Vigna)
Kidney bean, haricot bean, pinto bean, navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Lima bean, butter bean (Phaseolus lunatus)
Azuki bean, adzuki bean (Vigna angularis)
Mung bean, golden gram, green gram (Vigna radiata)
Black gram, Urad (Vigna mungo)
Scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus)
Ricebean (Vigna umbellata)
Moth bean (Vigna acontifolia)
Tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius)
2. Dry broad beans (Vicia faba)
Horse bean (Vicia faba equina)
Broad bean (Vicia faba)
Field bean (Vicia faba)
3. Dry peas (Pisum spp.)
Garden pea (Pisum sativum var. sativum)
Protein pea (Pisum sativum var. arvense)
4. Chickpea, Garbanzo, Bengal gram (Cicer arietinum)
5. Dry cowpea, Black-eyed pea, blackeye bean (Vigna unguiculata )
6. Pigeon pea, Arhar /Toor, cajan pea, Congo bean (Cajanus cajan)
7. Lentil (Lens culinaris)
8. Bambara groundnut, earth pea (Vigna subterranea)
9. Vetch, common vetch (Vicia sativa)
10. Lupins (Lupinus spp.)
11. Minor pulses include:
Lablab, hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus)
Jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis), sword bean (Canavalia gladiata)
Winged bean (Psophocarpus teragonolobus)
Velvet bean, cowitch (Mucuna pruriens var. utilis)
Yam bean (Pachyrrizus erosus)
Pulses are 20 to 25% protein by weight, which is double the protein content of wheat and three times that of rice. For this reason, pulses are called "vegetarian's meat". While pulses are generally high in protein, and the digestibility of that protein is also high, they often are relatively poor in the essential amino acid methionine, although Indian cuisine includes sesame seeds, which contain high levels of methionine. Grains (which are themselves deficient in lysine) are commonly consumed along with pulses to form a complete protein of diet.
Pulses have significant nutritional and health advantages for consumers.[3] They are the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people of different ethnicities,[4] and in the Seven Countries Study, legume consumption was highly correlated with a reduced mortality from coronary heart disease.[5] Furthermore, pulses are especially high in amylose starch making them a good source of prebiotic resistant starch.[6]
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Food Safety: When Logic Fails
" .......A message to aggrieved associations and food processors: Follow Sansolo's advice. Stop the internal group-think and seek out people with opinions that conflict with yours. Find out why they think you're way off base and work with those arguments. Some will be based on the science - their science, not yours - but most will be based on emotion. Fight science with science but understand that the gut almost always wins the argument. If you can't speak to that part of their anatomy and understand its power, you'll lose the debate every time.
The core of Sansolo's editorial is this: 'thinking we are right or thinking we're doing the right thing doesn't matter unless our customers get it and respond.'
Too often when it comes to issues of food safety, your customers don't get it and they are responding in ways that should cause you to stop and 'point with alarm.' They might intellectually understand that only one meal in a million can make you sick, and the food industry can 'point with pride' at those statistics. They feel with their hearts, though, when little 5-year-old Anna dies an agonizing death from massive organ failure brought about by E. coli-tainted meat.
And as far as most people in the general public are concerned, there is no justification for that tragedy."
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/09/food-safety-when-logic-fails/
The core of Sansolo's editorial is this: 'thinking we are right or thinking we're doing the right thing doesn't matter unless our customers get it and respond.'
Too often when it comes to issues of food safety, your customers don't get it and they are responding in ways that should cause you to stop and 'point with alarm.' They might intellectually understand that only one meal in a million can make you sick, and the food industry can 'point with pride' at those statistics. They feel with their hearts, though, when little 5-year-old Anna dies an agonizing death from massive organ failure brought about by E. coli-tainted meat.
And as far as most people in the general public are concerned, there is no justification for that tragedy."
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/09/food-safety-when-logic-fails/
Cassava starch may improve gluten free bread
By Nathan Gray, 23-Sep-2010
"Sorghum is one of the world’s oldest known grains, and is one of a range of ancient grains that are naturally gluten-free. It has gained popularity as the market for gluten-free foods has grown, based on its greater nutritional value, compared withother gluten-free flours such as rice, corn or potato flour - however, it has physico-chemical properties that can negatively affect dough quality.
The addition of starch to sorghum dough could improve certain negative characteristics of gluten-free sorghum bread, according to researchers.
The new study published in LWT - Food Science and Technology, reports that adding fifty per cent cassava starch to sorghum bread gave 'the best overall crumb properties', improving the overall quality of the nutrient-rich gluten free bread."
http://www.bakeryandsnacks.com/Formulation/Cassava-starch-may-improve-gluten-free-bread
"Sorghum is one of the world’s oldest known grains, and is one of a range of ancient grains that are naturally gluten-free. It has gained popularity as the market for gluten-free foods has grown, based on its greater nutritional value, compared withother gluten-free flours such as rice, corn or potato flour - however, it has physico-chemical properties that can negatively affect dough quality.
The addition of starch to sorghum dough could improve certain negative characteristics of gluten-free sorghum bread, according to researchers.
The new study published in LWT - Food Science and Technology, reports that adding fifty per cent cassava starch to sorghum bread gave 'the best overall crumb properties', improving the overall quality of the nutrient-rich gluten free bread."
http://www.bakeryandsnacks.com/Formulation/Cassava-starch-may-improve-gluten-free-bread
Friday, September 24, 2010
“The Singularity Is Near” panel at the Woodstock Film Festival
The Singularity Is Near
Utopia Studios WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL
Woodstock, NY
09/30/2010, 3:00PM
We live in an era of exponentially increasing advances in artificial intelligence, nano technology, robotics, designer drugs, bionics, and techniques to defeat—and perhaps even reverse—cellular aging. Scientific optimists look forward to a transhuman future when our life expectancy will be dramatically, if not infinitely, extended; when people no longer suffer from disability or disease; when super-intelligent machines will “reproduce” by designing and building their own successors; when the line between humans and computers will increasingly blur, as we “download” our memories and minds into machines and become bionic ourselves. What promises and challenges does this vision of the future hold?
Panelists:
Michelle Byrd
Ray Kurzweil
Martine Rothblatt
Sponsored by Kurzweil Technologies and Terasem Motion Infoculture
Utopia Studios WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL
Woodstock, NY
09/30/2010, 3:00PM
We live in an era of exponentially increasing advances in artificial intelligence, nano technology, robotics, designer drugs, bionics, and techniques to defeat—and perhaps even reverse—cellular aging. Scientific optimists look forward to a transhuman future when our life expectancy will be dramatically, if not infinitely, extended; when people no longer suffer from disability or disease; when super-intelligent machines will “reproduce” by designing and building their own successors; when the line between humans and computers will increasingly blur, as we “download” our memories and minds into machines and become bionic ourselves. What promises and challenges does this vision of the future hold?
Panelists:
Michelle Byrd
Ray Kurzweil
Martine Rothblatt
Sponsored by Kurzweil Technologies and Terasem Motion Infoculture
How going meatless can heal you
This Meatless Life
September 22, 2010 - Justin McIntosh
"I’ve written on here before, particularly in regards to the Trive experiment, how going meatless can reverse certain ailments, including diabetes.
Now, here's President Clinton talking about his own conversion to a plant-based diet after reading books like "The China Study," the largest study of human nutrition ever done, and how he's using a plant-based diet to clear out his arteries.
From his interview with Wolf Blitzer, which you can watch at the link:"
This article is really about President Clinton, and it is pretty interesting. I believe in presenting all facets of an issue that deserve to be presented. Of course, in this case, I'm talking about vegetarianism.
http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/blogs.detail/display/297/How-going-meatless-can-heal-you.html
September 22, 2010 - Justin McIntosh
"I’ve written on here before, particularly in regards to the Trive experiment, how going meatless can reverse certain ailments, including diabetes.
Now, here's President Clinton talking about his own conversion to a plant-based diet after reading books like "The China Study," the largest study of human nutrition ever done, and how he's using a plant-based diet to clear out his arteries.
From his interview with Wolf Blitzer, which you can watch at the link:"
This article is really about President Clinton, and it is pretty interesting. I believe in presenting all facets of an issue that deserve to be presented. Of course, in this case, I'm talking about vegetarianism.
http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/blogs.detail/display/297/How-going-meatless-can-heal-you.html
The Diabetes prevention and strategy
"The Brd2 gene is a promising new target in diabetes prevention. Researchers succeeded in preventing diabetes in high risk groups by inhibiting the activation of the gene. Activating the gene seems to trigger sugar cravings and promote hunger, in order to meet the brain’s high energy demands. ..........Researchers studying the gene concluded, 'The strong influence of Brd2 on insulin resistance suggests that inhibiting Brd2 is a promising target for diabetes prevention and treatment.' ..........
The study of nutrients that influence gene expression is a promising new field in diabetes prevention, called nutrigenomics. It’s basically a natural form of gene therapy.
But unlike conventional gene therapy that chemically alters the DNA, nutrigenomics influences how a gene is expressed. Nutrients are used to turn genes on or off, depending on the desired effect. It’s a safe and effective method in disease prevention and treatment.
By inhibiting the Brd2 gene, nutrigenomics succeeds where conventional treatments fail…preventing sugar spikes, improving fasting glucose levels, and restoring insulin sensitivity."
http://www.superdiabeticdiet.com/the-diabetes-prevention-and-strategy/
The study of nutrients that influence gene expression is a promising new field in diabetes prevention, called nutrigenomics. It’s basically a natural form of gene therapy.
But unlike conventional gene therapy that chemically alters the DNA, nutrigenomics influences how a gene is expressed. Nutrients are used to turn genes on or off, depending on the desired effect. It’s a safe and effective method in disease prevention and treatment.
By inhibiting the Brd2 gene, nutrigenomics succeeds where conventional treatments fail…preventing sugar spikes, improving fasting glucose levels, and restoring insulin sensitivity."
http://www.superdiabeticdiet.com/the-diabetes-prevention-and-strategy/
Lime, lemon nature’s cure for cholera, food-borne diseases
Written by Sade Oguntola
Thursday, 23 September 2010
"If you worried about contracting cholera from food items like meat, fruits and vegetables on sale in the market, nature’s solution worth trying out are lemon and lime, which experts have confirmed good arsenal against the germ that causes cholera.
Lemon and lime are popular citrus fruits used as food ingredients for flavouring and in fact in parts of the world such as Japan, it is common dietary habit to add lime juice to raw or grilled fish.
Epidemiological studies have shown that food plays an important role in the transmission of Vibrio cholerae, (the germ that causes cholera) and different foods have been incriminated in many epidemic outbreaks of cholera. ........"
A good article. Here's a link.
http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/natural-health/11448-lime-lemon-natures-cure-for-cholera-food-borne-diseases
Thursday, 23 September 2010
"If you worried about contracting cholera from food items like meat, fruits and vegetables on sale in the market, nature’s solution worth trying out are lemon and lime, which experts have confirmed good arsenal against the germ that causes cholera.
Lemon and lime are popular citrus fruits used as food ingredients for flavouring and in fact in parts of the world such as Japan, it is common dietary habit to add lime juice to raw or grilled fish.
Epidemiological studies have shown that food plays an important role in the transmission of Vibrio cholerae, (the germ that causes cholera) and different foods have been incriminated in many epidemic outbreaks of cholera. ........"
A good article. Here's a link.
http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/natural-health/11448-lime-lemon-natures-cure-for-cholera-food-borne-diseases
Genetically altered salmon? It doesn't stop there
By SETH BORENSTEIN and MALCOLM RITTER (AP)
" ......... Whatever the decision on salmon, it's only the start of things to come. In labs and on experimental farms are:
_ Vaccines and other pharmaceuticals grown in bananas and other plants.
_ Trademarked "Enviropigs" whose manure doesn't pollute as much.
_ Cows that don't produce methane in their flatulence.
And in the far-off future, there may be foods built from scratch — the scratch being DNA.
Sometimes when science tinkers with food, it works. Decades ago, Norman Borlaug's 'Green Revolution' of scientifically precise hybrids led to bigger crop yields that have dramatically reduced hunger.
Sometimes it flops. Anyone remember the Flavr Savr tomato? Probably not. It didn't taste good. 'There was no flavor there to save,' one expert quipped. But you might remember 10 years ago when genetically modified corn meant for animal feed wound up in taco shells? .............. 'All of the animals, plants and microbes we use in our food system, our agricultural system, are genetically modified in one way or another,' says Bruce Chassy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 'That, or they're wild.' .............. More than four-fifths of the soybean, corn and cotton acreage in the United States last year used genetically engineered crops, according to a 2010 National Academies of Sciences study."
I can't give you a link to this article. Not allowed. Send me an email if you would like to read more of it.
" ......... Whatever the decision on salmon, it's only the start of things to come. In labs and on experimental farms are:
_ Vaccines and other pharmaceuticals grown in bananas and other plants.
_ Trademarked "Enviropigs" whose manure doesn't pollute as much.
_ Cows that don't produce methane in their flatulence.
And in the far-off future, there may be foods built from scratch — the scratch being DNA.
Sometimes when science tinkers with food, it works. Decades ago, Norman Borlaug's 'Green Revolution' of scientifically precise hybrids led to bigger crop yields that have dramatically reduced hunger.
Sometimes it flops. Anyone remember the Flavr Savr tomato? Probably not. It didn't taste good. 'There was no flavor there to save,' one expert quipped. But you might remember 10 years ago when genetically modified corn meant for animal feed wound up in taco shells? .............. 'All of the animals, plants and microbes we use in our food system, our agricultural system, are genetically modified in one way or another,' says Bruce Chassy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 'That, or they're wild.' .............. More than four-fifths of the soybean, corn and cotton acreage in the United States last year used genetically engineered crops, according to a 2010 National Academies of Sciences study."
I can't give you a link to this article. Not allowed. Send me an email if you would like to read more of it.
Gravani Appointed Institute of Food Technologists 2010-2011 President
"Sep 22 2010 --- Robert B. Gravani, PhD, Professor of Food Science and Director of the National Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Program at Cornell University, is the new President of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), a nonprofit international society with members engaged in food science, food technology, and related professions in industry, academia, and government. Gravani is the 71st president of IFT and assumed his role September 1, 2010.
Summary: In his new role as President, Robert Gravani will work with a range of volunteers from academia, industry and government to support IFT’s overall mission to advance the science of food and to ensure a safe and abundant food supply that contributes to healthier people everywhere."
There's more to read about Dr. Gravani.
http://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/news/Gravani-Appointed-Institute-of-Food-Technologists-2010-2011-President.html
Summary: In his new role as President, Robert Gravani will work with a range of volunteers from academia, industry and government to support IFT’s overall mission to advance the science of food and to ensure a safe and abundant food supply that contributes to healthier people everywhere."
There's more to read about Dr. Gravani.
http://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/news/Gravani-Appointed-Institute-of-Food-Technologists-2010-2011-President.html
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Leatherhead Food Research's NanoWatch© Working Group
"Developments in micro- and nanotechnologies are increasing at a rapid rate and offer the potential for new products or processes for the food industry. Leatherhead Food Research has become a leading consultant in this emerging area with the formation of a working group and food focus group.
Leatherhead Food Research's NanoWatch© Working Group was created in 2007 to investigate the use of nanotechnology in the food and drink industry, with particular emphasis on ingredients and hydrocolloids. The Working Group provides:"
Read what The Working Group provides and more. Then go to their home page and read more about Leatherhead Food Research. They have been around a long time.
http://www.leatherheadfood.com/nanotechnology
Leatherhead Food Research's NanoWatch© Working Group was created in 2007 to investigate the use of nanotechnology in the food and drink industry, with particular emphasis on ingredients and hydrocolloids. The Working Group provides:"
Read what The Working Group provides and more. Then go to their home page and read more about Leatherhead Food Research. They have been around a long time.
http://www.leatherheadfood.com/nanotechnology
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