Search results

The attention of the Board is drawn from time to time to advertisements in trade papers and circulars of preservative substances sold under proprietary names. These consist for the most part of well‐known preservatives or mixtures of preservatives which are easily detected by the analyst in food substances to which they have been added. A new preservative, sold under the name of “Mystin,” for preserving milk and cream has recently been advertised as possessing the advantage that its presence cannot be detected by analysis. Samples have been sent to farmers and milk vendors accompanied by a trade circular from which the following extracts have been taken:—

Differences in laws and regulations concerning the basic materials, optional ingredients and food additives authorised in yogurt manufacture in each EC member state were studied. Not many differences exist regarding the basic materials. However, considerable differences exist with respect to optional ingredients and food additives. Legal provisions for different yogurt types and other requirements were also studied.

Although a comparatively rare disease in Great Britain, cases of trichinosis have been reported from different parts of the country from time to time. Statistics show that during the present century only 59 cases were reported prior to the Wolverhampton outbreak in 1941. Trichinosis is a parasitic disease. The Trichina spiralis lives in the small intestine, the female measuring about ⅛ in. in length and the male 1/16 in. The ova emerge as minute hair‐like embryos which burrow from the intestines to the musculature of the host. Thus if man consumes pork containing live trichinæ the larvæ are freed from their capsules by the action of the gastric juices, and maturity is attained in the small intestine. The female grows rapidly and at the end of a week gives rise to a swarm of a hundred or so embryos. The burrowing process starts again, and this boring into muscles produces intense muscular pains, swelling and tenderness, high fever, and other symptoms. The effects of cooking and preserving on infected meat are described by Mr. C. R. A. Martin, who says that thorough cooking for twenty minutes at a temperature above 150° F. is sufficient to destroy all trichinæ, providing the whole of the meat is subjected to this temperature for a similar period. It is obvious, therefore, that in domestic cookery boiling would be preferable to roasting in order to kill live parasites. Only very low temperatures (0°–5° F.) applied for three weeks have any effect on the vitality of trichinæ. Dry salting will kill all trichinæ in surface layers of the meat after exposure to the salt for fourteen days, but in the case of large bacon or hams a much longer exposure of eight to twelve weeks would be necessary, together with brine pumping of the thicker parts. Pickling in brine, if the brine is sufficiently strong, is a surer method of destroying larvæ. Smoking, partly through heat and partly the resinous products of burning pine sawdust, also has a slight effect on their vitality. It has, howver, been suggested that Memo. 62/Foods issued by the Ministry of Food, which recommends that a carcase affected with trichinosis should be condemned, is out of date and that there should be no grounds for ignoring the possibility of the disease during the ordinary routine meat inspections. In this connection, the recent circular dealing with outbreaks of cysticercus bovis infestation of cattle in different parts of the country should serve as a warning. A further warning is given in a letter to the British Medical Journal in which the writer deplores the way in which corned beef is served to the public. The procedure in the majority of shops, says the writer, is to open a large tin of corned beef and place the contents on a wooden cutting board. The same knife used for cutting uncooked sausages, uncooked beef, uncooked pork, and slabs of sausage meat is used, without any attempt at cleaning it, for cutting slices of corned beef. The writer goes on to say that the corned beef is then placed on the weighing machine plate, which quite normally in a butcher's shop is covered with blood. Further contact between the uncooked meat and corned beef is made when the wrapped (and sometimes unwrapped) corned beef is placed on top of the raw meat. Should parasitic worms or cysts which have evaded the eye of the meat inspector be present in the raw meat, they will be transferred to the corned beef by knives, by butchers' hands, by scales, and by direct contact with the raw meat. Many veterinarians have pressed for the detailed examination of pig carcases for trichinosis which would necessitate the removal of suspected muscle by means of a trichinoscope, but no such instrument is in existence in the abattoirs of this country. The whole operation, which is carried out as a matter of routine inspection in many Continental abattoirs, takes only a few minutes. Should simple safeguards in feeding and inspection be adopted, it seems fairly evident that the absence of a trichinoscope need not be regarded as a serious gap in our public health services, but the rarity of outbreaks of the disease in this country must not lead to complacency or to ignoring the possibility of its presence during the normal course of meat inspection.

Dealing with the subject of the artificial bleaching of flour, The Lancet observes that the public criterion of quality in respect of foods and beverages shows some interesting anomalies. Appreciation is often based, for example, on appearance, on how things look, and it is in this direction that conclusions often and obviously become illogical. In some instances the article demanded must be spotlessly white, while in others, if naturally white, it must be artificially coloured. The white loaf is a popular fancy, but white milk is suspected, and yet natural flour may be of a rich golden colour, while rich milk may have only a shade of brownish colour which is supposed to connote cream. The result is that in the one case flour is often deprived of its colour by a process of chemical bleaching, and that in the other an artificial colouring is added. Natural colour is objected to on the one hand, and on the other an artificial addition is demanded. It may be urged that both expedients are justifiable inasmuch as they meet a popular fancy, and that this counts in the enjoyment and even digestibility of the foods. If artificial means are employed to adjust the appearance of food to a popular standard, the proceeding can clearly only be allowed when it has been proved beyond all doubt that the products are not dietetically impaired or that they do not masquerade as something which they are not.

During the year the officers of the Board of Customs and Excise have taken numerous samples at the ports with a view to giving effect to the provisions of Section 1 of the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, 1899, and Section 5 of the Butter and Margarine Act, 1907, as to the importation of butter, margarine, milk, condensed milk, cream, and cheese.

This study aims to formulate multiple nutritionally improved snacks intended for school-aged children according to international nutritional goals: Vanilla cookies (VC), Bay biscuits (BB), Cheese crackers (CC) and Tomato muffins (TM).

The reformulation targets implied incorporating alternative flours and milk powder and reducing the sugar and sodium contents, with respect to the usually consumed control products. These products were subjected to proximate composition, colour and sensory profile analyses. Their overall acceptability was assessed by school-aged children whose nutritional status was also evaluated.

Significant increments in relevant nutrients were observed in the composition of snacks: fibre (p = 0.01 for VC, p < 0.01 for BB and CC), proteins (p < 0.01 for all snacks) and calcium (p < 0.01 for all snacks). Average sodium reductions of 1.5% and 3.7% were achieved for CC and TM. During formulation, added sugar was reduced by 15.5% and 23.5% for VC and BB. All snacks were found to be acceptable in terms of appearance, texture, flavour and overall acceptability by the participants, and VC, BB and CC were ready for their effective implementation as part of school meals.

Comprehensive policies have become necessary to combat malnutrition, mainly overweight and obesity. The incorporation of nutritionally improved snacks in school environments is one of several strategies for promoting healthier lifestyles among children, including educational programs, workshops and food assistance.

The majority of Authorities who are responsible for the enforcement of that portion of the Food and Drugs Act dealing with the hygiene of food premises have recognised that legislation, even when coupled with regular inspections, is insufficient to produce the desired result. Many of them have embarked upon lectures, others on more lengthy schemes of training for the employees, some have linked this with special standards to be adopted for premises, such as the Clean Food Guild instituted at Guildford, Holborn and other large Boroughs. These standards have met with very mixed receptions from the various organisations of the food traders; some of them adopting the view that establishments of old construction are unduly penalised, as compared with premises of modern design. The consensus of opinion, however, among both the local authorities and food traders, is the desirability of giving training facilities to those engaged in the industry. These courses may range from one to five lectures with a comprehensive syllabus, and are usually accompanied by films such as “ Another Case of Poisoning ”, “ Insect Pests in Food”, and the film strips of the Central Council for Health Education. It is interesting, at this stage, to compare the approach of the American authorities to this problem. Reviewing the United States Public Health Services booklet “ Guide to Safe Food Service ” a similar conclusion has been drawn, that, whilst the prevention of food poisoning outbreaks was at first handled almost entirely through legislation and enforcement, this often proved unsatisfactory and inadequate. Coercion at times was found to create resentment, and often postponed an understanding of correct practices until after Court action had been taken. Another approach was the physical examination of all restaurant workers, but this did not give the desired results; such inspections tending to promote a false sense of security, inasmuch as no examination can ensure freedom from communicable diseases during the period between examinations. Experience with food sanitation courses, as they are termed, soon demonstrated their practicability and effectiveness. It was found that education explained the reasons for the requirements of the laws and regulations and thereby gained acceptance for them; the decisive factor being that such courses were popular and further lectures were requested. Where co‐operation was enlisted by means of these lectures inspectors had far less difficulty in carrying out their work. Frequent inspections should be coupled with the education programme to serve as a reminder of the need to observe correct practices. The recommendations given to the lecturers could well be digested by many in this country. On regular inspections, during the course of his duties, the inspector should build up good working relations as he talks informally with the owner and employees about their problems. He should avoid a policeman's attitude, and, as a good officer of the law, he should carefully refrain from taking liberties with it, As a teacher, he should be careful not to fall into a condescending attitude, and criticisms must be brought out of the realm of fault‐finding. The Guide, a booklet of some sixty pages, gives advice to members of the Health Department on the formation of such a course, and stresses the advisability of having a representative committee to assist in this formation. It has been found, too, in this country that, if food hygiene lectures are to be successful, it is essential that the goodwill and backing be obtained, not only of the trade associations such as the hoteliers and restaurateurs, but of the branches of the respective trade unions representing the employees. In this way specialist lectures to the various groups can be organised, with previous knowledge of the scope and numbers involved. Lectures should be organised within normal working hours, with additional lectures for those for whom this is not practicable. Lectures to employers should, in all cases, be given prior to undertaking the training of their staff. The American method of approaching the problem of lectures has obviously been subject to detailed analysis, and it is felt that the three points given below can be considered with advantage by those responsible for lecturing to food handlers in this country. The methods of presentation should always take into account the fact that—

In these times—aptly described as the age of dehydration—few food products appear to have aroused as much technical interest as has dried egg. Upon this point we have the criterion of the galaxy of papers and communications in the various trade and scientific journals. Admittedly, much of the interest is doubtless due to the painfully rare appearance of the goods in the form delivered by the hen. However, there is little doubt that some of the developments in our knowledge and usage of a convenient form of an otherwise highly perishable commodity may have wide repercussions in food‐preparation in the future, both in industry and in the household. It would appear that the attaining and maintaining of hygienic conditions in the dehydrating plants has received the attention it warrants. Naturally, unless reasonable care in the storage or usage of the finished product is exercised, conditions will occur under which rapid contamination with and multiplication of bacteria will occur. The intention of the Dried Egg (Control of Use) Order, 1945 (S.R. & O. No. 627), which forbids the use of dried egg in certain foods and in materials sold in the wet state, is to provide against such conditions. Of the desirable properties which a dehydrated product should possess, ease of reconstitution is one of the most important. In the bakery and allied trades the difficulty, or, more correctly, the variability, of solubility of various deliveries of dried egg has occasioned some complaint. It is interesting to note that, with a view to assisting wetting, and hence reconstitution, addition of surface‐active agents, either to the egg pulp before dehydration, or to the dried product, has been the subject of several patents. As regards keeping properties, dried egg offers no exception to the general rule that the rate of deterioration on storage decreases progressively with reduction in the moisture content. It is reported that a product containing as little as 2 per cent. of moisture is being manufactured in U.S.A. Apparently, the only satisfactory packing for such a highly‐dehydrated product is a sealed metal container. The deterioration of dried egg powder, with the production of the peculiar and characteristic off‐flavour, has been shown to be connected with a small amount of glucose originally present. This decreases during storage, and the development of unpalatability may be correlated with the amount of glucose remaining. At the same time, the solubility of the powder decreases, rendering reconstitution more difficult, and the whipping or beating properties, so vital in the making of cakes, become impaired. Initial removal of the glucose, such as De‐controlled fermentation, markedly improves the stability of the product; re‐addition of glucose to an egg pulp from which the natural carbohydrate has been removed yields on dehydration a powder showing the same effects of deterioration as ordinary dried egg. Addition of reducing monosaecharoses other than glucose has a similar effect. Recently‐published reports of work carried out at the Cambridge Low Temperature Research Station provide strong evidence that the reaction mechanism resulting in the loss in solubility of dried egg powder is a two‐stage process. In the first stage, which does not in itself result in a decrease in solubility, the reducing group of the glucose molecule condenses with the free amino groups of the protein components; a further reaction then occurs which causes the protein to become insoluble. It had been previously discovered that addition to the egg pulp before drying of a simple amino‐acid such as glycine or alanine retarded the loss of solubility, although other forms of deterioration, such as the darkening of the colour of the powder, were not inhibited. Presumably, the glucose reacts preferentially with the added amino‐acid, instead of attacking the egg‐proteins. Another method of overcoming the loss of solubility is by the addition of substantial amounts of sucrose (or lactose) to the egg pulp before drying. How the protective action operates does not appear to be known, and it is peculiar that lactose, itself a reducing sugar, does not cause loss in solubility in the same manner as glucose. The “sugar‐dried egg” obtained on dehydration is readily soluble, and, since it possesses all, or nearly all, of the aerating properties of fresh egg, is claimed to be as good as frozen egg, or even shell egg, for cake‐making. Allocations of sugar‐dried egg are now being made to the bakery trade, and, should no difficulty be encountered in large‐scale production, it is to be presumed that in due course its use will become much more general. In the form now being supplied, sugar‐dried egg has an egg solids to sugar ratio of 2 to 1, thus allowing existing trade recipes to be rebalanced without recourse to awkward calculations. When reconstituted, 3 pounds of liquid egg contain approximately 5 ounces of sugar; this high sugar content of course restricts the use of this product to food preparations of a sweet nature. The mixture aerates rapidly, and, since it possesses a good oven spring, underbeating rather than full development of the batter gives the most satisfactory result. Additionally, the use of sugar‐dried egg lowers the amount of baking powder required; in some mixes baking powder may be omitted altogether. Sponges and similar goods of superior texture, flavour and keeping qualities may thus be made. Obviously, developments in other forms of dried egg and allied products are to be expected. Thus the previously‐mentioned protective action of lactose suggests the preparation of dehydrated mixtures of egg and milk or milk products, and in fact interesting experiments have been carried out involving the use of whey powder as a protective agent.

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the effect of grape powder on the proximate, physicochemical and sensory quality of chocolate- and caramel-coated chhana (traditional dairy product obtained by acid coagulation of hot milk) delights.

The study was designed to evaluate the effect of grape powder on the quality characteristics of chocolate- and caramel-coated chhana delights. The product was developed by incorporating different levels of grape powder (2, 4 and 6 per cent), and further, the product was analysed for proximate, physicochemical and sensory parameters.

In chocolate-coated chhana delights, moisture (p = 0.01), ash (p = 0.03) and water activity (p = 0.02) increased significantly at 6 per cent level of grape powder incorporation, whereas pH (p > 0.01) showed a significant decreasing trend at 4 and 6 per cent level of grape powder incorporation. Chocolate coating loss (p = 0.02) was found to be significantly higher at 6 per cent level of addition. Cooking yield (p > 0.01) of chocolate-coated chhana delights increased significantly at 4 and 6 per cent level of grape powder incorporation. In caramel-coated chhana delights, moisture (p > 0.01) and ash (p = 0.02) content increased significantly at 6 per cent level of grape powder addition, and pH (p > 0.01) value decreased significantly at 6 per cent level of grape powder addition, whereas results were found to be vice versa in case of water activity (p = 0.01) and titratable acidity (p = 0.03) at 6 per cent level of grape powder addition.

Designer confection could be developed for school going children by incorporating grape powder in the formulation of chocolate- and caramel-coated chhana delights.

This case describes the challenges faced by Amul in organising dairy farmers into a co-operative and creating continuous opportunities for value addition. Participants in the case discussion are required to review the developments in the organisation and recommend a strategy for the future.