In mid-2016, India halved the trans fat content limit from 10% to 5%, and in December 2020, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) capped it to 3% by April 2021. Come January 1, 2022, India will join a select group of countries limiting industrial trans fat to 2% by mass of the … Continue reading India to meet WHO trans fat limit a year in advance
Food
Presence of colistin-resistant bacteria of food origin in the gut is cause for worry
A small study has found evidence of colistin-resistant bacteria in the gut. 77% of such bacteria were found to be food-acquired. There is a possibility of colistin resistant food Klebsiella to spread to human Klebsiella in the gut. A small study involving 65 stool samples taken from patients from a single hospital in Chennai found … Continue reading Presence of colistin-resistant bacteria of food origin in the gut is cause for worry
Enforcing fast foods sale ban near schools will be a tall order
Though sale and advertisement of tobacco products within 100 yards of a school is prohibited, violation is more a norm than an exception. The same will be the case with junk foods. In a welcome step, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has notified a draft regulation aimed at prohibiting the sale and … Continue reading Enforcing fast foods sale ban near schools will be a tall order
Aflatoxin in milk raises safety concerns
Of the over 6,400 samples collected from 1,100 towns/cities in India, 93% were found to be safe. But 5.7% had aflatoxin M1 residues beyond the permissible limit. The highest levels of aflatoxin M1 residue in milk were seen in three States — Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Kerala. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has … Continue reading Aflatoxin in milk raises safety concerns
Cholera bacteria from India show high drug-resistance
The 443 cholera-causing Vibrio cholerae isolates isolated from patients from Kolkata and Delhi show very high drug resistance to 22 antibiotics belonging to nine classes. About 99% of the isolates are resistant to more than two antibiotics, 17% to more than 10 antibiotics, and 7.5% to more than 14 antibiotics. A study of 443 clinical … Continue reading Cholera bacteria from India show high drug-resistance
India develops new groundnut lines with desirable oil quality
A team of scientists from ICAR, ICRISAT and State Agriculture Universities has developed new groundnut lines that have up to 82% of oleic acid content, which is highly desirable for health as well as prolonging the shelf-life. Linoleic and palmitic acid, which are highly undesirable for health, have been decreased up to 89% and 39%, … Continue reading India develops new groundnut lines with desirable oil quality
Adding egg or milk can reduce stunting in young children in India
Adding 200 ml of milk or milk products (including curd), an egg or 45 grams of legume (dal) to the daily diet can reduce the risk of stunting in children younger than two years, researchers at St. John’s Medical College, Bengaluru found. The risk of stunting in children aged one-three years reduces by 10% when … Continue reading Adding egg or milk can reduce stunting in young children in India
Washing does not remove Salmonella bacteria from tomatoes, IISc team finds
IISc researchers have found that tomatoes get infected with Salmonella typhimurium, which cause gastroenteritis, when the bacteria enter the plant through tiny openings that form on the main root for the lateral roots to emerge. Hence, the bacteria are found inside tomatoes and cannot be removed by washing. As salinity increases the number of lateral roots … Continue reading Washing does not remove Salmonella bacteria from tomatoes, IISc team finds
Podcast: Removing oil from water using aloe vera
Uttam Manna of IIT Guwahati explains how his team synthesised an extremely oil-repelling (super oleophobic) membrane using an aloe vera gel-based coating modified with some molecules to remove oil from water. The membrane could be reused at least 25 times to separate light and heavy oil from water with the efficiency of separation remaining above … Continue reading Podcast: Removing oil from water using aloe vera
IIT Guwahati uses aloe vera to remove oil from water
IIT Guwahati researchers have synthesised an extremely oil-repelling (super oleophobic) membrane using an aloe vera gel-based coating modified with some molecules. This is the first time a naturally occurring material has been used for the said purpose. The membrane could be reused at least 25 times to separate light and heavy oil from water with … Continue reading IIT Guwahati uses aloe vera to remove oil from water
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