Is India Ready for Lactose Free Milk ?

With a production of 137 Million Tons of Milk in 2015, India has become the World's largest producer of milk thanks to 'Operation-White Revolution'.  

Milk is a very good source of protein and calcium for vegetarians. It has fat and vitamins additionally. It is an ideal food for all age groups. 

It has all the nutrients for nourishment of human body:

• 4 - 5% sugar(Lactose)
• 3% fat (Toned milk) for giving energy 
• 3 - 4% Protein for muscle formation  
• 200mg% Calcium for bone and teeth formation
• Vit B12 (only source for Egg free Vegetarians)

However, bovine Milk contains Lactose, a form of sugar which poses certain digestive problems. It needs special enzymes for digestion in the stomach. The human intestine secretes an enzyme called Lactase which splits the milk sugar Lactose to Glucose and Galactose which are easily absorbed by the body.

Infants have the highest level of lactase secretion. As one grows up and with aging, the secretion of this enzyme comes down gradually leading to Lactose intolerance.

Most of the Asians are intolerant to lactose. Particularly, 60 to 70% of Indians suffer from lactose intolerance due to genetic reasons. The incidence is more prevalent in South India and less in North India.

The symptoms of lactose intolerance are abdominal belching, diarrhea, indigestion, nausea, flatulence,  rumbling stomach and uneasiness after consuming dairy milk and occasionally vomiting.

This is not be confused with Milk Allergy which has different symptoms and a totally different manifestation. 

There is no cure for lactose intolerance. Only diet regulation and avoidance of milk and products like ice cream, condensed milk, milk Khoa based sweets.

They can however consume without any problem fermented milk products such as curd or yogurt, paneer / cheese and butter milk as most of the lactose is converted to lactic acid by the favorable bacteria (a starter culture of lactobacillus sp. added to milk) during milk fermentation. Sweets from Paneer do not do any harm to such population.

Alternate sources of milk available for such persons are the Soy Milk and the very expensive Almond Milk. Indians add Milk to Coffee or Tea or other health beverages as a normal practice. Both Soy Milk and Almond Milk are not suitable for the purpose.

In order to cater to the needs of lactose intolerant population, technology had been developed to make Lactose Free Milk.

The toned UHT sterilised milk is treated with enzyme Lactase under controlled conditions to split the sugar into digestible ones (glucose and galactose) and  packed in 'TetraPak's for storage at ambient temperature for 3 - 6 month's shelf-life. 

The product is more sweeter than the natural milk and hence extra addition of sugar can be minimised while consuming the beverage. Diabetics can consume it as it is.

Finland was the 1st Country to launch the product as it is the World's largest consumer of milk (per capita consumption of 395 Kg/annum of all dairy products).

In India 'Amul' has launched the Lactose Free Milk which is available at all Organised Retail Stores across the Country. Few other MNC Dairies also planning to  launch the product.

DSM Food Specialities BV, Netherlands and Novozyme manufacture the Industrial enzyme Lactase and Beta Galactosidase.

Currently the Amul's Lactose Free Milk is priced at Rs.100/- per litre (Rs.25/- for 250 ml TetraPak).The price may come down in due course of time with increased volumes and competition. The segment is estimated to grow @ 8% per annum.

With the huge urban middle class consumers, India has a huge potential for Lactose Free Milk. It has a good Export Potential for other Asian Countries where Lactose intolerance is quite rampant.

Any new Dairy Entrepreneur should consider  manufacturing 'Lactose Free Milk' as a value added product in their product mix, since the liquid milk market has reached a saturation point in India due to several local and regional players in the market.

Vacuum Fried Chips - A New Healthy Option !

Do you crave for fried chips and are afraid of excess calories?

No more worries! A new age, healthy, low fat  vacuum fried chips and snacks are in the market!

Any traditional fried  chip or snack would have fat / oil content of 30% and above. The vacuum frying technology makes chips with only 14 % fat content. 

In vacuum frying, oil is heated to only 90 to 100 °C as against atmospheric frying temperature of 180 °C.

Because of such low temperature frying, oil absorption is less; further more there is no formation of acrylamide (a potent carcinogen) in the product. All nutrients like anti-oxidants and pigments are retained which give the product its natural colour.

The technology was developed initially to fry potato chips; later on it was  extended to fry other vegetables and fruits. As fruits have sugars in them, atmospheric frying cannot be adopted for them. Certain pre-treatments are necessary like Osmotic dehydration or partial Freeze drying for reducing the moisture content in fruits.

The vacuum frying technology has enabled the consumer to have a wide choice of products now:  

• Vegetable Chips: Raw banana, casava (Tapioca), karela (bitter gourd), sweet potato, cauliflower, egg plant (brinjal), pumpkin, beet root, carrots, yam (collacasia) and beans apart from the traditional potato. 
• Fruit Chips: Ripe bananas, apple slices, pineapple, melon, jack fruit, mango and papaya.
• Nuts: Almond, Cashew and Peanuts
• Others: Traditional snacks

Fruit chips are certainly a healthy option as they pack in complete nutrition - Calories (energy), fibre, vitamins and minerals along with fat.

The vacuum fried fruit and vegetable snack products are made in commercial scale in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Phillipines and Cambodia and exported world over. 

Florigo International, Netherlands and Heat & Control, USA are the leading Technology Suppliers. Few Korean and Taiwanese Companies are also making small capacity Batch Vacuum Fryers.

Greenday and Chiquita are the leading brands worldwide. Currently these imported products are available in  Duty Free Shops at all Indian Airports.

One Company in Kerala has imported the Batch type vacuum frying machinery  for making 'Nendran' banana chips and another Company is setting up shop near Hyderabad.

Very soon the market is going to be flooded with many such brands as India has a vast potential for the New Generation Snacks.

(Vacuum Fryer - Heat and Control, USA)

Coconut Water - The Wonder Elixir

Coconut Tree, Cocos nucifera belongs to Arecaceae family of palm trees and grows well in all Tropical Coastal regions of the world.

India, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Malaysia are the major Coconut growing Countries in the world.

The Tender Coconuts contain a cooling, refreshing and thirst quenching drink which is rich in Minerals (Electrolytes) with very low amount of sugars (about 6%), B Group Vitamins like Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pyridoxine and Folic Acid, Vitamin C apart from amino acids. 

It contains less than 1% Fat! 

It is rich in Potassium (250mg/100ml) and low in Sodium. The osmolarity of tender coconut water is slightly greater than that of WHO recommended ORS (Oral Rehydration Therapy) solution. 

Diabetics and people with hypertension can relish it without any hesitation.

It also has several naturally occurring bio-active enzymes like acid phosphatase, peroxidase, catalase, dehydrogenase, diastase, RNA-polymerase which help in digestion and metabolism.

The quantity of water varies from 200 to 1000 ml per nut depending on the size and variety. Fresh Tender coconut water is a health drink for all age groups - infants, young and old, sick and convalescents.

Research indicates that it has cytokinins (e.g., kinetin and trans-zeatin) which have potential anti-aging, anti-carcinogenic and anti-thrombotic (anti-clot formation) effects also.

The composition of water from mature coconuts is  similar but the quantity is far less. Mature nuts also have edible white meat in them which is rich in oil (41%)  and fibers (3.5%).

Thermally processed packaged Tender Coconut water had been launched by few International Companies in Bottles and in Tetra Pack Formats for  the Consumer Markets with out any added preservatives.

For Export Trade and Industrial use by Bottlers and Re-packers, Coconut water concentrates are made and supplied in Bulk Drums of 200 Kg size.   

The natural coconut water is pasteurized by heating and cooling immediately to inactivate the enzymes and to destroy spoilage organisms like yeast etc.

The pasteurized coconut water is further heated in a Double Effect Spin Evaporator in Two Stages under vacuum to produce a Concentrate of 60° Brix and cooled without any loss of nutrients as the process is carried out under vacuum and controlled conditions of time and temperature.

The volume decreases substantially; 2000 Litres of coconut water gives 130 Kg of Concentrate. The Bottlers reconstitute the concentrate either with water or with other fruit juices.

The Technology and Machinery is supplied by world leaders like Alfa Laval, Sweeden and Anritz AG, Austria.
  
Globally there is a recent Trend or Wave world over to consume Tender Coconut water as a health drink as an alternate to Soft Drinks. 

Fruit Cocktail blends of coconut water with Pineapple or Apple Juice have also been launched for improved nutrition by Multi National Companies. These Products are available at online stores like Amazon.com, Flipkart.com, Snapdeal.com, ebay.com etc.

In India Coconut Board (a Govt. venture) and a Private Sector Enterprise are into the business of packaged Coconut water.
    
So, let us all Indians keep gulping coconut water daily without any second thought ! 

After all, Coconut water costs less than the bottled Mineral Water!

Fighting Obesity ? - Drink Green Tea

Green Tea is a Nature's Gift to Mankind!

It is a repository of all health promoting compounds which are powerful anti-oxidants like Poly-phenols, Flavonoids and Catechins.

Unlike Black Tea, the Catechins are present only in Green Tea and thus  contributes to its several unique health promoting characteristics. 

Green Tea has cholesterol reducing and anti-aging properties. It helps Diabetics and people suffering with hyper-tension. A minimum intake of 5 to 6 cups of Green Tea is recommended forgetting desired results.

The active principles in Green Tea burn the extra fat in the body and helps in  reduction of Obesity and in weight management.

Due to the high levels of poly-phenol concentration, Green Tea exhibits excellent anti-bacterial properties too.

Chinese, Japanese and Koreans gobble up Pints of Green tea every day which is indicative of their general wellness index. 

Russians consume both Black and Green Tea. Green Tea with Herbal infusions have surfaced in the Indian Market with herbs like Tulsi, Honey and Ginseng for furthering its health benefits. They can be relished both in hot and cold formats based on the consumer's choice.

Recent Research in Seoul University of S.Korea has proven the Nano suspended Particles present in the Green Tea infusion has got the all positive attributes packed in them, as compared to macro and micro particles present in the same suspension.

So, indulge in as many Green cuppa as possible daily with a slice of fresh lime or lemon (no sugar addition), without any guilt for your health sake.