Nov 24, 2012

1 lakh packets of Appam destroyed at Sabarimala - The Hindu



State Food Safety team detects fungal infestation
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has destroyed a huge quantity of Appam, a major prasadom at Lord Ayyappa Temple, owing to fungal infestation.
As many as 1 lakh packets (each packet contains seven Appams) of the prasasom which were found unfit for human consumption have been burnt in the incinerator at the Sannidhanam, TDB sources said.
The State Food Safety inspection team detected the fungal infestation in random samples collected for examination from the Devaswom store two days ago.
The matter was brought to the notice of Special Commissioner appointed by the Kerala High Court K. Babu who, in turn, directed the Joint Commissioner of Food Safety to conduct a detailed examination of the entire Appam stock at Sabarimala.
Talking to The Hindu , Mr. Babu said an expert team led by the Joint Commissioner of Food Safety conducted a thorough examination of the Appam stock at the TDB godown at the Sannidhanam on Thursday. The team found as many as one lakh packets of Appam that had fungal infestation and were not fit for human consumption.
The Special Commissioner directed the TDB authorities not to supply the stale Appam to the devotees and to take steps for its safe disposal at the earliest.
Mr. Babu said the TDB Commissioner and the Joint Commissioner of Food Safety had informed him that the entire stock of the fungus-infested Appam was disposed of on Thursday night.
He said Devaswom executive officer K. Sankaranarayana Pillai had clarified that adding extra bananas to the rice flour for making the Appam soft on the recommendations of the Mysore-based Central Food Technological Research Institute might have affected the shelf life of the prasadom.
The Food Safety team had attributed the problem to the excessive water content in the Appam, Mr. Babu said.
Heavy loss
The TDB has incurred a loss of at least Rs.25 lakh owing to the Appam going stale, not to mention loss of goodwill and impact on devotees’ sentiments.
There were also allegations of indifference to ensuring the quality of Appam reportedly owing to difference of opinion among the board staff over the contract given for Appam preparation at Sabarimala this year.
The Special Commissioner said a detailed inquiry would be conducted soon into the circumstances leading to deterioration in the prasadom quality.
He said strict instructions had been given to the board authorities to ensure the quality of Appam.

Maalai Malar


Test kit developed to check milk adulteration: Agriculture Minister - THE HINDU



In a bid to check adulteration of milk, the government has developed testing kits, which can detect detergents, urea and other compounds in milk and dairy products, Parliament was informed on Friday.
“A kit has been developed for detection of starch, sugar, glucose, urea, ammonium compounds, pond water, common salt, neutralisers, hydrogen peroxide, formalin in milk,” Minister of State for Agriculture Tariq Anwar said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.
The kit, developed by the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), also contains regents for detection of vanaspati in ghee, he added.
The Karnal—based institute has also developed a test for detection of detergent in milk. The test is sensitive to detect minimum levels of 20 mg detergent per 100 ml of milk.
It is simple and rapid and does not require laboratory equipment, the minister added.
“Presently, the kit is being used by several units in diary industries. NDRI has also offered the kit for commercialisation to the public/private sector companies,” Anwar said.
Last month, the government in an affidavit to the Supreme Court said that over 68 per cent of milk in the country does not conform to the standards set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
According to the FSSAI’s 2011 survey, the most common adulterant was found to be the addition of water and the main reason for deviation from the standards was addition of glucose and skimmed milk powder. It also found that in some samples, detergent was mixed.
The affidavit was filed in response to the notice issued on a PIL by a group of citizens, led by Swami Achyutanand Tirth of Uttarakhand, seeking a check on sale of synthetic and adulterated milk and various dairy products.PTI