ABSTRACT
Since the first report of lathyrism in 1926, the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) at Hyderabad, India, has made tremendous contributions in the field of food toxins/food safety for the benefit of the people. The present article highlights the Institute's work on various food toxins/foodborne diseases since its inception and discusses the important contributions made in the context of public health protection that formed the basis for several national policies on their prevention and control. The investigations on food toxins, in the initial decades, were limited to the description of lathyrism and its endemicity. Subsequently, the horizon was broadened to include the problem of mycotoxins and mycotoxicosis, which had received global attention and variety of other disease outbreaks investigations leading to total food safety transition in the forthcoming decades. Important contributions in epidemiological investigations, reproduction of the disease in experimental animals, surveillance and monitoring studies, development of methods for detection of food toxins and contaminants, evolving strategies for prevention and control and developing the concept of risk assessment and risk management for addressing food safety issues in the country are discussed.
Subject(s)
Dietary Exposure , Food Safety/methods , Foodborne Diseases , Public Health , Risk Management/organization & administration , Dietary Exposure/adverse effects , Dietary Exposure/prevention & control , Dietary Exposure/standards , Foodborne Diseases/epidemiology , Foodborne Diseases/etiology , Foodborne Diseases/prevention & control , Humans , India/epidemiology , Public Health/methods , Public Health/standards , Risk AssessmentABSTRACT
The potential allergenicity of Bar, Barnase, and Barstar recombinant proteins expressed in genetically engineered mustard for pollination control in plant breeding was evaluated for regulatory review. To evaluate the potential allergenicity of the Bar, Barnase and Barstar proteins amino acid sequence comparisons were made to those of known and putative allergens, and search for published evidence to the sources of the genes using the AllergenOnline.org database. Initial comparisons in 2012 were performed with version 12 by methods recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the Indian Council of Medical Research, Government of India. Searches were repeated with version 15 in 2015. A literature search was performed using PubMed to identify reports of allergy associated with the sources of the three transgenes. Potential open reading frames at the DNA insertion site were evaluated for matches to allergens. No significant sequence identity matches were identified with Bar, Barnase or Barstar proteins or potential fusion peptides at the genomic-insert junctions compared to known allergens. No references were identified that associated the sources of the genes with allergy. Based on these results we conclude that the Bar, Barnase and Barstar proteins are unlikely to present any significant risk of food allergy to consumers.
Subject(s)
Allergens/adverse effects , Bacterial Proteins/adverse effects , Food, Genetically Modified/adverse effects , Models, Molecular , Mustard Plant/metabolism , Seeds/metabolism , Acetyltransferases/adverse effects , Acetyltransferases/chemistry , Acetyltransferases/genetics , Acetyltransferases/metabolism , Allergens/chemistry , Allergens/genetics , Allergens/metabolism , Amino Acid Sequence , Antigens, Plant/adverse effects , Antigens, Plant/chemistry , Antigens, Plant/genetics , Antigens, Plant/metabolism , Bacillus/enzymology , Bacterial Proteins/chemistry , Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Bacterial Proteins/metabolism , Computational Biology , Databases, Protein , Dietary Proteins/adverse effects , Dietary Proteins/chemistry , Dietary Proteins/metabolism , Food Hypersensitivity/etiology , Food Hypersensitivity/prevention & control , Humans , India , Mustard Plant/enzymology , Mustard Plant/genetics , Plants, Genetically Modified/enzymology , Plants, Genetically Modified/genetics , Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism , Pollination , Recombinant Proteins/adverse effects , Recombinant Proteins/chemistry , Recombinant Proteins/metabolism , Ribonucleases/adverse effects , Ribonucleases/chemistry , Ribonucleases/genetics , Ribonucleases/metabolism , Risk Assessment , Seeds/enzymology , Seeds/genetics , Sequence Alignment , Streptomyces/enzymologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Measurement of dietary intake of spices is gaining significance because of recognition of their health promoting benefits as well as its use for risk assessment of contaminant exposures. Estimating intake of spices at the individual level, presents several challenges since various spices are used as an integrated part of a prepared food and consumed in amounts much smaller than other dietary components. The objective of the present study is to assess intake of spices at the household and individual level on the basis of pattern of spice use and portion size of spice consumed from routinely prepared dishes in Hyderabad city in Southern India. METHODS: The study was conducted in 100 households in urban areas of Hyderabad city in India with the help of a spice intake questionnaire that was prepared to collect information on the pattern of spice use, frequency, and quantity of spice consumption of 17 spices routinely used in Indian cuisine. The quantity of spice intake was assessed by measuring portion size of spice consumed from the quantity of i) spices added in routinely prepared dishes and ii) the prepared dish consumed by an individual. RESULTS: Based on the type of dish prepared and frequency of preparing the dishes, 11 out of 17 spices were found to be consumed by more than 50% of the households. Maximum number of spices was consumed at weekly frequencies. Red chillies and turmeric were the most frequently consumed spices by 100% of the households. The mean total intake of spices was observed to be higher through dishes consumed daily (10.4 g/portion) than from those consumed at weekly or monthly frequencies. Highest portion size intake was observed for chillies (mean 3.0 g; range 0.05-20.2 g) and lowest for nutmeg (mean 0.14 g; range 0.02-0.64 g) and mace (mean 0.21 g; range: 0.02-0.6 g). CONCLUSIONS: The study suggested that assessment of intake of spices varies with frequency of use of spices and type of dish consumed. Portion size estimations of spices consumed and the frequency of consumption of the spice containing dishes facilitates in quantifying spice intake at the individual level.
Subject(s)
Cooking/methods , Diet , Spices , Capsicum , Curcuma , Food , Health Promotion , Humans , India , Portion Size , Surveys and Questionnaires , Urban PopulationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The present study was carried out on stored rice variety PAU 201 in Punjab that was not permitted for milling and public distribution due to the presence of damaged grains at levels exceeding the regulatory limits of 4.75 per cent. The aim of the study was to determine fungal and aflatoxin contamination in the rice samples to assess hazard from the presence of damaged grains. Presence of iron in discoloured rice grains was also assessed. METHODS: Stored samples of paddy of PAU 201 rice variety were collected from six districts of Punjab, milled and analysed for presence of fungal and aflatoxin contamination. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and Prussian blue staining was used to determine fungal spores and presence of iron, respectively. RESULTS: Aflatoxin analysis of rice samples indicated that none exceeded the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011 tolerance limit of 30 µg/kg and majority of the samples had levels <15 µg/kg. The proportion of damaged grains exceeding the limit of 5 per cent was observed in 85.7 per cent of the samples. SEM and Prussian blue staining and EDX analysis of black tipped and pin point damaged rice grains did not show presence of fungal structures and presence of iron. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicated that the stored rice samples did not pose any health concern with respect to aflatoxin contamination as per the criteria laid down by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
