Chaat your way

A guide to eating roadside chaat without a following stomach upset

A guide to eating roadside chaat without a following stomach upset

IT has happened to almost all of us at sometime or the other. You go out in the mood for some chaat, you enjoy yourself thoroughly and then you land up in bed with an upset tummy for the next few days. In fact, many of us seem prone to this whenever we eat out.

Everything we eat or drink contains microorganisms. Some of these are good bacteria and are healthy for your digestive system eg: the good bacteria in dahi (lactobacilli). However, some bacteria can be very harmful and can upset your digestive system. While there is a permissable/ allowable limit of these bacteria in a particular food, if this count is exceeded it is definitely going to cause a few rumblings or in worse cases, even dehydration.

Sunday MiD DAY decided to check the microorganism count from randomly selected samples of pani puri water from four different vendors of four food oulets in Mumbai and here are the results:

Total Viable Count (TVC)
is the presence of total number of microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast and mold in a sample. To be specific, the count actually represents the number of colony forming units (cfu) per g (or per ml) of the sample.

Opt for piping hot food

Avoid white-coloured items

Always wash your hands

It is next to impossible for most products to have a TVC reading of zero so a certain amount of leeway is given and the allowable limit in Indian manufacturing units is between 25,000-50,000 per gram of a sample.

Total coliform count (TCC)
measures the concentration of total coliform bacteria associated with the possible presence of disease causing organisms. Coliform bacteria are a natural part of the microbiology of the intestinal tract of warm-blooded mammals, including man. Californ bacteria can also be found in soil, other animals, insects, etc. The allowable limit in a food sample of TCC is not greater than 100/gram of sample.

Causes of high TVC & TCC in pani puri pani:
>>Poor personal hygiene i.e. unclean clothes, unwashed hands
>>Water supply
>>Raw material like masalas used or even coriander or mint leaves used
>>Unclean environment ie improper cleaning of utensils /work surface
>>Improper storage temperature
Effect: You can land up with mild indigestion to major food poisoning ie vomiting, diarrhea or even dysentery, depending on how high the count of these microorganisms is in the food you have eaten.

Precautions to be taken by vendors:
>>The first step that vendors can take is to buy two-three brands of masalas and get them tested in a food testing lab for microbial count as these masalas are the main source of microorganisms. Make your choice depending on which masalas has the least count of microorganisms.
>>Make sure that the mint leaves or coriander used is washed well in a three-step process:
1. Wash the entire bundle of leaves thoroughly
2.u00a0 Chop the leaves and wash once again in clean water
3.u00a0 Do a last rinse in a concentrated salt solution (ie add seven-eight spoons of salt to a bowl of water for one bundle of coriander)

>>Cover the utensil with a lid in which the final product is stored
>>If the prepared pani puri water can be refrigerated it would be ideal, as lower temperatures slow down the growth of microorganisms preventing them from multiplying quickly
>>Prepare several fresh batches throughout the day
>>Wear disposable gloves whenever handling any food items
>>Clean up the work surface using a clean cloth and boiling hot water two-three times a day and use good disinfectants at the end of the day to reduce the microorganism count.
u00a0
How to prevent food poisoning when eating out:
>>Try to avoid eating at roadside outlets or places with visibly poor hygiene.
>>Make sure that hot foods are served to you piping hot and cold foods are ice cold as it is at room temperatures that microorganisms multiply.
>>Avoid chutneys and sauces which are kept at the table for prolonged time periods.
>>Avoid white coloured items like milk, curds or even coconut chutneys as they contain a better environment to allow microorganisms to thrive, if not stored at correct temperatures.
>>Always wash your own hands before eating food.
>>If you come down with a bout of food poisoning after eating at a particular place, be cautious the next time!

The writer is a nutritionist and personal trainer (samreedhi@sizewise.co.in)