Annual report on the health of the population of West Bengal.

  • West Bengal (India). Directorate of Health Services.
Date:
[1952]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on the health of the population of West Bengal. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    99/438 (page 87)
    There was a still further decrease in the percentage of adulteration of mustard oil during the year as compaied to those of the two preceding years, 1951 and 1950. The percentage of adulteration of milk samples sent by the district boards was practically double of that of the previous year 1951 and was almost the same as that of the year 1950. The extent of adulteration of the foodstuff sent by the municipalities remained more or less steady. There was a considerable reduction in the percentage of adulteration of the milk product chhana, sent by district boards compared to the two preceding years. As the number of samples of this milk product received for analysis were few, no conclusion can be drawn for this decrease in adulteration. During the year there was a distinct increase in the number of' wheat pro¬ ducts, i.e., atta and flour, analysed in comparision to that of the previous year 1951; also, the number of tea samples received for analysis from district boards increased. The number of samples of ghee received from district boards were practically half of that of the previous year. During the year only one sample of mustard oil was found to be adul¬ terated with the highly poisonous oil, namely, the aregemone, whereas 15 samples contained mineral oils some of which are considered to be also toxic. One of the reasons for the lesser number of samples of mustard oil received from district boards in the year as compared to that of the previous year was practically the total stoppage of sample collection by the 24-Par- ganas district board. Regarding the question of the presence of excessive woody and hard stalks in tea, it was proved by experiment conducted here that the ordinary constituents such as total and soluble ash, total water-soluble extract, and also caffeine and tannin wTere not appreciably affected by the excessive amount of non-tender stalks. However, fibre contents of such stalky teas were significantly higher than those of good teas with a low non-tender stalk content (below 10 per cent.) Estimation of fibre was particularly found useful in the examination of dust tea. # A significant work in the year was the analysis of samples of coffee and chicory. There is a proposal to include this beverage in the category of noti¬ fied foodstuff, and fairly large number of coffee samples were analysed with a view to suggest standards for this beverage. As coffee is growing more and more popular e^ eryday it is only fitting that it should be brought under the State Food Act. Another important work of investigational nature which was started in the latter part of the year under review was the estimation of moisture in butter. As the State Government is proposing to reconsider the present legal moisture limit of 20 per cent, in butter, samples were collected from various local markets and analysed for moisture contents, and also examined for the purity of the derived fat. The work is continuing. Apart from the routine analysis of milk the test for the detection of recons¬ tituted milk (milk powder) in fresh milk is becoming more and mors important. Frequently this test is called for and positive indications have been obtained in some cases. Research Work.-—During the year under review some research work was carried out with the limited facility available. Subject matters for the research were chosen in such a way that these had bearing on the usual routine work done in this laboratory such as finding a relation between the titratable acidity of flour (maida) and its soundness, estimation of very small amounts of argemone oil in mustard oil by the bromide test, relation between 7