A few days ago, a Food Safety Department team raided a fenced boundary wall in Ajmer, Rajasthan. There was a factory for making adulterated jaggery. The team seized 9000 kg jaggery and 30 bags of 1 kg each of sapholite, a substance mixed with jaggery, from the spot. Besides, barrels filled with rotting jaggery were also found, which gave off a foul smell.
The demand for jaggery is highest in the winter season. In such a situation adulterers want to earn more by selling adulterated jaggery. Adulterated jaggery can be harmful to health. Therefore, before buying jaggery, it is very important to identify genuine and fake jaggery.
So today In work news Let's know how to identify genuine and fake jaggery. You will also know that-
- What kind of adulteration can there be in fake jaggery?
- Can eating fake jaggery cause health problems?
Expert: Chaturbhuj Meena, State Food Analyst, Jharkhand
Dr. Amrita Mishra, Nutritionist and Dietetics (New Delhi)
Question- What kind of adulteration do the adulterers do in jaggery to get profit?
Answer : Usually adulterants add things like calcium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate to fake jaggery. Calcium carbonate increases the weight of jaggery, while addition of sodium bicarbonate improves the color of jaggery. Apart from this, jaggery is mixed with sugar and a chemical called sepholite. Sepholite increases the shelf life of jaggery and can keep it fresh for longer. Eating jaggery made with such chemicals can cause many health problems.
Question- How harmful is adulterated jaggery for our body? Answer- Apart from being tasty, jaggery is also very beneficial for the body. It is a good source of vitamin C, iron, potassium and magnesium. It increases immunity in the body. The body is protected from cough, flu and other diseases. However, all these benefits are available only when jaggery is completely pure. It should not be mixed with any kind of chemical. Adulterated jaggery can cause serious diseases in the body instead of being beneficial.
See in the following graphic how harmful eating adulterated jaggery is for the body.
Q- What is the complete process of making genuine jaggery?
Answer- Jaggery is made from sugarcane. Let's, with the help of these points, know the entire process from sugarcane harvesting to jaggery making.
- First of all, sugarcane is cut and washed well
- After this sugarcane juice is extracted by putting it in a crusher installed in the jaggery factory
- This juice is clarified and filtered. Waste material is thrown away.
- In the next process, the sugarcane juice is heated in a large vessel. A low flame is kept to boil the juice.
- After heating the sap, it is kept in an earthen vessel to increase its density. Due to this the color of jaggery changes.
- After this the jaggery is kept in a big vessel to cool.
- The jaggery thickens when it cools. It is then shaped into different molds and sold in the market.
Question- How to identify genuine and fake jaggery? Answer- Jaggery is a superfood that is packed with many nutrients.
But jaggery sold in the market can also be adulterated, which can spoil your health. So it is important to identify it before counting it.
Question- What are the benefits of eating jaggery in winter? Answer- Eating jaggery in winter season is very beneficial. You can include this in your diet every day. Jaggery is commonly known as a natural sweetener. It is prepared with much less processing than sugar, which retains its natural nutrients.
Regular consumption of it in winter season does not cause health problems like cough, cold, indigestion. Apart from this, there are many other benefits of eating jaggery. Understand this from the following graphic.
Question- How much jaggery should an adult eat in winter season? Answer- Nutritionist and Dietician Dr. Amrita Mishra says that a healthy adult should eat around 10 to 15 grams of jaggery every day in winter. Eating jaggery in excess of this can cause harm. This can also have negative effects on the body.
Q- Is eating jaggery beneficial for everyone? Answer- Dr. Amrita Mishra says that it is true that eating jaggery gives strength to the body, but eating jaggery should be avoided in certain health-related conditions. such as-
Diabetes: Jaggery is high in sugar. So people who have diabetes should avoid eating jaggery. It can increase the blood sugar level.
People suffering from obesity: People suffering from obesity should also not eat jaggery. In fact, jaggery is high in calories, which can lead to weight gain.
People with allergies: Jaggery contains fructose. Fructose is a type of sugar, which can increase allergies.
People with digestive problems: Jaggery is high in fiber, which can be harmful for people with digestive problems.
Pregnant women: Pregnant women should not consume jaggery without consulting a doctor.
Heart and kidney patients: Jaggery is high in sugar and calories, which can be harmful for heart and kidney patients.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
