How to Detect Ammonia in Our Food?

by admin | Jul 24, 2021 | Food, resources

How to Detect Ammonia in Our Food?

Reuters had recently published a few investigative articles in which it was revealed that ammonia is being used in many foods, especially common foods like cheese, chocolate (acidity controller) and baked goods (leavening agents). If you are also worried about how bad ammonia is for health, how to detect ammonia in food, and how to reduce the levels of ammonia in your body, then reading on will help.

HOW BAD CAN IT BE?

If you have high levels of ammonia in your body, it is not good for you. It can lead to problems like

Wheezing, coughing, watery eyes and shortness of breath.
Skin irritation or burns.
Excessively high ammonia levels, known as hyperammonemia can be fatal if not treated.
In many cases, ammonia levels become high due to liver problems or severe hepatitis. If that’s the case, you might have to deal with lethargy, confusion, metabolism changes, and forgetfulness. In worse cases, it leads to a person being comatose.

HOW TO DETECT AMMONIA IN OUR FOOD?

Unfortunately, there is no simple shortcut to detect ammonia in the food. You need to get it tested at a lab. There are no strict rules that might force the food manufacturers to list exact ammonia levels on the labels. The best most manufacturers do is to mention safe and small levels.

HOW TO REDUCE AMMONIA EXPOSURE?

Eat as many real foods as possible and limit processed foods whenever possible.
Buy organically grown foods that help you to avoid GMO, pesticides, herbicides, and antibiotics present in animals
Drink lots of water so that you urinate frequently and flush out ammonia from your body.
Drinking coconut water is even better as it also makes you urinate frequently, and it tastes better than plain water.
If you grow tired of plain water and coconut water, have some lemon water or have citrus fruits to lower ammonia levels.
Drinking tea, especially green tea, can help remove toxins from the body and lightens the work you have to do.
Don’t drink alcoholic beverages as it can enhance ammonia production and harm your liver.
Seek supplements and medications whenever needed to lower ammonia levels.
You must also know that low levels of ammonia are also not good news, so you need to make sure that you keep in touch with a medical expert if you are taking any supplements or medications. Self-treatment is not recommended at all.

The foods we eat today are very different from the foods we ate even a few years back. Our busy lives have made us dependent on packaged, processed, and frozen foods that are quickly cooked and can save time. But if you depend too much on them, make sure that you know every ingredient is safe for consumption and doesn’t harm your body at all.

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Difference Between Solar Inverter and Normal Inverter

by admin | Jul 24, 2021 | consumer durable, resources

Difference Between Solar Inverter and Normal Inverter

When you plan to buy an inverter for your home or commercial space, the first question that pops into your mind is what is the difference between solar inverter and normal inverter. This question doesn’t have a single answer as everything from the operations to inverter battery varies in both the options. So, you should read on and know the differences in detail before making the purchase decision.

Normal inverter and its operations

A power inverter, commonly considered as a normal inverter is a device that uses switching, control circuits and transformers to convert direct current to alternating current. This is the basic goal of every inverter, be it a normal one or a solar one.

The power inverter takes the DC power from batteries and then converts it to AC power that is used by appliances. The inverter battery and inverter are usually connected to the power connection of your home. When the power is available in a network or grid, the batteries are charged and when the power is not available, the inverter automatically (in most cases) switches to the battery mode and allows you to use appliances and other essentials.

Solar inverter and its operations

The solar inverter consists of solar panels, a charge controller, some switching circuits and batteries and inverters. It has a terminal for connecting the battery and solar panels of correct rating. The inverter battery is charged from the output of solar panels when it is under sufficient sunlight. In a solar inverter, the photovoltaic solar panel produces variable direct current (DC). The inverter converts this direct current into alternating current. Using a solar inverter will help you reduce the electricity bill. Solar panels can be placed at homes as well as offices.

A viable option

Now, if you are not sure about which inverter to buy, power inverter which can provide excellent service no matter the presence of the sun but is costly or a solar inverter that depends heavily on sunlight that’s not available all the time then you shouldn’t worry. You have another choice. There are many inverters that work as both, a power inverter and a solar inverter. Yes, these inverters charge the batteries from solar power when the sunlight is available and use power from the grid when the sunlight is not available. Some inverter models also let you generate extra electricity from solar power and send it back to the electricity distribution company.

The future is bright

Buying a solar power inverter or an inverter that has some solar power capabilities is the need of the hour and every smart consumer should remember it. Solar power is getting a lot of support and attention from the government as well. As of 30 September 2018, India’s solar installed capacity was 26 GW and the government is planning to increase it further in the future. Be a smart consumer and invest in a solar inverter today!

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Unit Price should also be declared along with Maximum Retail Price (MRP) on Packaged Commodities

by admin | Jul 24, 2021 | consumer durable, resources

Unit Price should also be declared along with Maximum Retail Price (MRP) on Packaged Commodities

International and indian practice / regulations for selling commodities by retailers to consumers:

In international and Indian market, loose products are sold in standard unit of measure, such as per kilogram or litre or number or length, etc. So for consumer it is easy to compare price variation of different retailers.

In India, all packaged products have to mention Maximum Retail Price (MRP). Declaration of MRP is mandated by Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodity) Rules, 2011. MRP is a manufacturer declared price that is the highest price that can be charged for a product sold in India.

Whereas mostly in rest of the world, Retail Sale Price of packaged products used to vary from retailer to retailer.

Both systems have their own merits and demerits.

What is unit price?

Unit pricing – or comparative pricing – is a way to show the price of a commodity in relation to a standard unit of measure, such as the kilogram or litre. Unit price gives fair idea about cheaper and costlier brands of same product.

Is there any standard for unit price?

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is an independent, non-governmental, international organization has developed ISO 21041:2018, namely, Guidance on unit pricing, sets down several prerequisites that will allow consumers to compare the prices of similar items to make more informed buying choices.

Benefits to consumer when unit price along with mrp declared on packaged products:

Unit prices can be used to make many types of value comparisons, including between:

Package sizes: For example, if one juice manufacturer offers juice in a 200ml pack and another manufacturer offers juice in a 160ml pack, then unit pricing demands that the prices of both manufacturers be displayed according to one litre. This way, consumers can easily decide which company to opt for instead of having to perform calculations.

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Righteous move to remove ‘fair’ from lovely

by admin | Jul 24, 2021 | consumer durable, resources

Righteous move to remove ‘fair’ from lovely

Beauty is beyond color, caste, and creed. And the recent fallout by the several consumer bodies for promoting the notion of ‘fairness is determinant of beauty and success’ has been vehemently ridiculed. Facing such immense protests and reactions from various platforms, now FMCG major Unilever has decided to drop the word ‘fair’ from its bestselling skin lightening cream Fair and Lovely. Moreover, Unilever decided to remove other words such as “fair, white, & lightening,” in the packaging and communication of the iconic fairness cream and plans a rebranding of the same.

Unilever and its Indian subsidiary Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and others have been criticised extensively for superficial claims and promoting colourism and making girls with darker shades feel insecure and inadequate. Pressure had been mounting since last week when US multinational Johnson and Johnson announced it would no longer produce or sell two of its creams which are popular in Asia and the Middle East in response to the death of George Floyd and the worldwide debate about racism it sparked.
A recent BBC report says Fair and Lovely is India’s largest selling skin lightening cream, with 24bn rupees ($317m; £256m) in annual revenue. The authenticity of the fairness creams has always been doubtful. To check the viability of such creams, Consumer VOICE in the year 2008 tested 10 brands of fairness cream where the report discarded the notion that fairness creams make you ‘fairer.

It would not be erroneous to say that the Rs 3000 crore fairness cream market is mere eyewash. It first plants, and then plays upon the planted insecurities in the consumer mind to keep raking in profits.
If we consider the overall scores obtained by the 10 brands in Consumer VOICE tests, it is evident that fairness efficacy results were ‘very light improvement’ and not lasts longer. In 2019, the Indian fairness cream market was reportedly worth nearly Rs 3,000 crore, according to the India Fairness Cream & Bleach Market Overview (2018-2023). Market revenues were expected to reach Rs 5,000 crore by 2023, the study estimated. This is unsurprising considering skin lightening products take up about half of India’s skincare market, according to a 2019 study by the World Health Organization.

How we did it?

Consumer VOICE tested all the 10 brands of fairness creams for their application efficacy by impaneling female and male volunteers who applied a fairness cream on their face (and neck wherever applicable) for four weeks according to application instructions given by the manufacturers. The volunteers were in the age group 18-40 years. To judge the performance of fairness creams, evaluation through photometry tests done under controlled conditions was carried out. The volunteers so chosen were neither too dark in complexion nor fair.

The results clearly show that fairness creams cause such little improvement that one might as well do without them. There is not much sense in using a fairness cream that costs anything between Rs 50 to Rs 500 and does precious little to lighten one’s complexion.

What’s inside your fairness cream?

Fairness creams (usually applied in summers) are generally stable mixtures of oils, fats, other essential ingredients, and water. Oil-soluble and water-soluble substances are brought together in an emulsifying agent to make a fairness cream. Of the 10 creams tested by Consumer VOICE, only Garnier and L’oreal mention ‘water’ as its key ingredient and on top of the list of ingredients. The rest of the brands completely ignore the presence of water as an ingredient, even when laboratory tests prove that all fairness creams tested have water as their major constituent.

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Buying Guide: Smartphones – features and Operating Systems

by admin | Jul 18, 2021 | smart phone

Buying Guide: Smartphones – features and Operating Systems

Mobile or smartphone industry is highly competitive and the consumers are really confused with such a massive range of brands and models available. We have compiled a Buying Guide that lists all the important features of a Smartphone and Smartphone Operating Systems, thus making it simpler for you to understand and get the right one for you.

Display size and resolution: Display has two dimensions – size and resolution. If you are a regular user, you need a smartphone for checking emails as well as chatting and browsing social media, in which case anything from a 12.7 cm to 13.9 cm (5 inches to 5.5 inches) HD or full-HD display handsets are perfect for you. Otherwise you can opt for a tablet.
Processing power: The processor is the key characteristic that enables real smart usage of the mobile phone/tablet. The processing power varies from one device to another, depending on several factors such as the OS version, UI, bloatware and more.
Camera: Most users want to know how many megapixels the camera has. But just having a higher number of megapixels does not mean that the camera is better. Several other specifications – such as camera aperture, ISO levels, pixel size, auto-focus and more – are also important.
Battery: It is important to have a battery with longer staying power. If you are a heavy user and work on internet/apps, play games, stream videos and more, then go for a smartphone with at least a 3,500 mAh battery or above. If you are an average or light user, a handset with a 3,000 mAh battery would be good enough to run for a full day.
The build: The build is directly linked with the durability of a smartphone. The entire handset market is broadly divided into two types of builds – metal and plastic. Which option you select should be based on how you evaluate your own usage pattern – do you tend to be very careful with your devices or are you clumsy and rough? Metal built would be more durable and robust but more expensive.
User interface: The user interface and OS version are key factors to choosing the best devices. The interface is that part of the phone that you interact with each time you access any function, so it should be easy and simple.
Storage: Nowadays storage is available in options of 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB or more. Higher storage volumes are mainly required by users who store movies or play heavy games. It is advisable to go for a minimum of 32 GB storage, else you will have to deal with the problem of hanging/functions slowing down when closer to reaching full storage.
Security: Our smartphone contains private data and pictures that we don’t want to share with anyone. So, security features are important and can include fingerprint sensors or even iris sensors.
Service: Another factor to consider is whether or not the phone supports the newer, high-speed 4G networks.
Design: A very important feature is the look and feel of a device. If the device fits in your hand, then it is easy to access its features.

SMARTPHONE OPERATING SYSTEMS

The operating system (OS) is the software that powers your phone. The phone’s operating system (OS) is the thing that’ll turn the phone (and possibly you) on or off. There are three options to choose from:

APPLE IPHONE OS (IOS)

If you already have, or plan to buy, other devices made by Apple such as an iPad tablet, Macbook laptop or Mac desktop, then an iPhone using iOS would be a good choice. The operating system for the Apple laptop and desktop computing devices have been evolving into a similar look and feel, so you should be comfortable moving from one device to another without having to relearn anything. And if you’re considering buying the Apple Watch, then you need an iPhone, as the Apple Watch won’t work with any other smartphone.

Pros: It’s easy to use and quick to learn, even if you haven’t used a smartphone before. It provides access to the well-stocked Apple app store – where apps are vetted before being released, so you can rest assured they’re safe to use.

Cons: Apple iPhones are expensive – the latest iPhone 8 (64 GB) will set you back by around £700, while the iPhone 8 Plus (64 GB) costs around £800. And the all-new iPhone X (64 GB) costs an eye-watering £999. If you’re not obsessed with having the latest tech, you can find cheaper deals on older handsets. Apple iPhones also do not come with a micro-SD card slot, so you’ll need to choose the memory capacity carefully to avoid running out of space for your app, music and photo collection.

Overall, if you like dependable sameness with no surprises and rock-solid compatibility with a good range of devices, then you should consider an iPhone using iOS, although you do pay a premium price.

GOOGLE ANDROID

Google Android is an open platform, which means any company can develop apps for smart devices that use the Android operating system. The Android operating system is in a variety of devices from smartwatches to TVs to fridges. However, the open nature of this operating system also means there isn’t the same ‘sameness’ in the look and feel compared to Apple’s closed iOS environment. The latest Android smartphones are made by companies that introduce their own look-and-feel elements. So you may be a fan of LG or HTC mobiles and not so keen on Sony or Samsung mobiles, even though all of these models operate on the same operating system.

Pros: It’s generally easy to use, extremely customisable, and provides access to the wide variety of apps, games and entertainment available from the Google Play store. There’s also loads of Android phones to choose from, whatever your budget.

Cons: In the past, Android has been slightly more vulnerable to attack than Apple handsets. That’s beginning to change now, though – Google is putting more emphasis on vetting apps in the app store and patching security holes before they’re released on the Google Play store. Sometimes the manufacturer and network provider can be slow to release Android updates to users – for instance, some phones still haven’t received the 2015 Marshmallow version, let alone 2016’s Nougat or 2017’s Oreo.

Overall, If you like to customise your mobile experience and want to work with the latest tech devices as soon as they come out, then an Android-based smartphone is your best bet.

WINDOWS PHONE OS

Windows is not as popular as Android or iOS, but it has a few options at the cheaper end of the market.

Pros: Microsoft offers a range of decent-yet-affordable Windows phones – you can pick one up for around £120. Windows phones are fully compatible with Windows laptops and computers – good for finishing tasks while on the move.

Cons: There aren’t as many apps made for Windows phones as there are for iOS and Android. That said, many of the major apps such as Facebook, Google Maps and BBC News are available.

WHAT SIZE OF PHONE IS RIGHT FOR ME?

Smartphones are getting bigger and bigger, with the latest high-end models measuring 5.5 inches and more – including the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. However, while bigger phones are great for watching films and browsing the web, they won’t suit everyone. Some people find them too large and awkward to hold, and would prefer a model they can comfortably use with one hand. The best way to find out which handset size is right for you is to try holding a few in a shop. If you do want something that will slip more easily into your pocket or bag, pick a 4–5-inch phone.

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