TEST RESULTS
Protein | Carbohydrate | Fineness | Alcoholic acidity | Fat | Energy | Total ash | Acid-insoluble ash | Kesari dal | Moisture | Foreign starch | Physical impurities | Packing and marking | Net weight
Protein Requirement: 21% min as per BIS
Protein plays an important role in cellular maintenance, growth and functioning of the human body. Besan is a relatively rich source of protein among vegetable-origin products. All brands met the minimum requirement. Ahaar scored highest in this parameter. Carbohydrate Carbohydrate is a source of energy. Consumption of besan ensures intake of a fair quantity of carbohydrates. While the national standards have not specified any requirement in this regard, some amount of carbohydrate in besan exists inherently. Carbohydrate in the tested brands ranged from 57.84 per cent to 61.26 per cent. Tirupati’s scored highest in this parameter, followed by Rajdhani and Tata I-Shakti.
Fineness Ninety-nine per cent of the material shall pass through a 500 microns IS test sieve. The fineness of besan affects the quality of the finished products prepared by using besan. All brands passed this test. Brand Rajdhani commented thus on fineness: “We intentionally don’t give fine besan in our consumer pack as the semi-fine variety can be used for multiple purposes and is hence more suitable for home use. The fine variety is only good for making snack items like dhokla. For crisp pakoras and for making laddoos at home, one needs a semi-fine or even a coarse variety of besan.”
Alcoholic acidity Requirement: Maximum 0.12% by mass as per BIS
Alcoholic acidity of a packaged product is related to its shelf life and freshness. If acidity is higher than the maximum limit, microbes may grow, will allow contamination of the product and reduce the shelf life of the product. The higher the alcoholic acidity, the higher is the rancidity of the product. Ahaar, Pan, Shakti Bhog and Tata I-Shakti did not pass this test as per Grade 1 requirement. It indicates that the product may not be fresh. Fat Besan is not a rich source of fat but it still adds to its overall nutritional value. There is no requirement for fat content in the Indian Standard. Fat in the tested brands varied between 4.62 per cent
and 5.26 per cent.