Citrus market prepares to the feat by 14,000 tons of vegetables and fruits
• Al-Shaibani: The black substance which is found in meat as a result of grilling is Carbon, harmful to health.
• The direct backing of meat by using the tin (Aluminum) leads to dangerous and harmful effects during barbecue. Banana tree or the clean fibers are the healthy alternatives.
With the approaching of Al-adha Feast and increasing in shopping in markets, the central citrus market management of Muscat Municipality confirmed that it received (445) cargos loaded with (8900) tones of different various of vegetables and fruits during the period from (1-17 September). While the received containers from Sohar port to the market during the same period are (285) containers loaded with (5160) tones of vegetables and fruits.
All these in the framework of the administration`s preparation to Al-adha feast in coordination with the operating companies of the market by providing adequate quantities of various kinds of vegetables and fruits to satisfy the customer needs and keep pace with the increasing purchasing movement of the market before the feast by days. The operating companies increase the number of received cargos to satisfy the customer needs by increasing 8% of vegetables and fruits than Alfetr Feast ratio.
The administrative starts its preparation early by holding continuous meetings to intensify the efforts of the employees in the market which are represented in regulating the entry to market, the cleanliness of market and providing parking lot to the customers. It coordinates with a number of government agencies which are represented in the customs office, the agriculture quarantine bureau of the market, the customs companies representatives to finish customs clearance procedures and inspect the received refrigerators to the market to ensure the arrival of that goods for the customer as soon as possible and its validity.
The market administrative identified the working hours to all market sectors starting from yesterday (Monday 7th of Dhu-AlHijjah until the end of Aladha feast holiday 6am to 11pm).
Dish of advice
In the beginning of Aladha Feast, the table is filled with frilled meat dishes and other favored fatty meals. These purchasing habits and traditions are similar in all Omani homes of the different states. The sacrifice, nuts, grains, species and others purchasing are the most prominent habits. A number of food considerations must take into account witch lead to ensure the safety and healthy application for the customer and his family and protect them from diseases.
HUD bin Mohamed bin Ibrahim Al-Shaibani, Assistant Director of Laboratory at Muscat Municipality refers to the importance of following a number of instructions when buying fresh meat, grains and spices during Aladha feast period. He calls the customer to confirm the quality and validity for the fresh mat when he busies it, also he should bear in mind many things such as make sure of the Municipality seal within the sacrifice which ensure its legal slaughter under the supervision of specialized doctors.
As regards to the imported chilled meat, Al-Shaibani advices to make sure of the origin country for these meats by reading the allocated card statement for each sacrifice and the expired date to be kept at temperature not more than 4 degrees Celsius. The frozen meat must be kept at temperature not more than 18 degrees Celsius below zero, he pointed that the customer should be present during cutting and chopping meat to make sure of its validity, also he pointed to some of observations must be known to the customer to ensure the purchasing fresh meat and avoid the commercial fraud such as: meat should be brilliant red in general not brown or gray color which means spoilt meat as a result of the growth of some microorganisms inside it, coherent textures devoid of viscosity and bad smells.
To make sure that the animal has slaughtered alive, Al-Shaibani advises to leave a piece of meat in a glass of water, if the water color changes to red so that animal was slaughtered dead, he confirmed the importance to follow the proper ways for keeping meat such as using dedicated new bags for keeping not in shopping bags, meat should be covered by Aluminum foil and the gleaming surface outside to avoid and reflect heat. These are important conditions for cooking and grilling meat not less than the importance of purchasing conditions.
Al-Shaibani confirmed that meat must be grilled very well and avoid the composition of dark substance (Carbon) which is responsible for Cancer disease and others. In the case of preparing barbecue with the traditional ways, it is better to use leaf banana or mango trees or the well washed palm fiber which is lack of carbon pollution and herbicides, avoid using tin or Aluminum foil, he warns using tin or Aluminum foil which is made of 3 layers containing heavy metals may be moved to food during cooking because of its direct contact to food.
For preparing "Almashakik", the cool must be good quality and fully flamed to avoid blowing ash and emitting smoke from meat, not to touch the grilled food by harm and using specialized grill tweezers, where in the case of using electric ovens for barbecue; it is preferred to put food directly on the oven glass or metal dish and avoiding put the tin or Aluminum foil in contact touching to foods, in the case of not eating the grilled neat directly after barbecue, put meat in a bowl of steel or glass and covering it slightly for keeping it hot and leaving a distance to prevent direct contact with food if it is covered by Aluminum foil.
It should take into account heating the cooked food and leave it in room temperature for more than two hours before eating it, covered with Aluminum foil and the gleaming surface be in the internal side with small holes for ventilation. Al-Shaibani advices the customer that he should buy relish, readymade mixes spices, honey and butter from a trusted and authorized source of the official agencies, he should read the validity data to make sure of the content or the bag.
He pointed to the importance of the food presentation in shop, keeping in the refrigerator after opening and tightly coverage. It is preferred purchasing small amount of food to be uses in short period without having to store them at home, using glass bottled instead of plastic bottles to avoid any interactions with food , avoid reusing plastic and metal bottles for keeping food at home. Also, the customer must make sure the absence of green or white mold on relish and butter surfaces.
The nuts are one of the most favorite varieties in the hospitality table. The customer should follow the healthy eating habits by selecting the best nuts and makes sure of its validity, its authorized source, its presentations ways, how to save them, the safety of containers and its means of transport. In the case of observing any color of smell changes, this often indicates to the presence of fungi. The customer must be careful to buy these foods that are not covered and testes by his hand directly in the shop to detect its validity and the absence of microbes and fungi which lead to fast damage for foods.
The regulatory authorities keen to set health requirements for commercial shops to avoid the contamination of food stuffs during the sale offer, for example: the nuts shops should show each one of all nuts varieties in glass cupboard and well tightly covers to prevent its contamination. If the customer wants to test any product, small amount of the products should be put in different pot or by using spoons as known in our domestic markets.
The nuts are the most common types of beans which are vulnerable to fungi and its growth such as Aflatoxin which is excreted in the oilseeds such as Peanuts, cashews, Wal nuts, Almond, Pine nuts, Sweet Corn, Rice, Wheat, Beans, Nuts, Tea, Spices and some seeds such as Sunflower and Cotton seeds. Aflatoxin is considers as one of the most dangerous mycotoxins which exits naturally in the suitable environment for fungi growth causing food spoilage, also there are products can be transformed to Aflatoxin in eggs, dairy products and meat when the animals are fed with contaminated grain of fungi.