FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
(39 OF 1970) &
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See SECTION 10, RULE 13)
1. TITLE OF THE INVENTION:
DIET SURVEY KIT FOR FAMILY DIET SURVEY OF UNCOOKED FOOD
2. APPLICANTS
NAME: KRISHNA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES
NATIONALITY: DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY DECLARED U/s 3 OF UGC ACT, 1956 VIDE NOTIFICATION NO. F.9-15/2001-U-3 OF THE MINISTRY OF THE HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, GOVT. OF INDIA.
ADDRESS: KRISHNA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, NEAR DHEBEWADI ROAD, MALKAPUR, KARAD. MAHARASHTRA, INDIA.
3. PERMEABLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
4. PROVISIONAL COMPLETE
N/A The following specification particularly
describes the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:
4. TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention is in the field of biomedical research particularly in the field of food and nutrition. Family diet survey of uncooked food can be undertaken with the help of this diet survey kit consisting of
1. Calibrated four translucent jars.
2. One calibrated cylindrical mini cup.
3. One number to weight to nutritive value conversion table for fruits. (Table 1)
4. One weight for nutritive value conversion table for non-veg food and (Table 2)
5. One volume to weight to nutritive value conversion table for oils, condiments, and spices. (Table 3)
Volume to weight conversion jars and cylindrical mini cup as well as number to weight conversion tables are used in this kit. The nutritive value of the uncooked food stuffs for protein, calorie, calcium and iron per 100 gm as published by National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, is written vertically against the height scale of that food stuff.
5. BACKGROUND
Family diet survey of uncooked food is at present undertaken by carrying weighing machine and different weights from house to house which is cumbersome. The food stuffs like oils, condiments and spices which are used in small quantities are difficult to weigh. It is also time consuming to weigh each raw food item, select weights, record weights, refer to food tables and compute the nutritive value. The beam types of weighing machines are costly. Electronic weighing machines are costlier and can be used in the field on battery backup for limited period of time. If the electricity in the houses is not available, due to prolonged periods of load shading, this battery backup is insufficient. In rural areas, such occasions of load shading are very common. Repeated family diet surveys of uncooked food are required to be undertaken for knowing and monitoring the food intakes of various population groups from different geographical areas.
6, OBJECTS OF INVENTION
1. To provide simple, low cost, accurate quick method of family diet survey of uncooked food.
2. To give nutritive values of the common food stuffs as ready reckoner.
3. To find out nutritive value of edible portion of vegetables by converting volume to weight measurement.
PROCEDURE:
The food stuff to be measured is put in selected jar corresponding food groups. For example if rice is to be measured, jar 1 is selected and the after levelling it, weight is obtained from the values written on the vertical scale and corresponding nutritive value is computed. Similarly for wheat flour, jar 2 is selected, for brinjal and for spinach, jar 3 is selected and for roots, tubers and sprouts like carrot, potato and moth bean sprout, jar 4 is selected. The jar is levelled by moving the jar horizontally be touching it on a plane smooth surface. The level is read at eye level while jar is still on the ground. The scale gives reading of weight of that substance up to 10 gm accuracy. The nutritive value of that substance is computed from the value given against the vertical scale of that substance for 100 gm of edible portion.
4. To measure volume of foods consumed in very small quantities and find out nutritive value from volume to weight to nutritive value table,
5. To measure the volume of rare food items not covered in the items included in the four volume to weight conversion jars, to be converted in to weight and nutritive value afterwards.
6. To make number for weight and nutritive value tables readily available.
7. STATEMENT OF INVENTION:
There are four cylindrical plastic jars, two bigger sized and two smaller sized which are labelled as Jar-1, Jar-2, Jar-3 and Jar-4. Each jar is standardized for different food groups as follows,
Jar-1 is for Cereals, pulses and legumes (Jl)
Jar-2 is for flours and granular substances (J2)
Jar-3 is for leafy and fruit vegetables and (J3)
Jar-4 is for roots, tubers and sprouts.(J4)
The food stuff of which the assessment of nutritive value is to be done, 100 gm, 200gm, 300gm, 400gm and 500gm aliquot quantities were weighed and put in the desired jar. The difference in the level of heights of each 100 gm increment in weight was marked and measured in centimetres. Average of such 5 differences of 100 gm each was taken as unit distance for 100 gm of that food stuff and the jars were calibrated for each food stuff. Thus conversion of volume of food stuff can be done in weight of the food stuff. If these distances for 100 gm corresponded exactly for another food stuffs then a combined scale was used for all such food stuffs. The nutritive value of these food stuffs for 100 gm of edible portion as published by National Institute of Nutrition is written vertically against the scale prepared for these food stuffs. The nutritive value of food stuff measured at the time of diet survey can be computed from these ready reckoners.
8. SUMMARY OF INVENTION:
Diet survey kit for family diet survey of uncooked foods consists of four jars, one cylindrical mini cup and three tables. Weights and nutritive values of uncooked food stuffs like cereals, pulses, legumes etc can be obtained by the precalibrated diet survey kit using volume for weight conversion of measurements, saving time and money. Nutritive values of 100 gm of edible portion of commonly used food stuffs are made readily available on the jars and conversion tables avoiding referral to food tables. Volume of rare food items can be obtained in the field situation from jar 2 where volume column is calibrated. This volume can be converted in the laboratory into weight and nutritive value afterwards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING:
Figure showing the set of transparent jars for family diet survey of uncooked food for cereals, pulses and legumes.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DIET SURVEY KIT AND PROCEDURE:
There are four sets of plastic cylindrical jars, of which two are big and two are small jars. The small jars are easily placed inside the big ones hence only two portable sets have to be handled during survey. The jars are cylindrical in shape with diameter of 11.7 cm and 10.6 cm with height of 18.5 cm and 17.2 cm for big and small jars respectively. The mini cup is having cylindrical in shape with 1.8 cm in height and 2.7 cm in diameter.
Figure No. 1 shows vertical scale of volume to weight conversion for different commonly used cereals, pulses and legumes. The nutritive value of that cereal, pulse and legume is given against that scale.
Figure No. 2 shows vertical scale of volume to weight conversion for different flours and granular substances. The nutritive values of these food stuffs are given against that scale. For rare food items which are not covered specifically in these four diet survey jars, a provision is made for measuring volume of the food stuff weight corresponding to that volume and nutritive value can be computed afterwards.
Figure No. 3 shows vertical scale of volume to weight conversion for different fruit vegetables and green leafy vegetables. The nutritive values of these food stuffs are given against that scale.
Figure No. 4 shows vertical scale of volume to weight conversion for different commonly used roots, tubers and sprouts. The nutritive values of these food stuffs are given against that scale.
Figure No. 5 shows cylindrical mini cup used for measurement of different spices, condiments and oils. The volume to weight to nutritive values of these food stuffs are given in table.
The photocopies of stickers are put around the jars showing volume to weight conversion and nutritive values of jar 1 for cereals, pulses and legumes, jar 2 for flours and granular substances, jar 3 for fruit vegetables and green leafy vegetables and jar 4 for roots, tubers and sprouts.
I Claim
1. A simple, low cost, accurate and quick method of family diet survey of uncooked food is made available by this diet survey kit for family diet survey of uncooked food based on volume to weight and number to weight conversion method.
2. Standard nutritive value published by National Institute of Nutrition of the commonly used food stuffs is given as ready reckoner against each food stuff in relation to protein, calorie, calcium and iron.
3. The edible portion of vegetables to be used for cooking can be measured by this kit on the scales made for cut vegetables.
4. For rare food items volume can be measured on this diet survey kit and later converted into weight in the laboratory and nutritive value obtained from the tables.
5. Number for weight and nutritive value tables are made available as ready reckoner.