Annapurna Atta - Permanent Freshness. Review on Kissan Annapurna Chappatis

I could not find a section for Annapurna Atta (Whole WheatFlour) so I decided to write my review in this section as I am sure they areusing the same Atta to make these chapattis. I have to warn you that this review doesn’t bring out anyconclusion as I am perplexed by my experience with this product. You might findit strange and funny too. Well I normally buy Wheat flour from my friends shop becauseI know that he doesn’t mix anything in it. I don’t cook regularly and normallyeat outside. Once in a while I get the mood and cook. After that theingredients that I bring just get spoilt and I have to throw it out. Same thingwith the Wheat flour from my friends shop I bought and after 2 weeks it gotspoilt. I had to throw it. That is how normal food “perishes”. Well now with our Annapurna Atta.After a few months I again decided to make chapattis. I land up at my friendshops and he say that his “freshly ground Atta” isn’t that fresh so I pick up apacket of Annapurna Atta. I bring it home and open and wow what wonder “fresh”smell. I started appreciating the packing in my mind. The Atta was very bright and white. The Atta from my friendsshop was always a dull light brownish colour. Then after preparing my chapattis which came out ok I leavethe Atta there to rot. I remembered it after a month and based on my pastexperience I decided it would have gone bad and did want to open it in thekitchen, so I postponed the “dumping” as wanted to take the box and empty itoutside rather than do a transfer in the kitchen. Guess what I forgot it for a month and then I was out ofstation. And after almost 4 months my eyes go on the box. I was scared to open I thought maybe as soon as I open it I will have wormsfalling out of it. So I take the box outside and open it, and what do I see……… The Atta had not spoilt at all. I couldn’t believeit. I checked it carefully. I looked at the contained, it was a plastic tubkind of thing it couldn’t not have been airtight. But then airtight or notairtight how could Atta last that long. At least freshly ground Atta doesn’tlast that long I am sure. Then I decided to smell it and I could believe it.The Atta smelt as fresh as it was when I opened the packet. I smelt it againand again as I thought there must be something wrong with my nose. But no it smelt“fresh” as ever. But I did not trust it so I threw it out. I washed thecontainer with Pril liquid With lemon and vinegar (I am mentioning thebrand because I am trying to establish that I washed the container with a verystrong and high quality washing liquid) and smelt it again (as I still couldn’tbelieve that the Atta was smelling fresh and expected some bad smell to comefrom the bottom of the container) and I could still smell the “fresh” smell ofthe Atta. Now that is impossible so I washed it again nicely and thecontainer was still having the “fresh” smell of the Atta. So now I would like to say what I think. I think that thefresh smell is artificial smell and there is not way in the world that Wheatflour (Atta) could still smell fresh after 4 months. The fact that the container still had the smell afterwashing it proves that it some artificial smell that has been added. Even whenI opened the pack I found the “fresh” smell to be too strong, but I did not suspectanything. I do not have the packet with me so I cannot confirm the ingredients(additives) of the Atta, but I feel they are using “bleaching agents”. I readabout “bleaching agents” in a website about food additives and preservatives. “Bleachingagents” is nothing but chlorine or bleaching powder which is mixed with manytypes of flour to give it the bright white colour. This in turn acts as apreservative as chlorine kills germs and the Atta that is packed is practicallygerm free. This could be the only explanation for the Atta remaining fresh forso long. Moreover even antioxidants(which are very safe) are used to prevent oxidization to increase shelf life offoods, but antioxidants don’t have such a prolonged effect. I am really suspicious about this Atta and have decidednever to buy it again. I wouldn’t trust something that is so “fresh” that itdoesn’t let go of you ;-). Now for some assumption based on common sense:- Packed wheat flour can never be as fresh as freshly groundwheat flour. So it is obvious that they add some artificial smell to it. Myexperience has just proved that. I asked my friend what is the frequency ofsupply and he told me that he order Wheat flour every month. As his customersonly go in for freshly ground Atta. So this Atta is already at least 15 days old and there is noway it can remain fresh after another 4 months. I think some things can never be packed at a large scale andsold nationwide. Wheat flour is one of those things. My friend say s that locally manufactured and packed Atta isbetter as they supply it every week. That can be trusted and if you get it onthe day it is supplied it is equal to freshly ground Atta. But Branded Wheatflour like Kissan will never be as fresh, only maybe in the cities where theirfactory is. I end this review with a request that everybody shouldnotice these small things about the food we eat. Only then we will know ifsomething is wrong or if the food. I think the lesson I learnt is to stick to fresh food. Think Fresh Live Healthy.