Next time you munch a glucose biscuit, better watch out.

A majority of the leading brands of glucose biscuits do not carry the quality ISI mark, conceal important information on their nutritional content while some make wrong claims on their protein level, according to a study.

 Specific standards are non-existent for the Rs 2,426 crore (Rs 24.26 billion) industry, the study said.

A comparative test study done on 12 popular brands of glucose biscuits by 'Voice', a voluntary organisation in interest of consumer education over the past one year, has thrown many surprises with Kellogg's and Priya Gold ranked a poor 10th and ninth while Horlicks and relatively lesser known Anmol captured the top two slots respectively.

The tests were conducted with the help of wide range of parameters including moisture content, nutritional value, appearance, taste, flavour and crispness.

According to the study, glucose biscuits are practically 'sweet biscuits' but the term 'glucose' has been added to the name even though its content is not stated in the packet. At present, there are no specific standards for glucose content in biscuits.

Only three brands provide information regarding proteins on their label and in two of them the actual content is lower than what is claimed, says the study.

'Parle G', which claimed to have eight per cent proteins, actually has just 6.8 per cent of it while Kellogg's had only 6.2 per cent against the claimed 7.4 per cent. Only claims of 'Britannia Tiger' matched the actual content. Only 'Parle G' declared the iron content of the biscuit.

Other than 'Cremica', 'Priya Gold' and 'Britannia Tiger', none of the brands carries the ISI mark, the study said.

The Voice study said even though around 413 million biscuit packets are sold annually there are no specific standards for the industry.

This gives the manufacturers a free hand to make tall nutritional claims if they wish to and also not be bound by any fixed norms, it pointed out.

The study said one of the reasons people consume glucose biscuits was to get ready energy in the form of glucose.

'Horlicks' provided maximum calorific value at 456 kcal per 100 grams whereas 'Radha' had the lowest among the 12 brands at 420.3 kcal per 100 grams.

"Most of these calories are 'empty calories' and hardly provide any nutrition", it added.

'Apsaraji' had the most dietary fibre at 6.9 per cent and 'Kellogg's' had the least at 4.8 per cent, it said.

Of all the brands tested, 'Horlicks' had the most calcium content at 5295.9 mg per kg, followed by 'Kelloggs's' which had 2988.5 mg per kg. The 'Asian' brand had the least.

'Cremica' had the least acidity of fat at 0.4 per cent whereas 'Radha' fares the worst with an acidity value of 0.9 per cent.

Standards do not seem to accord importance to the nutritional aspects of glucose biscuits despite the fact that companies market the brands as a product full of nutrients and energy.

The Bureau of Indian Standards clubs all biscuits together by setting same quality norms for them.

There is no maximum or minimum quantity for constituents like calcium, dietary fibre or protein.

There are no specific standards for pesticides even though wheat flour (maida) is one the main ingredients of  biscuits, the study added.