Pan Masala is a balanced mixture of betel leaf with lime, areca nut, clove, cardamom, mint, tobacco, essence and other ingredients. It is an agricultural product with herbal properties, also available in hygienic pack and pouches. It acts as a mouth freshener and unlike other Western synthetic pan masala made with chemical and petroleum ingredients, the Indian pan masala is safe. But excessive use may have adverse effect. The ingredients in pan masala vary widely, depending on personal taste and region. One version of pan masala, guthka, includes tobacco, which may be flavored or treated with various additives. As a result, sales are restricted or banned in some regions, and there is some confusion about pan masala, with some people dismissing all mixtures as unhealthy, while others distinguish between those with tobacco and without it. Available in brands in India like 'Raj Darbar', 'Paan Bahar', 'Goga', 'Rajnigandha', 'Tulsi', the paan masala is consumed by all age groups and social classes. The active chemical compounds of betel nut are alkaloids called arecaine and arecoline, arecaidine, arecolidine, guracine (guacine), guvacoline, etc. which is comparable to nicotine due to their stimulating and mildly intoxicating characteristics. The culture of paan eating rose to the zenith in North India as a mark of cultural custom and sophistication, especially in Lucknow and the North-east. In most of the Hindu religious traditions, the raw areca nut along with the betel leaf is offered to the deity as an offering. Uses and Applications Pan Masala is widely used for removing bad odour to impart a pleasant feeling, used for scenting the breath in order to impart a pleasant feeling, for serving the guests and friends and in the parties and functions. It is also used as substances for tobacco chewing and smoking. It can be used in the Hotel and restaurants as well. Market Survey Paan is consumed by an estimated 200-400 million people, mainly Indo-Asians and Chinese. India is the largest consumer of betel nut, or what we call the paan in the world. It’s not without reason that India tops the list of smokeless tobacco users in the world with nearly 83 per cent consumers. With its ban in most of the cities still the fact remains that the gutkha and pan masala industry in India is huge pegged at anywhere between Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 crore. There is also a tax impact as a result of the ban. Popular pan masala brand Rajnigandha, produced by Dharampal Satyapal (DS) Group, has 65 per cent market share. Dharampal Satyapal, with sales of Rs 1,600 crore, is headquartered in Noida. Pan Parag made by KotÂhari Products has 11 per cent share in tobacco-sceÂnted chewing pan masalas. The company had revenue of Rs 630 crorer in FY2010. It declined to coÂmment if the brand’s non-availability would impact its market share. The production ban on most of the big brands has led to a rise in demand for lesser known brands and such brands are commanding a premium of over 200 per cent at present.
