Ready-to-cook vegetables in farm-fresh conditions will soon be available on shelves of departmental
stores. CFTRI has developed technology for packing of nearly 20 of the popular Indian vegetables in sachets for retail marketing.
CFTRI has standardised protocols for modified Atmosphere packaging and storage of minimally processed vegetables in ready-to-use form under
the project supported by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries,Govt. of India. The protocols, the combination of basic science and
advanced technologies, include minimal pretreatment and processing operations that help to reduce the rate of spoilage. The processing
involves washing, peeling, trimming, cutting, treatment with appropriate and permitted preservatives, removal of surface moisture,
packing in polymeric film pouches of suitable permeability and storage under refrigeration. The storage life can be extended by 3 to 5 times.
Evaluation studies have indicated considerable reduction in the initial microbial load and no significant change in sensory qualities.
Test marketing through the outlets of Horticultural Producers Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society Ltd., in Mysore evoked encouraging
response from the consumers. The protocols have been patented.
Variety Vermicelli Noodles
CFTRI has come out with a range of technologies for manufacturing vermicelli noodles from many cereals including coarse grains. In the list
are vermicelli from ragi (finger millet), samai (little millet), jowar (sorghum), maize, rice and wheat. The CFTRI processes enable manufacture
of vermicelli with low-fat content and good texture.
CFTRI has developed a novel process for making vermicelli noodles from rice flour. Conventionally, vermicelli are manufactured using wet ground
rice paste. The novel CFTRI process, on the other hand, uses dry ground rice flour for the manufacture of vermicelli. CFTRI has developed a novel
process for making vermicelli noodles from rice flour. Conventionally, vermicelli are manufactured using wet ground rice paste. The novel CFTRI process,
on the other hand, uses dry ground rice flour for the manufacture of vermicelli.
Ragi Vermicelli
Although many snack foods are prepared from coarse cereals, vermicelli noodles are not yet made. CFTRI has developed processes
for manufacture of vermicelli from coarse cereals for helping to expand the product range and therefore, increase consumption.
The Institute has also successfully developed a process for manufacture of vermicelli noodles from maize grits.
Manufacture of good quality extruded products such as vermicelli noodles from coarse cereals
is an achievement since all these grains do not have sufficient quantity of gluten, which is a protein that gives the wheat dough
pliability and aids in extrusion. All the processes are amenable for commercial scale operation and are covered by patents.
The process for maize noodle has been patented in USA also.
New and Efficient Roasting System
A continuous vibratory fluidized bed roaster, an innovative aid for large scale roasting of spices, oilseeds and cereals, has been
developed recently by CFTRI. It is an energy efficient system and provides a cleaner roasted product. It allows roasting of the
seeds and nuts in a stream of hot air at high pressure. As a result, the roasting is faster, continuous and uniform. The facilitation
of operation in the continuous mode also leads to a high output.
The Roster
The vibratory fluidized bed roaster consists of four components: a motorized vibratory deck where actual roasting takes place,
a vibratory feeder assembly which feeds in the raw material continuously, a combustion chamber where air is heated up to 3500C
and a blower which circulates the hot air through the vibratory deck. Clean fuel like liquified petroleum gas is used for heating.
Unlike the conventional roaster, the CFTRI system provides uniformly roasted product, free from sand or other particulate contaminants.
Reduced contact with hot surfaces also prevents charring and thus gives a better product.
Continuous and automatic operation reduces the drudgery to the operators. The roaster is well
suited for roasting spices, oilseeds and cereals. It can also be used in preparation of some extruded snacks for avoiding their
deep fat frying. The unit has been granted an Indian patent.
INFRASTRUCTURE AUGMENTATION Solid State Fermenter Facility
A state-of-art solid state fermenter system has been set up at CFTRI, under the modernisation plan of Government of India.
SSF Facility
Some applications of solid state fermentation are in Koji-making, production of microbial metabolites, manufacture of traditional foods,
bread dough fermentation, ripening of cheese, mushroom cultivation, composting, ensilage, etc. The method has several advantages over
submerged fermentation. Solid state fermentation offers near natural conditions for the growth of microbes, is more productive for the
same volume of space and less polluting. The product recovery is also easy and the investment is generally lower than that in submerged
fermentation.
The new facility at CFTRI is a fully automated aseptic system. It can be used for fermentation of substrates
such as wheat grains, bran, etc. The heart of the system is a stainless steel reactor with a rotating bed for holding the substrate.
There is a special arrangement for aeration and agitation of the substrate. Other salient features include aseptic inoculation,
aseptic moisture addition, automatic sampling and harvesting, fully programmable temperature as well as agitation control and electronic
touch panel display system. The fermenter is intended for use in developing processes for biosynthesis of food enzymes, organic acids, etc.
Sophisticated Cell Culture Facility
A sophisticated cell culture facility has been set up at CFTRI for culture of plant and animal cells under a modernisation programme supported by
the Government of India. It has been equipped with specialized equipments like micro-processor controlled centrifuges, cryo-preservation unit,
CO2 incubators, deep freezers, flourescent microscope, water purification system, laminar flow cabinets, microanalytical balances,
walk-in incubators, and microbe-free positive pressure laboratories with temperature control and photo period regulation.
Phase Contrast Microscope at Cell Culture Facility
The cell culture facility will help in research on health benefits of dietary constituents; mechanism of action of nutraceuticals;
functional role of anti-diabetic, anti-cardiovascular and anti-cancer dietary constituents; toxicity studies on diet ingredients;
and evaluation and understanding of health food formulations. The facility will also be helpful for growth and maintenance of
hybridomas for identification and characterisation of biologically active dietary components, which CFTRI is actively pursuing.
IPR SCENARIO
The intellectual property protection activity is on the rise at CFTRI as indicated by the increasing number of patents filed every year.
During the year 2000-2001, CFTRI filed a total of 72 patents and stood second among the CSIR laboratories.
Over the years, the Institute has engaged itself agressively in protecting not only the new knowledge and its application as generated by
its employees, but also the traditional knowledge. A significant stride in this direction was the extensive data provided by TEAM CFTRI for
countering a patent filed by the Rice Tec Inc. on Basmati rice at the US Patents and Trademark Office which has resulted in deletion of all
the major clauses in the Basmati patent.
From CFTRI Patent Bank
Protein hydrolysate from milk protein
Large protein molecules can be reduced to smaller molecules by breaking down their peptide bonds using acid, alkali or enzymatic methods.
The enzymatic methods accomplish protein hydrolysis selectively without causing structural changes in amino acids that make up the protein.
CFTRI has developed and patented a process for the preparation of protein hydrolysate from milk protein.
A continuous rice cooking unit
Institutional catering is developing rapidly with the spread of lunch services in large firms and industries, central kitchens for chain
restaurants and the lunch supply scheme for schools. This requires large food cooking plants. CFTRI has developed a continuous rice cooking
unit to handle large capacity with uniform cooking, which has definite advantages over batch type cooking.
Thermostable lipase enzyme
The demand for industrial enzymes is ever increasing owing to their application in a wide variety of processes. Lipases are the enzymes
of choice to organic chemists, pharmacists, biotechnologists, food technologists and biochemical engineers for the cleavage of ester bonds in
tri-, di-, and mono-glycerides. CFTRI has developed a process for the preparation of thermostable lipase by enhancing the activity and thermal
stability of lipase.
High Protein Biscuits
High protein nutritious biscuits
Generally biscuits have low protein content. Enrichment of biscuits with protein rich sources leads to improvement in nutritive quality.
CFTRI has developed a process for incorporation of enzymatically modified oilseed meals into biscuits for obtaining high protein
nutritious biscuits with upto 15% protein.
Production of dehydrated green pepper
CFTRI has developed a process for the production of dehydrated green pepper without using sulphur dioxide. Dehydrated green pepper obtained
by this method has good flavour and colour and can be a substitute for canned green pepper. Dehydrated green pepper finds application in garnishing various culinary preparations.
AWARDS & HONOURS CSIR Young Scientist Award
Sri Navin Kumar Rastogi, Scientist, Food Engineering Department, CFTRI, has been awarded the CSIR Young Scientist Award in Engineering Sciences for the year 2001.
Sri N.K. Rastogi receiving CSIR Young Scientist Award from
Hon'ble Sri Bachi Singh Rawat, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology. Dr. R.A. Mashelkar, FRS, DG, CSIR and Sri Rajendra S. Pawar,
Chairman, NIIT, New Delhi look on
The award is in recognition of his contribution in the area of food processing for developing innovative and viable technologies to handle
food material and also towards realistic transport models for such complex systems where the material structure undergoes changes during
processing. Mr. Rastogi received the award from Honourable Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Govt. of India,
Sri Bachi Singh Rawat, at the CSIR Foundation Day function held in New Delhi on 26th September, 2001. In a message, Dr. R.A. Mashelkar,
FRS, Director General, CSIR, New Delhi has congratulated Sri Rastogi and wished that the award "will spur (him) to attain greater heights
besides inspiring other colleagues". Congratulating the young colleague, Dr. V. Prakash, Director, CFTRI said that the award has made CFTRI
proud and he is confident that more and more youngsters from CFTRI will be bagging such awards in future.
Dr. Prakash decorated with DuPont Protein Technologies Award for 2001
Dr. V. Prakash, Director, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, has been awarded the first DuPont Protein Technologies
Award 2001 for his outstanding contributions in the field of Protein Technology and Nutrition.
Dr. V. Prakash, Director, CFTRI, Mysore, receiving DuPont Protein Technologies Award Mr. G.A. Kesel,
Executive Vice President, DuPont Protein Technologies, Asia Pacific
The award was conferred on Dr. Prakash by Mr. Gregory A. Kesel,
Executive Vice President, DuPont Protein Technologies, Asia Pacific, at a one-day colloquium on Research and Developments in Vegetable
Proteins: Present Status and Future Trends held at CFTRI, Mysore, on November 28, 2001.
The award has been instituted by the DuPont Protein Technologies-Murari Endowment.
DuPont Protein Technologies is the nutrition and food subsidiary of DuPont, which is the three century old American Chemical Firm.
"I totally dedicate this award to my students", said Dr. Prakash, expressing his
happiness on receiving the award. "Students share the joys and sorrows of a teacher", he acknowledged. Dr. Prakash said that "the award is a
recognition of the work of the Protein Team at CFTRI which has made an international mark".
Prof. Dhar giving Prize to the Child of a CFTRI Employee
The Foundation Day is celebrated to mark the anniversary of the establishment of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi.
In line with the Team-CSIR spirit, not only the employees of CSIR but also their family members take part in the celebrations. Various
competitions are held among the children of employees and awards to achievers in sports and studies are presented on the day. This year,
37 children who had won prizes in various competitions were presented with prizes by Prof. B. B. Dhar, Director (Research), Association
of Indian Universities, New Delhi and former Director of Central Mining Research Institute, Dhanbad, the Chief Guest of the day.
Prof. Dhar, delivering the CSIR Foundation Day lecture entitled "Science-Environment and Education" on the
occasion, stressed on the need for quality education in improving the quality of life. He also highlighted the role the science-environment plays in imparting quality education.
Prof. Dhar also distributed special CSIR Awards to the children of employees who had excelled in XII standard examinations. Prizes were also
distributed to the winners of various competitions held as a part of the Hindi Day Celebrations.
National Seminar on Networking of Universities, Research Institutions & Industry
The role of CFTRI in forging alliances with both academia as well as industry is an excellent example to emulate, said Prof. K. B. Powar, Secretary General,
Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi. He was speaking during the inauguration of a two-day National Seminar on "Networking of Universities-Research
Institutions-Industry" held at Mysore during 27th -28th September, 2001. CFTRI played host to the seminar organized by the Association of Indian
Universities (AIU), New Delhi and co-sponsored by CFTRI itself and the University of Mysore, Mysore.
Inauguration of the Seminar (From left to right) Prof. B.B. Dhar, Director (Research), AIU, New Delhi; Dr. S.N. Hegde,
Vice Chanceller, University of Mysore; Prof. K.B. Powar, Secretary General, AIU, New Delhi and Dr. V. Prakash, Director, CFTRI, Mysore.
Prof. Powar underlined the increasing significance of networking and collaboration in the
new knowledge era, through a 'symbiotic relationship between the World of Knowledge, represented by the universities and research institutions
such as CFTRI, and the World of Work represented by industry and business'. "Common goals and objectives, complimentary partnership, agreements
and MoUs are essential to establish and strengthen the networking and impart a feeling of urgency and accountability", he opined.
Earlier, addressing the gathering, Dr. V. Prakash, Director, CFTRI, Mysore, remarked that
"the focus of networking is the key to bring in societal transformation through learning from others and at the same time reaching the unreachable
through clear connectivity for utilizing each other's experience and informatics database in wealth generation". For the networking to be successful,
the participating organizations, he emphasised, "have to speak the same language - the language of quality culture that is science driven. Such a
networking will also have to motivate and reward, attract and retain people and at the same time have receptivity to new ideas, tolerance to failure
and encouraging people to take risks".
Prof. B. B. Dhar, Director, Research, AIU, highlighted the aim of the seminar. Dr. S. N. Hegde,
Vice-Chancellor, University of Mysore, was the other dignitary present on the occasion, and spoke about the urgent need for networking.
About sixty representatives from universities, research institutions and industry participated in the seminar.
"Dream, and Realise the Dreams" - The CPYLS
The CSIR Programme for Youth on Leadership in Science (CPYLS) was conducted successfully for the third year at CFTRI on 3rd and 4th October, 2001.
Forty three students, standing at the top of the merit list in Karnataka in the X standard examinations held by the Karnataka State Secondary
Education Board, the CBSE and the ICSE, participated in the programme along with one of their parents.
Under this progra mme, they were shown around the facilities and research departments of the Institute. Demonstrations of food processing machines
designed at the Institute were also organised. Automatic chapathi making machine, churning out chapathis by hundred was a big draw, as also the
automatic dosa machine. The young students, for most of whom the visit was a first exposure to any laboratory, had an opportunity to directly
interact with scientists and quench their thirst for knowing more.
Dr. V. Prakash, Director, CFTRI with a young participant of the CPYLS
A significant feature of this year's programme was a computer based quiz organized to select a team of four students for participating in a
national quiz, organised jointly by CSIR and the Tata Steel. "We are in a knowledge era, and the future is in your hands. If we have to
realize the vision of 2020, it is only through you," said Dr. V. Prakash, Director, CFTRI while distributing participation certificates to the
students in the valedictory function held on 4.10.2001. Dr. Prakash also had a word of advice to the students. "It is the younger generation
that has to determine itself to put India on top of the world. No amount of vision, if it is not dreamt by the youngsters, can achieve that," he said.
Dr. Prakash urged the students to "dream and try to realise the dreams".
NEWER MILESTONES
Training Programme on Milling Technology Completes Two decades
International School of Milling Technology
The International School of Milling Technology at CFTRI
has completed 20 years of service to the roller flour milling industry in India. The school, established in 1981 in association with
the Roller Flour Millers' Federation of India and under an Indo-Swiss Programme, has come to stand on its own as a successful example
for specialized industrial human resources development programme with active involvement of industry. The course of one-year duration
is conducted to train personnel from milling industry in roller flour milling technology. The students are provided with in-depth
theoretical knowledge as well as practical training on a fully automated 15-ton per day capacity mill.
Two months of the course are set aside for in-plant training in commercial roller flour mills.
Every year, the facility is opened to 15 Indian and 5 foreign students from developing countries. So far, the school has trained 306
Indians and 82 other nationals.
Quality of Masters Education Lauded
CFTRI has added one more feather to its cap with the renowned University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST),
U.K., offering to select every year a student of M.Sc. (Food Technology) course of CFTRI for admission to a one-year post-graduate
course in Biotechnology and awarding Joseph Hulse Fellowship. The fellowship carries with it the entire expenses of study at UMIST
including travel grant and contingency expenditure. The UMIST selection team which was at CFTRI recently to spot and select talented
students, complimented CFTRI for the superb academic excellence and standards it has set up in human resource development programmes.
Ms. Oormila Chandrashekar and Ms. Vandana Goel, selected under this programme, are already in UMIST, U.K.
Protein hydrolysate from milk protein
