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Efforts on to make Indo-EU Namaste project benefit food processing industry
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Friday, 17 February, 2012, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Nandita Vijay, Bangalore
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Efforts are on to take the ongoing Indo-EU collaboration on reconversion of fruit and vegetable peel waste into value-added food products to the next level by making the research relevant to the Indian food processing industry.
It may be recalled that India and the European Union have collaborated on the project – New Advances in the integrated Management of food processing wAste in India and Europe: use of Sustainable Technologies for the Exploitation of by-products into new foods and feeds (NAMASTE) – since 2010.
Primarily, the project focusses on utilising the molecules generated from food processing waste of mango, pomegranate, orange and rice bran. The ingredients have been used to develop aqua feeds and bakery items like biscuits, jams and jellies. In this regard, upscaling the research for the industry will be the next step in the right direction, since in India, a number of food companies are looking at the possibility of maximising their potential.
Dr D Seenappa, chief scientific officer (IF) and university head, animal sciences and fisheries, inland fisheries division, UAS, Bangalore, informed FnB News, “The project is all about identifying and introducing innovative and industry-relevant approaches for the valorisation of fruit and cereal (rice bran) wastes. This is being currently achieved through holistic conversion into functional and health-benefitting beverages, foods and aqua feeds by means of environmentally and economically sustainable protocols and technologies. Production of food processing waste is being minimised and has helped to build a synergistic research programme between the EU and India to serve the future knowledge-based economies.”
Peel wastes of mango, orange, pomegranate and rice bran in powdered form have proven to show high levels of carotenoids, polyphenols, pectins, high fibre and carbohydrates. These have demonstrated health benefits with high antioxidant and immunity resistance properties. Peels which are been sourced from the food processing industry have been characterised, stabilised and assessed to be converted into powder form by food chemical engineers and scientists, according to Dr Seenappa.
In addition, prebiotic and probiotic effects of the peels are evaluated. Mono dose products like fruit paste, snack foods, enriched beverages, breakfast cereals and biscuits have already been developed.
From the EU, seven countries - Italy, the UK, Spain, Hungary, the Netherlands and Germany - have teamed up professionals with domain expertise in food and chemical engineering. India has five partners represented by the North East Institute of Science & Technology (NEIST), Jorhat, Assam, with the Indian scientific coordinator as P K Goswami; Euro India Research Centre (EIRC), Bangalore; University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore; Nature Fresh Logistics Pvt. Ltd, Pune; and Vaighai Agro Products Ltd, Madurai.
The Indian administrative coordinators are Surbhi Sharma, EIRC; Dr D P Kumar, UAS; Dr D Seenappa, UAS; Datta Kadam, NatureFresh Logistics; and K Poun Raj, Vaighai Agro Products. The associate scientists are NEIST: Dr P K Chowdhury and Dr Aradhana Goswami. The UAS Bangalore team has Dr V Chikkasubbanna, professor of horticulture; P H Ramanjini Gowda, professor, dept of biotech; Dr C K Suresh, professor, dept of biotech; Dr V Palanimuthu, research engineer; Dr R Chandru, professor, dept PHT; Dr D Vijayalakshmi, professor, dept of food & nutrition; and Dr Shivakumar M, asst professor, Inland Fisheries. The technical team from UAS includes Dr Prakash K B, senior research fellow from horticulture; and Dr Anil N T, research associate from Inland Fisheries.
The Namaste project spans from 2010 to 14 and the department of biotechnology has chipped in Rs 4.75 crore of which UAS, Bangalore, received Rs 1.15 crore.
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