Food Technology

Fortification of Energy Drinks for Value-addition

The food technology team is working on the fortification of millet, wheat and soy-based drinks to enhance their nutritional, functional and sensory qualities. The team is also working on the fortification of cereal energy drinks with immuno boosters.

 

Commercially available fortified energy drinks

Sensory Evaluation of Formulated Drinks and Processed Foods 

Formulations to improve the sensory attributes of kokum drinks and their sensory evaluation is being addressed using fuzzy logic and a new method developed based on simple mathematical calculations. Both the approaches lead to similar results. However, the new approach has been found to be more user-friendly. The kokum formulation evaluated by this method has been marketed by the start-up ‘Petrichor’. It is proposed to extend this method to other processed foods.

Improving the Thermostability of Maltogenic Alpha Amylase of Aspergillus Niger by using Negative Pressure

Maltogenic alpha amylase is helpful in the production of maltose from starch. But, this enzyme is stable only up to 40°C limiting its usage in processing starch. Calcium can stabilize the enzyme up to 50°C which can be further be improved up to 70°C by using negative pressure.

Improving the Activities ofFood-related Metabolites Produced byAspergillus Carbonarius by using Nano Approaches

Pectinase has been used for fruit juice clearance and oil extraction. Partially saturated canthaxanthin, used as food colour, showed anticancer and antioxidant activities. When both metabolites were treated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs), they demonstrated significantly high activity.

Infrared-assisted Vacuum Impregnation System for Fortification of Food Products

Infrared-assisted vacuum impregnation system has been developed for fortification of vegetable products with micronutrients. The project aims to fortify micronutrients in fruits and vegetables to develop micronutrient fortified food products.

Vacuum Impregnation System

Extraction of Nutrients from under-utilized Legumes and other unutilized Sources for Food Product Development

There are several under-utilized legumes and other types of unutilized sources of food that are good sources of protein and various nutraceuticals. Current work uses under-utilized, low-cost legumes for protein extraction and preparationof protein-rich foods for infants and adults. The objective of the work is to develop affordable, value-added food products for all.

Application of “Foldscope” as a Research Tool

Foldscope is an ultra-affordable paper microscope. It has a micro-lens with the capability of 140x magnification and 1.9μm resolution.It is used to view and video-record microscopic data with a smart phone. It can prove to be an incredible scientific tool for unprivileged people around the world. Procedures have been developedto use it to estimatethe quality of food and agriculture commodities.

Foldscope

 

Recovery of High Value Products from the Low Value By-products

Low value by-products (peel, pulp, kernels, seeds), generated during fruit and vegetable processing, contain high-value components like polyphenols, aromatic oils, proteins, dietary fibres, polysaccharides, etc. Current work with tamarind seeds seeks to recover polysaccharides and utilize them to make biodegradable films.

Extending Shelf Life of Indian Dairy Products

Indian dairy products like curd, paneer, lassi, etc., are known for their good taste as well as their health-promoting properties. However, their shelf lifves are low and need to be maintained at cold temperature for extended usage. Study is ongoing on how to extend their shelf life without adding harsh preservatives.

Immobilized Enzymes for Food Processing Applications

Enzymes play an important role in food processing industries. Using immobilized enzymes is more advantageous for industries due to their stability and robustness. Researchers at the lab are using novel cross-linked enzyme aggregates to address food processing problems.

Cross-linked Enzyme Aggregates for Valorization of Agri-Food Waste: An Approach for Reaching Zero Waste

Agri-Food waste can be converted into valuable products more efficiently by utilizing novel cross linked enzyme aggregates. The team is working towards zero waste technologies by adopting this approach.

Utilization of Enzyme Inhibitors for Food Processing Applications

Sometimes, enzymes will spoil the food due to their excess activities. In that context, inhibitors can be utilized to extend the shelf-life of food. The team is also working in this direction.

Biosensors and Electronic Nose for Food Industry

Biosensors are more specific and sensitive in nature. Researchers at the lab are working on the development of biosensors for food adulterants like ammonia, urea and food flavours. It is sought to utilize the biosensors for the development of an electronic nose.

Artificial Intelligence for Food Industry

There is a need to adopt artificial intelligence for evaluating the quality of food materials which should able to reduce the time of evaluation and errors. It will also provide high throughput. Efforts have been initiated to  adopt artificial intelligence for evaluating grain quality.

3D Printing for Food Processing Applications

Efforts are also on to adopt 3D printing technology for making food products.