1. Shelf-life extension of agri-produce
2. Basic and applied research on safety of minimally processed food products
3. Shelf-life extension and safety of fish, fishery and meat products
4. Development of RTE/RTC food products for convenience and specific applications
5. Development and characterization of functional foods
6. Development of food packaging
7. Radiation dosimetry
8. Basic R&D in food science, food borne pathogens, and
enzymology
9. Awareness & outreach activities for promotion of food irradiation program
10. Experimental irradiation services to other divisions of BARC and other DAE units
Basic research conduced in the area of food flavour chemistry includes identification of key odorants in food, processing techniques for de-bittering of bitter gourd juice and fenugreek seed extracts, encapsulation of essential oils for improvement of active component stability.
Improvement in phenolic/anti-oxidant contents, rheological properties and sensory attributes through radiaition processing achieved in wine, soybeans, pmegranate, nutmeg, saffron, coffee and prebiotic inulin.
Basic and applied research on food preservation employing gamma radiation for development of ready-to-cook vegetables with extended shelf-life and ready-to-eat shelf stable products such as Puran Poli, Alu Wadi, Pulav, Lemon Rice etc.
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Basic and applied research on flesh food (meat and seafood) preservation employing gamma-ray with formulation of product specific SOPs and process parameter standardization. The extension in shelf-life achieved for specific flesh foods along with absorbed dose is given in the PDF document.
Biopolymer based food packaging composed of guar gum, PVA, PLA, corn starch, chitosan-gelatin-Ag nanoparticles films with antimicrobial activity, and intelligent film based on colour indicators developed. Related deployed technology codes are AB36FTD, AB43FTD, and AB50FTD.
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Fruit based products developed include Strawberry Candy Rolls (AB48FTD), Jamun Strips (AB41FTD), Ready-to-eat Fruit Cubes and Banana Health Drink (AB33FTD).
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2017-09-01/2030-12-31Gamma chamber 5000 is a high dose rate gamma irradiation facility with the dose rate of 112.3 Gy/min and sample working volume of about 3 lit. This facility is useful for carrying out experiments requiring high dose rate of gamma radiation.
Gamma cell 220 is a low dose rate gamma irradiation facility with the dose rate of 1.52 Gy/min and sample working volume of about 2 lit. This facility is useful for carrying out experiments requiring low dose rate of gamma radiation.
1965-01-01/2030-01-01Food package irradiator is the first food irradiation facility in India established in the year 1965. The facility was built to conduct experiments on radiation processing of foods and to study the effect of gamma rays on foods and food products. The facility uses Cobalt-60 radioisotope as a source of gamma rays and the food products can be irradiated in a product box of the capacity about 5 kg.
1965-01-01/2030-01-01Food package irradiator is the first food irradiation facility in India established in the year 1965. The facility was built to conduct experiments on radiation processing of foods and to study the effect of gamma rays on foods and food products. The facility uses Cobalt-60 radioisotope as a source of gamma rays and the food products can be irradiated in a product box of the capacity about 5 kg.
Potato chips is a fast moving snack item in India and throughout the world and is having very high potential of growth. According to recent data, India’s potato chips/crisps market is worth of about Rs. 20 Cr and is growing at the rate of 18% annually. Currently for health reasons and fitness awareness, there is an increase in interest for novel tasty potato chips that do not use oil (Oil free) for its preparation. In this context, a process has been developed for preparation of oil free potato chips/wafers (six different flavors) with less sugar and starch content. The six flavored potato chips include Lemon Salt (LS), Lemon Turmeric Ginger Salt (LTGS), Lemon Salt Chilli (LSC), Lemon Salt Beetroot Chilli (LSBC), Raw Mango Chilli Salt (MCS), and Raw Mango Salt Beetroot Chili (MSBC). The process is unique and is based on use of induction heating, microwave and hot air oven baking and packaging. The periodical quality evaluation including colour, texture and sensory evaluation showed that chips are shelf stable and very well acceptable during the entire storage period of 6 months. The developed technology is simple, scalable and ensure benefits to all the stakeholders including farmers, food industry, and consumers due to value addition.
Fruits are important constituent of human diet, and besides having nutritional value also provide many good phytochemicals contributing to better health. Due to perishable nature of fruits and lack of sufficient storage facility including cold chain approx 40% of fresh fruits are lost after harvest in India. The current technology deals with the process development for the fruits namely mango, banana, papaya, pineapple, and apple to prepare intermediate moisture fruit cubes to extend their shelf life, reduce post-harvest losses, ensure their throughout availability, and also promote export. The water activity of the processed product reduced significantly, which prevented the bacterial growth and spoilage. The final processed product could be stored up to 6 months at ambient (room) temperature, whereas, the unprocessed freshly cut samples spoiled within 2 days. The byproduct in the process is utilized for the preparation of fruit jam. The processing ensured the microbiological safety, nutritionally adequacy, and organoleptic acceptability. The developed technology thus will ensure benefits to all the stakeholders including farmers, food industry, and consumers.
