The Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology (IICPT), a premier national institution providing solutions to food grains processing and food component analysis sectors, is to rechristened as the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT).
This in line with its aspiration to emerge as a top research and development institute in the food processing area which is seen as a sunrise sector that offers limitless opportunities to students and entrepreneurs.
The institution is the brain child of eminent scientist V. Subrahmanyan who is also the founder Director of the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru. After his retirement, Dr. Subrahmanyan pioneered the establishment of a research and development facility in the premises of the modern rice mill of the Thanjavur Cooperative Marketing Federation in Tiruvarur in 1967. The need for preserving the high moisture paddy harvested during the monsoon period was the reason for the emergence of the facility in the delta region.
In 1972, the institution was upgraded as a national laboratory and was called the Paddy Processing Research Centre (PPRC). In 1984, PPRC was shifted to its present location on the outskirts of Thanjavur town.
Following several successful research outcomes, the Union Ministry for Food Processing Industries upgraded the PPRC as a national institute rechristening it as the Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology in February 2008.
The institute boasts of state of the art laboratories for pursuing real time research and development of food grain processing, value addition, by product utilisation through bio processing, process and product development while the NABL- accredited Food Safety and Quality Testing Laboratory of the institute is a premier national referral centre for food product analysis. The laboratories in the facility include the food product development lab oratory, food engineering laboratory, food microbiology laboratory and the food quality testing laboratory.
The incubation-cum-training centre of the institute offers technology transfer and training besides providing complete industrial establishment for entrepreneurs to overcome teething troubles when they set up the food processing ventures through the rental route.
As the IIFPT, the institution could align all its activities in accordance with the mission statement of the Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries offering a diverse platform for intensive research and development activities in the fields of fish, meat, poultry and dairy products processing, observes Director C. Anandaramakrishnan.
The IIFPT is also poised to take up research on food packaging and testing services, nano technology, cold chain logistics, fusion foods, novel foods and consultancy services for entrepreneurs.
The formal announcement on renaming the institute is set to happen shortly with the Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaul Badal showing keen interest to expand the frontiers of the institute.
