Among the technologies that are on display at the exhibition organised by the DRDO-Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), Mysuru at the ongoing national conference on “Futuristic strategies for the containment of troops in different terrains”, the Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MRE) ration technology draws attention as they are “terrain-specific” and suitable for use by troops in operational and combat situations as well as for various expeditions and missions undertaken on land and sea.
The MRE has been developed for high altitude, jungle, desert, sailors, marine commandos, tank crew and submarine crew. An MRE box can take care of one day’s food needs of a person.
According to the DFRL, the Indian MRE compares very well with well-known international rations like MRE of USA and GP-24 of the United Kingdom in nutritional quality and shelf-life. The shelf-life of the ration is 12 months under ambient conditions. The total calorific value of the ration ranges from 2,600-4,600 kcal and meets the nutritional requirements as per the RDA.
Notably, the MREs are free from preservatives as the ration technology comprises retort pouch processed foods, shelf-stable chapatis/preserved and flavored chapatis and survival ration to meet the operational requirements of the armed forces, according to a note.
The chapatis do not require any cooking since the contents are thermally processed and can be consumed as such or with warming if required. The ready-to-eat foods are processed in a specially designed bulk sterilizer to ensure microbiological safety as well as commercial sterility, it said.
The survival ration also contains energy-dense soft bar and delicious chikki from groundnut with jaggery/sugar to meet the immediate nutritional needs of armed forces during combat operations.
Sea dye marker
Another exhibit was the sea dye marker, a life-saving item used to locate and rescue air crew and other search vehicles during emergencies. The fluorescent green dye dissolves in water within 5 minutes, spreads over water surface and bright green pattern remains in sea water for more than 45 minutes and visible at a distance of 10 miles from an altitude of 3,000 feet.
Space foods
The foods developed by the DFRL for Gaganyaan space mission also attracted the visitors. Nearly 40 different varieties of foods have been developed for the astronauts and tests are undertaken on them.
The foods include moong dal halwa, dal makhani, shahi paneer, vegetable biryani, chicken pulav. Pineapple juice, flavoured milk, tomato sauce, ready-to-drink black coffee, ready-to-drink tea, and lemon juice were among the foods developed for ISRO’s manned mission to space. Potable water, ORS solution and saline solution are also developed for consumption in space.
