It was long before food tech became a fad that Mysuru came to house the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), a premier institute under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Established in 1950, it has been a key research centre in the area of food science and technology for the last seven decades, with focus on food and nutritional security through innovations.
Established on the premises of the majestic Cheluvamba Vilas Mansion on the sprawling 150-acre campus that was donated for housing the institute by the then Maharaja of Mysore, Sri Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the CSIR-CFTRI is on the threshold of completing 75 years, in 2025. It has to its credit over 400 technologies, and scientists have recently launched over 20 new technologies, including millet-based food products, in view of the International Year of Millets 2023.
Pioneering technologies
In the last seven decades, the institute delivered pioneering research and development technologies in the form of products, processes or equipment design. On average, the CFTRI develops 15 to 20 technologies annually, and many are transferred to interested entrepreneurs every year, according to scientists.
At the just-concluded ‘One Week One Lab’ (OWOL), a nationwide ambitious campaign of the CSIR, the CFTRI was successful in raising awareness for driving innovations in the food industry through this innovative weeklong campaign. In a span of one week, the institute released more than 20 technologies, generating a lot of interest among entrepreneurs, start-ups and budding innovators.
A series of events unfolded throughout the week, engaging the public, showcasing innovative technologies and igniting the inventive minds of young innovators, students, start-ups, academia and industry professionals to explore the potential of deep tech ventures.
The dosa-making machine developed at the CSIR-CFTRI in Mysuru. | Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram
Four themes of research
In its souvenir released at the OWOL, the CFTRI stated its research revolves around four themes — engineering sciences, technology development, translational research and food protection and safety.
The number of technologies developed by it may soon cross 500, considering the pace of its research in 14 R & D departments and six supportive departments.
The CFTRI has earned a reputation and established itself for its ground-breaking innovations, and it has been successful in realising its goals — developing innovative food products and processes for the market. Many of these products are in day-to-day use by the people. The R and D lays emphasis on processing grains, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruits, vegetables, packaging, meat, fish and poultry, according to the institute.
To help farmers
Significantly, the institute has been trying to empower farmers, providing them with inexpensive and workable methods/equipment for value addition to farm commodities towards enhancing the rural economy and generating employment. Hundreds of farmers and SHGs have availed training from CFTRI for setting up food processing facilities, scientists said.
Also, entrepreneurs and start-ups have benefitted from the free technology portals launched for driving innovation and technology transfer. SME corner, food processing machinery portal, micro entrepreneurs’ portal, and skill portal are among the initiatives started for encouraging entrepreneurship development, the institute said.
The ragi mudde making machine developed by CSIR-CFTRI in Mysuru. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO
Incubation centre
After setting up the state-of-the-art Nutra-Phyto Incubation Centre and Common Instrumentation Facility (NPIC-CIF) by joining hands with the Karnataka government to promote innovations, the CFTRI will soon be establishing incubation centres like the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Millet Research, PMFME Common Incubation Centre and BIRAC-BioNest. Incubation centres on coffee and bananas are also in the offing. Mysuru has been identified under ‘One District One Product’ for bananas. About ten start-ups have been successfully incubated at the CFTRI.
Considering its expertise in the field, the CFTRI has been identified as the country’s food referral lab for testing and analysis of food samples. The Centre relies on the institute if any food samples have to be tested/analysed. The state-of-the-art Department of Food Safety and Analytical Quality Control Lab (FS and AQCL) at CFTRI works as the FSSAI-notified referral lab under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Rules and Regulations, 2011.
Says Dr. Sridevi Annapurna Singh, the first woman director of the CSIR-CFTRI, “The institute has played great roles over the years and produced path-breaking research works and technologies every decade. It has been catering to farmers and SHGs and also has been the referral lab for testing food samples. The institute also produces talented and skilled human resources required for the food industry through its academic programmes. The CFTRI’s connection is spread across the country and abroad as our alumni are serving in various capacities in the industry, including in higher roles in many multinational food companies.”
At the OWOL campaign, Dr Singh, who has been serving as the director since 2021 and a member of the CSIR governing council, remembered the benevolence of the Mysore royal family for giving the beautiful palace for establishing the institute and thanked the past directors for carefully nurturing the institute and contributing tremendously for its success.
Dr. V. Subrahmanyam was the founder director of the CFTRI, who played a key role in establishing the institute. Other former directors of the institute were – Dr. H A B Parpia, Dr. B L Amla, Dr. S R Bhowmik, Dr. V Prakash, Dr. Ram Rajasekaran, Mr Jitendra Jadhav, and Dr. K S M S Raghavarao.
The millet-based food products launched during the recent One Week One Lab campaign by the CSIR-CFTRI in Mysuru. | Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram
Fight against malnutrition
Thanks to its research on nutrition, the CFTRI joined hands with the State governments of Karnataka, West Bengal and Odisha to fight malnutrition in children and successfully launched nutrition intervention programmes. In Karnataka, CFTRI and the government identified 13 anganwadis in Nanjangud taluk in Mysuru district a few years ago for addressing malnutrition in preschool children. The programme was useful in addressing the issue and improving the nutritional status of Severely Acute Malnourished (SAM) children.
Nutrition supplements such as spirulina chikki, high protein biscuits, high protein rusks, nutri sprinkle, sesame paste, energy food along with sesame paste (burfi), fortified mango bar etc., were specially developed to address nutritional deficiencies as the products had requisite macro and micronutrients.
School and academic courses
The CFTRI has an exclusive school under its umbrella — the International School of Milling Technology (ISMT). Reckoned to be one of a kind in South East Asia, which is equipped with computer controlled pilot roller flour mill where students are taught milling systems as per the International and Indian sub-continental standards; students with a bachelor’s degree or diploma in technology, engineering, and science or equivalent are eligible for the 12-month most sought-after course. Those with experience in flour milling and sponsorship by the flour milling industry get preference as the seats are limited for the course.
Recently, an ISMT student bagged a job offer with an annual salary package of ₹45 lakh in an overseas firm. The placement disproved that only young graduates in the IT sector secure placements with handsome salaries. Almost all ISMT students bag jobs with attractive salaries, the institute said. In all, 836 students, including 117 international students, have been trained at the ISMT so far and are now serving in various roller flour mills in India and abroad.
CSIR runs an initiative called Integrated Skill Initiative that covers all the major areas in food science and technology. Under this, CFTRI conducts around 25 regular training programmes, skill development programmes and short-term courses. The demonstrations and practical classes are conducted in the state-of-the-art laboratories and pilot plants of the institute. The schedule of the 24 courses for 2023-24 has been hosted on the institute website (www.cftri.res.in).
Academic institutions, government departments, industry and FPOs also approach CFTRI for custom-made programmes designed for their students/staff/sponsored participants. Last year, CFTRI trained nearly 2,800 personnel under various training streams such as the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme, farmer-centric training programmes, and short-term courses.
Relief foods during natural calamities, lockdown
When natural calamities strike, the CSIR-CFTRI gears up to help the needy and the people in distress, distributing food supplies having a reasonably good shelf life. Its gesture of supplying relief foods during calamities like floods, earthquakes and immunity-boosting foods during the pandemic-induced lockdown had come for appreciation.
Nearly 100 tonnes of relief foods had been distributed during natural calamities, including the Gujarat earthquake, tsunami, floods in Uttarakhand, Kerala and Karnataka and cyclones in Tamil Nadu and Odisha, the institute said.
The institute produced and supplied food items for migrant populations with supplements needed to maintain the immune system during the lockdown. Fruit bars, Spirulina Chikki and flavoured water were supplied in Bengaluru and surrounding areas when there was a total shutdown. The nutri-mango fruit bars contain essential nutrients like carbohydrates and carotenes with added Vitamin C and Zinc for improving immunity. The mango bars provided nearly 75 per cent of Vitamin C and 30% of Zinc required by a person daily. Flavoured oils extracted from traditional herbs, which are known immune boosters, were supplied in the form of cardamom-flavoured water, according to the institute.
Relief foods were prepared at four of CFTRI’s pilot food plants, and foods included wheat rava upma and imli poha, chapattis, high-protein biscuits, tomato curry, pickles, jam and chutney. The nutrition-rich food products had a reasonable shelf-life. Buns, rusks, cupcakes, roasted masala groundnut, corn flakes, wet and dry energy food pack, sesame paste and puffed rice were also produced and supplied during calamities.
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