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DFRL signs an MoU with IRCTC to transfer retort processed RTE technology
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Thursday, 30 June, 2016, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Bengaluru
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Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), Mysuru, has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for transfer of retort processed ready-to-eat food (RTE) technology, with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The initiative is made to provide safe and nutritious food to passengers on Indian Railways.
Dr Rakesh Kumar Sharma, director, DFRL, and Dr A K Manocha, chairman & managing director, IRCTC, signed the agreements on June 27, 2016, at DFRL, Mysuru.
The inventor, Dr R Kumar, Sc ‘F’, and his team, Dr A D Semwal, Sc ‘G’, head, technology transfer division & senior scientists of DFRL, along with B Ramesh, DGM, IRCTC, and Kaverappa, RPRO, DRDO (south), were present during the occasion.
The initiative for providing safe nutritious food to Indian Railways passengers were started during 2012. Various trials with ready-to-eat foods were prepared at DFRL. These included vegetable pulav, paneer curry, dal curry, roti & chicken curry were conducted in few circuits of Indian Railways network among the railway passengers and the feedback was found to be satisfactory.
Retort processing of foods in rigid containers and flexible packaging systems is the most acceptable form of food preservation with shelf life of more than 12 months under ambient conditions. The technology is essentially based on three important critical factors namely packaging systems, processing schedule and the requirement of product recipes.
DFRL has designed and developed semi-automatic bulk sterilisers (retort) with a capacity of 250 kg and 750 kg/batch. It offers many advantages such as cost-effective, (approximate cost Rs 20 lakh while the cost of similar imported retort is Rs 4-5 crore) provision for rapid cooling, pneumatically operated safety valves, provision to monitor heat transfer/penetration and so on. The product formulation and standardisation of the same for various traditional food products for service forces as well as civilian market has been developed at DFRL. The process schedule has been optimised for various products i.e vegetable pulav, vegetable biryani, chicken biryani, mutton biryani, dal tadka, peas paneer curry, peas aloo curry, non-veg curries with respect to compositions as well as volume.
DFRL has already transferred this unique technology to 71 enterprises i.e., MTR, ITC, Kohinoor, Tasty Bite, ChokhiDhani foods, Haldiram, Taste'L Fine Food, Annamalaiyar Foods and many more for production and large-scale supplies in India as well as abroad.
Dr Manocha also visited different food processing facilities at DFRL. While appreciating DFRL for the development of safe, convenience energy dense and nutritious food products for Armed Forces and civilian population, Dr Manocha indicated that IRCTC would exploit the commercial potential of R&D work carried out by DFRL in the field of food product development to meet the varying ethnic food preference of passengers of Indian Railways.
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