|
|
|
You can get e-magazine links on WhatsApp. Click here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Experts see science & speed of innovation to accelerate processing growth
|
|
Thursday, 24 December, 2020, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
|
|
Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
|
Food innovation is imperative and food backed by science will drive the future. In this phase of Corona virus disease, foods that boost immunity take the centre stage. New possibilities in food processing will evolve around products rich in micronutrients from rice, wheat and millets, according to a panel of experts.
The key to food consumption is taste and convenience. A visible shift is from out-of- home consumption to eating at home is highly visible. There is a need to tweak foods to improve glycemic index and free of sugar. Entrepreneurs must look at these new market opportunities to deliver better health from food, they noted.
At a recently-concluded CIFTI-FICCI organised, the sixth edition of ‘Unlocking the Future of Nutrition Webinar Series: Exploring the Health and Wellness Benefits in the Food Ingredients Ecosystem,’ experts deliberated on the topic ‘Exploring the Era of Food Innovation: Trends in Food Processing Ecosystem.’
Dr Suman Preet Singh Khanuja, former director, CIMAP (CSIR) Lucknow, and founder, Florafauna Science Foundation, said that food processing needs to be linked with agriculture. The Green Revolution focussed on increasing crop production capacity and not nutrition. It is high time, that the farmers need to be roped into the ambit of food processing.
Further, there needs to be an increased focus on agriculture, biology and chemistry of crops giving health and nutrition to widen the basket of functional foods. Farmers need to cultivate nutraceutical crops rich in Omega-3, gluten-free, antioxidants and high fibre. New crops, pseudo-cereals and bio-horticulture should dot the Indian agricultural landscape, according to him.
Varun Deshpande, MD, Good Food Institute, India, stated that protein sustainability and palatability of food products is the need of the hour as we build back from the pandemic. Diversification of protein supply from milk and eggs to plant-based, alternatives is still nascent in India.
N B Sridhar, director, Staple Food Fortification, DSM, noted that for India to combat micronutrient deficiency, there is need for food fortification to increase nutrition in the population. “We strongly believe that innovation is imperative and it is here we are focussing on rice fortification for the Asia-Pacific region. In our fortification efforts, we are ensuring that in our final product taste is very close to the regular rice even in cooking time.”
Mihir Joshi. marketing head, South Asia, DuPont, noted that there is considerable scope for the industry to innovate. Post-Covid consumers will look for protein not just for meals but from ice creams and biscuits among others. Therefore, companies have opportunities to enhance the value of protein in food, and it is here we see the need for speed of innovation.
Stating that Nutrilite protein powder is a source of vitamins and dietary supplements which combines the best of nature and science for consumers, Abhinav Srivastav, head, regulatory policy & intelligence, Amway, pointed out, “Prior to Covid-19 there were three issues: malnutrition, micronutrient deficiency and obesity. The current scene focusses on immunity and healthy ageing and this is where nutrition should enable sustainable supplementation to keep diseases at bay.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|