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Innovative food ingredients that are changing the future of food in India
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Wednesday, 12 January, 2022, 16 : 00 PM [IST]
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Sushama P S & Mukul Sain
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In India, traditional culinary practices have evolved with a decent blend of regional and foreign cuisine. There has been a significant demand for more natural and nutritional food ingredients without compromising the aesthetic quality of the end product.
Ensuring nutrition and food security is one of the challenges that could be accomplished by utilising the right kind of food ingredients. With the advancement in research and development techniques, the traditional ingredients have transmogrified in terms of their application in various aspects.
Edible flowers:
Edible flowers have been a part of gastronomy as a seasoning and garnishing agent since time immemorial. They are non-poisonous and enhance the organoleptic properties of food like colour, freshness, texture. Apart from the aesthetic point of view, they are potential sources of phytochemicals with nutritional and health-promoting significance.
They have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, anticancer, antimicrobial, hepato-protective effects. Globally, the demand for edible flowers to develop functional food is on the rise foreseeing its potential benefits. India is native to various wild edible flowers like Tarwar, Palas, Kujur, Chikiga, Karali, to name a few. In certain southern parts of India and amongst the Sindhi community, utilisation of the fresh flowers of drumstick trees as a vegetable is common. Tarwar flowers and flower buds are dried and used to produce tea for diabetes patients.
Butterfly pea flower, commonly known as Aparajitha flower rich in anthocyanin, is used as a natural colourant in beverages, candies, desserts. Studies have shown its potential to increase the oxidative stability of cooked pork patties. Neem flower is rich in PUFA and protein; is used to make chutney in southern parts of India. It is reported to have antioxidant and antidiabetic effects.
Seaweeds:
Seaweeds; the wonder plants of the sea, are macroscopic algae growing in the marine and shallow coastal waters and on rocky shores. They are abundant along the Indian coastal regions, especially Tamil Nadu and Gujarat coasts and around Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Its use as a gelling, thickening, and the stabilising agent is well known in various foods like ice cream, drinks, syrups, desserts, sauces, fruit juices, jelly, bakery products, and milkshakes.
It is also rich in certain bioactive compounds (alkaloids, carotenoids, polyphenols, terpenes, and tocopherols), yielding various biological effects. It has the potential to enhance the quality of products attributed to its antioxidative effect, to be used as fat replacers in low-fat food products. Scientific studies have reported using seaweed -Caulerpa racemosa as a functional antioxidant in semi-sweet biscuits. The characteristic technological properties of algae make it a desirable ingredient in various products like fish, meat, dairy, and pasta to enhance its nutritional, organoleptic, and health properties.
Variations in traditional food:
The demand for convenience food has seen an upsurge over the years. For instance, the traditional way of making idli at home involves a long and cumbersome process; technological innovations have marked the advent of idli premixes. More recently, the startup iD Fresh Food has come with the concept of fresh idli batter itself with a shelf life of 7 days, which also ensures that the magic of age-old tradition is not lost.
Today, in the Indian market, one could find a variant of idli mixes catering to the needs of a more comprehensive section of people like gluten-free idli mix, idli mix with underutilised grains like millets- Barnyard millet, pearl millet, foxtail millet, to name a few, multigrain variants, red rice rich idli premixes (diabetic friendly), horse gram rich idli premixes for weight loss and diabetic population. Another variant with the goodness of traditional kadhai doodh is Amul Kadhai doodh: a relishing drink.
Vegan food ingredients:
With the increase in the lookout for sustainable food choices in the market, the demand for plant-based protein-rich food seems to be the future of food in India. The Indian food market is flooded with plant-based food for those seeking meat, egg, dairy, and seafood alternatives. Commonly used ingredients are legumes, cereals, or a blend of vegetables as a source of protein. Vegan counterparts for dairy products like ghee, yogurt are being successfully developed. GoodDot, Vezelay, Greenest, Mister Veg, Ahimsa food, MilkinOats, Epigamia, Piperleaf, Goodmylk are some startups revolutionising the food ecosystem. A Mumbai-based startup, Evo Foods, has come with the plant-based liquid egg that utilises a blend of Indian legumes as the protein source.
Millets and Pseudo cereals:
Millet is a climate-compliant crop with immense health benefits as it is packed with nutrients, especially minerals, vitamins, dietary fibre, and phytochemicals. Food products based on millet or blends of millets with other food ingredients can be commonly found in the Indian market like flours, idli–dosa premixes, smoothies, muesli, porridge, health mix, bakery products, lassi.
Pseudocereals- a group of plants, which form starchy seeds, are claimed as the superfood of the 21st Century. Starch granules are stored in the perisperm instead of endosperm as in cereals. They are gluten-free, hence could be utilised for preparing dietetic food for celiac patients. Some examples are Amaranth, buckwheat, chia seeds, wattle seed, broomcorn millet, teff, and canary seeds. The nutritional profile in pseudocereals is exceptional, as they are mineral-rich, contain bioactive peptides with a high content of essential amino acids. It is commercially utilised to produce various food products like noodles, pasta, cakes, pancakes, tea, beverages, cookies, flours, and other confectionery products.
Ayurveda ingredients:
It is a well-known fact that Ayurvedic ingredients have various therapeutic benefits. The advent of the pandemic has increased the demand for such products. Chocolates with chamomile flowers, passionflower, valerian root, ashwagandha, caffeine, green tea extract, ginseng, Lemon balm, Brahmi, are some innovative ways of playing with age-old ingredients. Awsum is one such functional chocolate brand in India. Maintaining a healthy sleep cycle to boost productivity has ample health benefits. A Gurugram based e-brand Nirogam Ayurveda will be launching ayurvedically fortified food items like jam, crisps, cookies, on a pan-India basis in the near future.
The ingredients are local, but inclusion in the diet has evolved. Spices infused products like turmeric milk mix, kokum flavored fermented iced tea, and cumin soda, jackfruit powder, banana stem juice, gluten-free multigrain spinach, and methi parantha are hitting the shelves of the Indian market. The future of the food ecosystem in India lies in adopting safe, nutritious, and sustainable food solutions without losing the magic of age-old traditional Indian culinary practices.
(Sushama belongs to the Dairy Chemistry Division ICAR-NDRI, Karnal; Sain belongs to the Dairy Engineering Division ICAR-NDRI, Karnal. They can be reached at mukulsain95@gmail.com)
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