At CFTRI the traditions of food and the modern knowledge of biology are
blended effortlessly to provide tailored solutions to the food industry and
develop cost effective, biofriendly technologies pursuing health and nutrition
to all sections of the society.
Central
Food Technological Research Institute (CFRTI), Mysore is an ISO 9001 and NABL
accredited CSIR laboratory focusing on extensive and detailed research and
development in food science and technology. The institute is not only engaged in
innovative food research but has been instrumental in delivering many novel
technologies from the lab to market. Its infant food formulation using buffalo
milk during the 1960’s helped establish the present day’s flourishing
indigenous baby food industry. And most of the present brands of the ready to
eat and convenience foods utilize CFRTI’s know how of food science. Today the
institute has close to 350 processes ranging from controlled atmosphere
packaging to manufacturing plant growth hormones from agricultural wastes to
energy foods for children and weaning mothers—the list is a long one. And
significantly about 70 percent of the export units also use technology developed
by CFTRI.
Elaborating on the role of biotechnology in food sciences, Dr
V Prakash, director CFTRI, said, "Really speaking there is no food
technology without biotechnology. Biotechnology is not a single area but a
multiplication of many areas into one Whenever something is produced from a
living process—living plants, animals, bacteria, fungi, etc, it is related to
biotechnology. Biotechnology is the intentional addition of a step somewhere in
the value addition chain to make the product better. At CFTRI, everything is
oriented towards food in terms of biotechnology, we focus on food processes and
food technology."
Research activities
The institute has 16 research departments, which focus on the
different aspects of food science. The protein chemistry and technology
department has developed processes for energy foods, weaning foods containing
8-22 percent protein, for baby food based on a groundnut protein-isolate and
milk solids among others. The department, which has one of the foremost
biophysics labs in terms of facilities in the country, is currently focusing on
oilseed processing, which essentially adds value to the different oil seed meals
through an integrated approach. Another area of active research is the
understanding of structure and stability of food enzymes at a molecular level.
The plant cell biotechnology department focuses on plant
biotechnology in the specialized areas of algal biotechnology and tissue/cell
culture of plants as also molecular biology and genetic engineering. It has
pioneered the total technology development for cultivation of
international-quality Spirulina and its utilization in food, feed and
pharmaceutical sectors. Other key highlights of the department include processes
for extraction of natural colors (a rare natural blue pigment phycocyanin from
cyanobacterial biomass) and food flavourants by biotransformation of algal cells
(Vanilla flavor compound). Presently the scientists and researchers of this
division are working on seven DBT, one DST, two in-house and three CSIR network
projects which deal with plant improvement through metabolic pathways (caffeine
free coffee plant), propagation of certain indigenous plant species (Decalipis
hamiltonii), engineering micro algae to enhance the carotenoid level, etc.
| "CFTRI is a one
stop center for food technology"
 Dr
V Prakash has been at the helm of affairs at CFRTI since the past ten
years. An excellent scientist, a great visionary, he has been instrumental
in steering the institute towards new standards of excellence by
globalization of CFRTI technology. In recognition of his contribution to
the food sciences he has been honored with the prestigious Padma Shree
award. In an exclusive interview he elaborates on the role of the
institute and the future of food based biotech research.
During the past five decades
what have been the major areas of work at CFTRI?
This institute was established in 1950, about 54 years
ago, which means that we are 54 years younger now. Our mandate initially
was to ensure good nutritious food for the children and needy. So in the
1950’s we worked more on that aspect. Then came the 1960’s when the
agriculture revolution happened. Therefore we were looking at value
addition and preservation of grains. Like, for example, if you grow wheat
or paddy how do you preserve it for one-two years? This was the mandate
given to us. During the 70’s tremendous amount of interaction took place
between the industry and this institute. This interaction was the driving
force for us to work upon newer products, byproducts, value efficiency
products and also value addition to a number of agricultural commodities.
For example nobody thought that we could take out rice bran oil from rice
bran. Everybody thought of only rice and paddy, that’s all, nothing
else! I think the concept of byproduct utilization in the agriculture
system came as a result in the 1970’s and 80’s.
In the 1990’s the impact of molecular biology was
felt. This impact took us into enzyme engineering, protein engineering,
relooking at nucleic acids and even looking at nutrition from the
metabolic point of view. Then from the late nineties the entire
perspective has shifted to the level of molecular mechanisms. With the
knowledge gained through biotechnology we can now ask fundamental
questions like why does a mango ripen? Why can’t we keep a banana green
for 45 days? At CFTRI, scientists are working towards finding answers
either to apoptosis or nutrigenomics or as to why can’t we trigger the
beta cells of islets of pancreas through an herbal system not as a drug
but as food. So all these are being attacked now in a very vigorous
manner. This is, in essence, the travel of the institute in the past 54
years in the biotechnology arena.
At the same time it is also important to realize that
this requires a tremendous synergy of departments. At CFTRI there is no
separate biotechnology department, but all the departments work on
biotechnology. It is here that the synergy of engineering, the synergy of
skill, of food safety and various other aspects is very vital. CFRTI
provides all the necessary facilities for food technology and food
biotechnology is just in one place. It is a one-stop center for food
technology/biotechnology.
Which area of food
biotechnology should India focus on?
India should focus on biotechnology and food technology
to get into health foods. We have the advantage of a very rich heritage
with a huge knowledge base. Also in India there is a large ethnic
population of food and each one of them has a biotech angle to it. There
are hundreds of fermented products in the country like idli, dosa, etc and
each one is a huge biotechnology department with unbelievable information
and so many reactions going on in it. Some of the products are highly
traditional with the original (starter) cultures even preserved today,
which are handed down from generation to generation just like in the case
of French wines.
There are about 3,016 documented traditional foods in
the country and there may be another couple of thousands undocumented. And
a large number of these are biotech in nature. For example, even pickling
is a biotech process. We do not understand the biotechnology involved
because we take it for granted. Now the question is are we optimizing
these processes? How do we make them better? All this knowledge has to be
formalized, made reproducible and hygienic. I see a very good potential in
this area. Tomorrow food technology in this country related to
biotechnology is on the health basis. We should focus on this as we have
the required expertise, the database, the tradition and the biodiversity.
There exists a large opportunity not only from the business point of view
but also from the point of usefulness to the end consumer.
How many biotech related
patents have been filed at CFTRI? Has there been a deliberate shift
towards more patents?
It is very difficult to distinguish between
biotechnology and other patents. But roughly if you see there has been a
phenomenal increase in the number of patents related to biotechnology. We
have got an increase of about 3-3.5 fold patents in the area of biotech
over the last five years. I would also say that it is also very difficult
to do continuous innovations in biotechnology unlike in engineering or in
chemistry as it is a natural process going on. Patenting is an emerging
system that is happening now and it is not so easy to quickly file a
patent and say that the number has increased. It is a demand driven
process where the quality and the nature of innovation matter a lot.
On the whole I do not see any deliberate move towards
more patents. People do not work for IPR. IPR results in seeing what one
has worked for. But of course in some areas one might have to deliberately
work for an IPR. For example the Basmati, on which India won a patent. Now
we should be very careful that any further research that we do on Basmati
should be clearly linked to an IPR so that others do not have an edge. As
such in pure science, nothing is deliberate, it is mainly knowledge
driven. Sometimes there are some deliberate intentional pushes but the
intention is not just patenting but more of innovation. The key point is
innovation and biotechnology related to food technology is the uniqueness
of CFTRI. And our focus is on innovation related to biotechnology serving
the cause of food. |
The fruit and vegetable technology department, which is one
of the oldest and biggest departments at CFTRI, is working on pre- and
post-harvest technologies for extension of storage life and better handling and
transportation of fresh fruits and vegetables, low-temperature and modified
atmosphere storage of minimally processed vegetables to reduce bulk, minimize
spoilage. Fundamental research work on biochemical, physiological and
pathological studies during fruit maturation and ripening along with production
and processing of mushrooms under the guiding principles of biodegradation are
some of the other research areas being pursued. The department runs regular
short-term courses on processing of fruits and vegetables as well as handling
and storage of fresh fruits and vegetables, it also runs special training
programs for women entrepreneurs and the tribal people.
CFRTI has a strong R&D focus on fermentation through its
fermentation technology and bioengineering department. Submerged fermentation,
solid-state fermentation, development of biosensors, bio-catalytic conversions
for food flavors and additives, bio-chemical process engineering and scale-up
are some of its areas of research. The department has completed several national
and international projects like the prestigious "Cultivation of
micro-organisms and production of lactic acid by fermentation", an
Indo-Swedish collaborative program on biotechnology, supported by SAREC, Sweden
and the Department of Biotechnology, India.
To provide impetus to research, the institute has a series of
support departments like the engineering and mechanical maintenance section, a
well-equipped FOSTIS library, a planning monitoring and coordination cell and a
unique technology transfer and business development division which is engaged in
transferring the benefits of CFTRI’s knowledge and experience, technologies
and talents and equipment and environment to the Indian food industry and
society at large. CFTRI also has a central instrumentation facility, which is
equipped with state-of-the-art analytical instruments for advanced R&D in
food science and technology and for stringent quality control of food products.
Besides serving the institute to run in-house projects, the facility provides
analytical support to sponsored R&D/consultancy projects.
Besides promoting technology development and transfer to the
food industry, CFTRI is actively helping the small-scale entrepreneurs with a
focus on economic upliftment and employment. According to Dr Prakash, "We
also have a large number of small-scale industries with us. And it is relevant
to think as to how can biotechnology reach the small-scale industry. How can a
person with Rs one lakh use biotechnology tomorrow and be competent. We need to
empower these people and support them. This is where the real power of India
lies and it is our job to empower them. The institute has been making
considerable efforts in this direction."
Rolly Dureha
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