Research activities in area of allied food products and functional foods

Due to perishable nature of fruits and vegetables, as well as, lack of sufficient storage facility including cold chain approximately 40% of fresh fruits are lost after harvest in India. According to the ISBS reports in 2016, canned fruit and vegetables (40%), frozen fruits and vegetables (36%), Juices and salads (14%), dried and dehydrated fruits (10%) are the major categories of the processed fruit and vegetable commodities. Besides fresh fruits and vegetables, traditional Indian diet comprises of a variety of processed and allied food products as well as beverages. Honey and apiculture (bee-keeping) have been an integral part of our country from the ancient times. With the increasing demand of Indian oil refineries, there is an acute need for production of indigenous xanthan gum. Apart from the common masses, need for ready to eat healthy shelf-stable meal of good palatability is equally felt by army men posted in remote locations, victims of natural calamity, mountaineers and school children from economically challenged families. Instead of biscuits, shelf-stable traditional foods like 'Litti' and 'Laddoo' can be much healthier alternatives for such situations. In the past five decades, scientists in Food Technology Division have put great efforts to develop many such products