FFOODSSpectrum May 2022

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4 EDITORIAL NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Star-Spangled Tussle

Dr Milind Kokje of the pack labelling. IIM-A considers various labelling
systems like traffic light signs, nutrition score and
Chief Editor warning symbols. But, after doing a survey of over 20,000
consumers, it recommended HSR as the best suited
Gazing at ‘stars’ may prove to be not so pleasant option for the consumers to choose healthier packaged
every time. The Food Safety and Standards foods.
Authority of India (FSSAI) is probably
experiencing this. Its recent decision to go ahead with The consumer organisations, however, are opposing
the ‘Health Star Rating’ (HSR) system for packaged food exactly that, claiming that the HSR is difficult to
is being opposed by consumer organisations. The FSSAI understand. They too are quoting a study recently done
may have been expecting the opposition to the move by All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) wherein
from food manufacturers, but receiving it first from consumers prefer direct warning labels as the most
consumer and health organisations must have been out effective type of labelling than the HSR which is difficult
of the blue. More interestingly and ironically, they are to understand. They also claim that HSR has failed
opposing the move citing the same reason which the internationally.
food regulator has used to introduce the system.
In case of direct warning labels, the food
The HSR system is akin to the system of energy manufacturing companies will have to undertake
efficiency introduced by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency additional efforts at an extra cost, to print labels in
for electrical and electronic appliances. Instead of different languages considering that ours is a multi-
energy efficiency, the number of stars printed on the language country. Then they will also have to ensure
package will inform consumers about the healthy or that the particular language label packages are made
unhealthy quotient of the packaged food they plan to available in a particular state using that language. So,
buy. The amount of salt, sugar and fat the food contain for them, HSR is an easy option. However, they have
determines its health rating to be printed in the star not yet come out openly expressing their views, but are
format on the front of the package as these three expected to do so soon.
ingredients are key concerns for one's health. Shortly, the
regulator will issue the guidelines in this regard that will The two key issues involved in the HSR system are
impact an estimated $35 billion packaged food market the matrix or the algorithm to be used to calculate
of India, home to giants like Nestle, Britannia, ITC, star ratings and explaining that matrix as well as
Pepsico, and Amul, not to mention several medium and interpretation of different stars to the people to
small manufacturers. comprehend it well enough to make the perfect
purchase decision for healthy food. That matrix itself will
Over a dozen organisations engaged in protecting have to take care of showing correct results.
the interests of consumers have written to the Prime
Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Health opposing the The FSSAI will have to launch a major public
move, which they feel won’t help consumers in choosing campaign for a long time to educate consumers if it
healthy foods. In fact, they feel, consumers would find it wants to go ahead with the labelling system. It will have
difficult to understand the meaning of star ratings. They to act as the former US President Theodore Roosevelt
argue that the HSR system will dilute warnings, hence once said in a different context but applicable here,
the direct nutrition warning should be printed on the “Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the
label for the people to understand the message. ground.”

The FSSAI has pondered over the issue for a
considerable period of time as the proposal was
in the consultation stage for seven years. The food
regulator has a strong backing of a study for this move.
It had roped-in the Indian Institute of Management -
Ahmedabad (IIM-A) to study the impact of the front

Volume 9  |  Issue 9  |  May 2022 www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

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6 INSIDE NNUUFFFOFOODDSSPSEPCETCRTURMUM | | MaMrcahy 20202 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Promoting19COVERSTORY

Innovative

FNUOTRIOTIODNASL
Adolescence, as defined by the World Health Organisation
(WHO) is a period of rapid physiological, sexual,
neurological, and behavioural growth, and it lays the
foundation for adopting adult roles and responsibilities.
As quoted by UNICEF, “Adolescence is a nutritionally
vulnerable time when rapid physical growth increases
nutrient demands. Dietary behaviours established in
adolescence may contribute to nutrition-related problems
that have consequences for long-term health.” In a
country like India where adolescents and young people
account for nearly one quarter of the total population,
improving food habits for adolescents to reduce the
prevalence of life-long health problems becomes
extremely important. Keeping in
mind adolescent’s nutrition
requirements in our
country, the government
and the food industry
are taking initiatives by
launching many new
schemes and products.
Let's get up close and
find out more.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in INSIDE 7

Nutrition Proteins

25 37

Why Overnutrition in Children Must Halt Future Prospects of
Plant-Based Proteins
Contactless Tech
Dr Pranjal Yadav,
27
Scientist,
Embracing 'No Touch' Technology Indian Agricultural Research Institute

Analysis Adulteration

30 39

Can Russo-Ukraine Detecting Food
Conflict Cause a Food Crisis? Adulteration in Real time

Speaking With Dr Karun Verma,

33 Assistant Professor,
Department of Computer Science,
“Thanks to FSSAI's stricter Thapar University
guidelines, more international
brands can enter Indian Synbiotic Foods
functional food market"
41
Anand Diwanji,
Fighting Metabolic
Business Director, Syndrome with Synbiotic Foods
South Asia- Health, Nutrition and Care, DSM
Dr Arthee R,
35
Senior Project Assistant, (Agrl. Microbiology)
“Consumers are demanding
clinically proven products with Dr Suresh Kumar P,
verifiable safety of products"
Principal Scientist,
Anup Krishnan, Department of Crop production and Post-Harvest Technology,
ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli
CEO, Arjuna Natural
REGULARS

Editorial 04

Video Snippets 08

Regulatory News 09

Finance News 11

Start-Up News 12

Company News 15

World News 18

People News 44

Ingredients News 45

Academics News 47

R&D News 48

Supplier News 49

Let’s Talk Food 50

8 VIDEO SNIPPETS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Dr Chindi Acknowledgements
Vasudevappa, Thank you for the published article ‘Boosting
Vice Chancellor, bioavailability of curcumin and vitamin C with
National Institute of liposomal nanotechnology’ by VAV Life Sciences. It is
Food Technology quite good.
Entrepreneurship and
Management (NIFTEM) - Aloma Carvalho, Mumbai
talks in detail about the
challenges facing the The cover for the April edition of nuFFooDS Spectrum
food processing sector. is quite eye-catching.

Scan the QR Code » - Sreemathy Venkataraman, Bengaluru

Sonam Motwani, Nice work on the cover story- Is Seafood Industry
Founder & Chief Growing Swimmingly! It is well written and clearly
Executive Officer, articulates the current state of the industry and what's
Karkhana.io shares needed to move it forward. Good mix of contributors
her views on as well providing a balanced perspective.
strengthening the
food manufacturing - Shubh Karman Singh, US
equipment sector in
India. Thank you nuFFooDS Spectrum for featuring updates
on Zeus Hygia in your April edition.
Scan the QR Code »
- Shankar, Hyderabad
Dr Juergen Voegele,
Vice President, Happy to have one more article published with
Sustainable nuFFooDS Spectrum. Thank you.
Development,
World Bank reveals - Dr Anumiita Pathakk, Gurugram
more about the
compounded effects Thanks for your feedback. We have taken note of
of the pandemic and your suggestions and will surely try to incorporate
war on global food the content accordingly in coming issues. Please
supply & trade. keep sending us your feedback and updating us
on your views about the issue and keep giving
Scan the QR Code » your opinions on the content.

– Editor

Please send your feedback to
[email protected]

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in REGULATORY NEWS 9

Chandigarh, Indore, Jammu FSSAI urges
among winners of EatSmart use of Trans-fat
Cities Challenge by FSSAI Free logo on oil

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in association The Food Safety and Standards
with the Smart Cities Mission under the aegis of Ministry of Housing and Authority of India (FSSAI) has
Urban Affairs (MoHUA) have announced the winners of EatSmart Cities issued new guidelines concerning
Challenge. The 11 winning cities eliminating trans-fatty acids to
include Chandigarh, Indore, Jabalpur, ensure stakeholders are made
Jammu, Panaji, Rajkot, Rourkela, Surat, aware of the sources, types,
Sagar,Tumkuru and Ujjain.These cities regulations, and impact on
will now enter into the scale up stage health. Now the food business
of the Challenge wherein the projects operators (FBOs) are asked to
undertaken at the pilot stage will now get the products tested for trans
be scaled up in a sustainable manner. fats. In case, the products contain
Launched in April 2021, the EatSmart no more than 0.2 g per 100mg
Cities Challenge aims at motivating of food, the FBOs can use trans-
Smart Cities to develop and execute fat free logo on the product
a plan that supports a healthy, safe label. The guidelines describe
and sustainable food environment the plans to eliminate trans-fats
through adoption of various Eat Right India initiatives. A total of 108 cities from the diets and supply chain.
had registered in the challenge out of which 20 cities were shortlisted Further, the guidelines emphasise
for evaluation by an external jury panel composed of national and adopting the use of new
international experts. 11 cities have been selected as winners for the next technologies helping to eliminate
phase of scale up and will be awarded Rs 50 lakh each by MoHUA. the industrial trans fats from the
oils. While few are yet learning
Centre focuses on promoting exports to adopt the new technologies,
of GI-tagged niche food products the rest have switched to the
newer technologies. FSSAI has
In a bid to promote exports of locally sourced Geographical Indications mentioned the use of technologies
(GI) tagged agricultural products, Centre has been striving to identify new such as ‘inter-esterification,
products and new export destinations. While Darjeeling Tea and Basmati binding options, selection
Rice are the two popular GI-tagged agricultural products of India, which of raw materials, modifying
have ready markets across the globe, there are a host of GI-tagged products hydrogenation process and
monitoring and deodorisation’.
in various corners of the country which have niche but loyal customers Those processes allow the FBOs
and need to be marketed properly to reach more potential buyers. to eliminate or limit the trans-fats
In line with Prime Minister’s call for‘Vocal for Local’and‘Atmanirbhar from the supply chain.
Bharat’, the Centre, through Agricultural and Processed Food
Export Development Authority (APEDA) has been facilitating trial

shipments into new markets worldwide for products such as Kala
Namak rice, Naga Mircha, Assam Kaji Nemu, Bangalore Rose Onion,
Nagpur Oranges, GI varieties of Mangoes, GI-tagged Shahi Litchi, Bhalia
wheat, Madurai Malli, BardhamanMihidana and Sitabhog, Dahanu Gholvad
Sapota, Jalgaon Banana, Vazhakulam Pineapple, Marayoor Jaggery, etc.
Notable shipments of GI products in 2021 included export of Naga Mircha
(King Chilli) from Nagaland to UK, Black Rice from Manipur and Assam to
the United Kingdom, Assam Lemon to the United Kingdom and Italy, three
GI varieties of Mango (Fazli, Khirsapati, and Laxman Bhog) from West Bengal
and one GI variety of Mango (Zardalu) from Bihar to Bahrain and Qatar.

10 REGCUOLMAPTAONRY NEWS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | AMparyil 20212 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

BIS in process Govt foresees explosive
of developing growth of Indian
new Indian plant-based foods sector
standards for
soya products A delegation of the newly-formed Plant Based Foods Industry Association
(PBFIA) met Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Ministry of Food
The Bureau of Indian Standards Processing Industries (MoFPI), in New Delhi. The delegation, led by the
(BIS) recently organised an Association’s Executive Director, Sanjay Sethi, briefed the Union Minister on
awareness and implementation the state of the nascent but rapidly
webinar on ‘Indian Standards expanding plant-based food sector
on Soya Products’. In order to in India. Noting that the sector
maintain the quality and safety was poised for explosive growth,
of these soya products, physical, Sethi sought the Union Minister’s
chemical, and microbiological guidance and support to turn
parameters and their test methods it into a major industry catering
are standardised. Implementation to both domestic and global
and certification of the Indian markets through policy changes,
standards on soya products will capacity building, enabling ease of
aid in integrating soya products business and other interventions.
into the Indian diet. Thus, their The global plant-based food market is expected to reach $77.8 billion in
enhanced quality and safety 2025. Patel asked PBFIA to have a special meeting with the Ministry to
will benefit the producer by discuss Cold Chain logistics and explore what can be done to smoothen
commanding better prices and daily parcel operations between major cities for the industry. Patel asked
the end consumers will receive Gaurav Sishodia, AVP, Invest India, who was also present at the meeting, to
safe products enhancing the collaborate with PBFIA for its various initiatives.
overall public health. BIS has
published seven Indian Standards Odisha launches
for soya products. It is now in report on millets mission
process of developing new Indian
Standards for soya products The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government
covering new products, where the of Odisha have released a report, stories of impact, and policy briefs that
request has been made by ICAR showcase the experiences and lessons from the state’s Odisha Millets
- Central Institute of Agricultural Mission (OMM) in a bid to promote climate-resilient livelihoods and
Engineering, Bhopal. Participants nutrition nationally and globally. A Memorandum of Understanding
were encouraged to comment
on the draft standards, as and (MoU) has been signed by Bishow Parajuli,
when they are open for public Representative and Country Director for
comments. WFP in India, and M Muthukumar, Director,
Agriculture, and Food Production, Odisha,
on creating regional and global policy
dialogues around millets as a climate-
adaptable cereal for nutritional security. The
Government of Odisha initiated the Odisha
Millets Mission as a special programme for
the promotion of millets in tribal areas. The
flagship programme led by the Department
of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, the Government of Odisha,
has emerged as the first of its kind initiative to revive millets from farms to
plate, introducing millets in the Public Distribution System and Integrated
Child Development Services.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in FINANCE NEWS 11

Dodla Dairy buys Sri Diageo India
Krishna Milks for Rs 50 Cr
picks stake in
Hyderabad-based Dodla Dairy has announced the acquisition of Sri
Krishna Milks Private Ltd, a company based in Hubballi, Karnataka, for Rs Nao Spirits &
50 crore. According to Dodla Dairy, it has acquired Sri Krishna Milks for
the expansion of the company's business and the consideration will be Beverages for
in cash. The acquisition will be completed in May-June. Currently, Dodla
Dairy's procurement is centred in 5 states and its products are available Rs 31.5 Cr
for purchase in 11 states. The company has 94 milk chilling centres. Some
of its plants are ISO 22000:2005 certified while two are ISO 50001:2011 United Spirits Limited (Diageo India)
(EnMS) certified. The product portfolio consists of Milk, Buttermilk, Ghee, has announced an investment of
Curd, Paneer, Flavoured Milk, Doodh Peda, Ice Cream and Sweets. Rs 31.5 crore to acquire a strategic
minority stake in Nao Spirits &
LT Foods acquires 51% Beverages Private Limited. Upon
stake in Golden Star Trading completion of the investment,
Diageo India will hold 22.5 per cent
Gurugram-based LT Foods has announced the acquisition of a 51 per cent of the equity share capital of the
stake in Golden Star Trading Inc along with its brand Golden Star via its company on a fully diluted basis
subsidiary LT Foods Americas (LTFA), with a call option to further acquire 49 and a call option to acquire the
per cent stake at the end of 3 years. The acquisition entails strengthening remaining shares on pre-agreed
of LTFA in the branded jasmine rice market. The US speciality rice market principles. Launched in 2016 by
includes jasmine rice and basmati rice, with jasmine rice being approx. Anand Virmani, with the dream of
three times bigger than basmati. Golden Star is one of the strongest bringing an Indian botanical infused
brands in the jasmine rice market, particularly in the mainstream gin to the world, Nao Spirits is an
channel. Through this acquisition, LTFA will be able to leverage its robust emerging craft gin company in
distribution network across channels to further expand its share within India, with award winning brands
the speciality rice market across North America. At the same time, this ’Greater Than’ and ’Hapusa’. Greater
acquisition will enable LTFA to have a more diverse and sizable offering, Than, India’s first craft gin, is made
thus strengthening its strong hold in the US speciality rice market. from 9 botanicals from India and
around the world and is the only
London Dry Gin from South Asia
recognised by the Gin Guild, UK.
Luxury gin Hapusa is one of the
few craft gins in the world made
with foraged Himalayan Juniper
and unique botanicals such as fresh
turmeric, Gondhoraj peel and raw
mango which are native to India,
to create a bold and earthy gin.
Hapusa has been awarded gold
at the International Wine & Spirits
Competition 2021, UK and double
gold at the SIP Awards 2020, USA.

12 STARTUPS NEWS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Bhookha Haathi secures Food robotics
investment from Zera Ventures
startup
In a significant boost to alternative food-based health and food tech
startups, Bengaluru-based Bhookha Haathi Hospitality has announced Mukunda
fund-raising of an undisclosed amount of equity capital from Zera Ventures
LLP - an Indian subsidiary of a USA-based Venture Fund. Investment banker Foods raises
Intellectual Investments & Financial Services was instrumental in this deal
$5M in Series
that valued the nutraceutical-tech startup Bhookha
Haathi at over $1.8 million. Bhookha Haathi will utilise A round
the funds raised from the US venture fund towards
capex, business expansion and new product launch. Bengaluru-based food
The startup plans to raise another round of funding in robotics startup Mukunda
the next few months to scale up its offerings across the Foods has raised $5 million
country and internationally. The vision for 2030 is to in a funding round led by
disrupt the nutraceutical industry by introducing The Zomato, taking the company's
Price Pack Architecture (PPA) for masses at an affordable post-money valuation to
cost. Operational since 2017, its product range includes $30 million. The brand has
100 per cent Natural Dry-Fruit & Nut based Refreshers, previously raised funds from
Caffeine-Free Chickpea Coffee and Infused Raw & Wild Ncubate Capital, Singapore
Honey for the masses wanting to have premium products at affordable Angel Network, and Indian
costs. Bhookha Haathi Replace takes its consumers one step closer to a Angel Network. The company
healthier diet by offering them nutritious, wholesome and tasty choices as plans to utilise funds to
an alternative to the nutrient-deficient ingredients in their daily diet. expand its reach across Quick
service restaurants (QSRs),
Lil’ Goodness introduces Cloud Kitchens and Fine Dine
India’s first prebiotic segment. The company also
milkshake with oats plans to use a part of the
raised capital to introduce
Bengaluru-based startup Lil’ Goodness has launched India’s first ready-to- multiple ROI based models
serve prebiotic milkshake called Prebiotic Break Shake (Breakfast Shake). With to help the F&B businesses
natural milk proteins, oats, natural prebiotic fibres and 40 per cent lower added scale. Mukunda Foods has
sugar, the Prebiotic Break Shake is available in two popular flavours - vanilla automated the preparation
and chocolate. With oats, Vitamin A and Vitamin D and key nutrients such as of multiple cuisines like North
magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc, Prebiotic Indian Food, South Indian
Break Shake from Lil’Goodness is set to emerge Food, Chinese Food, fried
as a popular healthy indulgence. In addition, food, pizzas, Continental &
it comes with a long shelf life at normal Biryani.
temperature without any added preservatives.
Prebiotic Break Shake is presently available in
Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Surat
and Rajkot across online and offline retail
formats. Lil’ Goodness has plans to enhance
the retail footprint of Prebiotic Break Shake to
Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh,
and Maharashtra and select North eastern
states. The company is also further strengthening its digital engagement
programmes with consumers to create awareness on gut health, cognitive
health and its correlation with healthier indulgences.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in STARTUPS NEWS 13

Nutraceutical D2C Health supplement
startup HERBgen brand Welly raises
raises funds from $400K in seed round
boAt, Lenskart
New Delhi-based health and wellness brand Welly has raised
New Delhi-based startup HERBgen has received $400,000 in a Seed round from Anthill Ventures. Founded by
investments from marquee investors/unicorn Urvi Raghbeer, Welly was selected under Athena, a one-of-
brands. The founders of boAt Aman Gupta and a-kind scaling programme by Anthill ventures supporting
Sameer Mehta pitched in alongside Lenskart’s women founders. The funds raised will be utilised by Welly
co-founder Peyush Bansal. The revenues of to expand the product portfolio, increase the customer
HERBgen have grown by 360 per cent between base, and grow the team among others. The brand currently
October 2021 and February 2022. The aim is has 3 products: vitamin gummies for restful sleep, for
to reach more than 100 formulations by FY23. immunity boost, and for healthy hair, skin and nails. Their
HERBgen will deploy funding to provide free current products are for adults, have science-backed
nutrition and women's health consultations formulations, are tasty and have no added sugar. This round
with nutritional experts on the responsible saw participation from Roshan Abbas, prominent angel
need-based intake of its clinically tested Herbal investor, and Allu Sneha Reddy. As per research, the Indian
supplements. The startup is creating the future dietary supplement market is a $3.9 billion opportunity,
of nutrition, paving the way for the ever- with the 'Vitamins and Minerals' category making up for 40
evolving needs for nutrition needs among the per cent of it, estimating it at a $1.5 billion market size. In
changing lifestyles of the present times. an increasingly competitive environment, Welly stands out
with its excellent product, unique formulations and great
unit economics.

Spice Story gets pre-series A funds
to build distribution network

Spice Story, a Mumbai-based used to bolster the distribution is marching towards breaching
startup firm, has raised an network and continue to build scale 1.5 million units by the next fiscal
undisclosed pre-series A round on the online platforms. Earlier, year. Spice Story offers the widest
fund from Agility Ventures, Maxar. the brand had raised a seed round range of ethnic Indian chutneys in
vc, Nafa capital and select FMCG in January 2021. Since then, the modern sauce form - easy to pour,
industry leaders easy to store. What started with only
namely Anupam company has grown 3X and three products, now offers nearly
Bokey, wants to grow 25X in 15 varieties curated from regional
Anand the next 3 years. influences across India, such as Agra
This year, the ki Saunth, Indori Lemon Chutney,
Dhodapkar, brand has already Dilliwali Spicy Mint Chutney,
etc. The raised crossed the Mumbai Schezwan Mayhem,
capital sale of Kolkata Mango Mustard Adventure,
will be half a and The Original Kolhapuri Jhatka,
primarily million to name a few.
units and

14 STARTUPS NEWS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Bengaluru’s Blue Tribe takes signature
Licious raises plant-based meat to Singapore
$150M in
Series F2 Fueled by recent investments from brand ambassadors Anushka Sharma
and Virat Kohli, Mumbai-based food tech startup Blue Tribe has selected
Licious, a Bengaluru-based Singapore as the launchpad for its expansion into Southeast Asia. Having
tech-first, fresh animal protein
brand, has announced the already established a strong foothold in the lucrative
Series F2 fund raise of $150 Indian market, with key food partners
million. This round of fundraise like Nature’s Basket, Benzers,
comes just 6 months after Foodhall, and Society Stores, Blue
the company became the Tribe is now leveraging its deep
first D2C unicorn in the knowledge of South Asian palate
country. Series F2 is led by preferences to carve out a new
Singapore based Amansa niche in the global plant-based meat
Capital, along with Kotak PE sector. As the first Indian alternative
& Axis Growth Avenues AIF - I. protein startup to pursue this bold
Existing investors have also international expansion plan, Blue
participated in the round Tribe’s decision is also the latest sign
along with prominent angel
investors including Nithin & that Singapore has become a magnet for plant-based companies seeking
Nikhil Kamath of Zerodha, a cosmopolitan staging ground and gateway into other Asian markets. To
boAt’s Aman Gupta and Haresh appeal to The Lion City’s sizable Indian population, Blue Tribe is rolling
Chawla, Partner, True North. out its signature line of products, including plant-based chicken sausage,
The funds raised through chicken nuggets, chicken keema, and mutton keema.
Series F2 will be utilised for
investment in technological Alpino Health Foods raises
intervention that will help funds to boost brand visibility
category development and
improve overall customer Surat-based startup Alpino Health Foods has raised an undisclosed amount
experience. The company in a Revenue Based Financing (RBF) round from patron investors on the Klub
will also invest in strategic platform. A part of this fund will be dedicated to branding, marketing and
acquisition and widening & building the team. Alpino Health Foods is one of the few brands that got
deepening the brand's reach. a deal from 4 Sharks. However, the brand raised funds through RBF before
Today, the company has been closing its seed round. It plans to
a torch bearer for the food- use these funds to expand
tech D2C industry, being the digital footprints and create
first in the sector to pledge more awareness about the
Environmental, Social, and brand and hire across verticals.
Corporate Governance (ESG) Alpino is a pioneer in the
compliance. peanut butter category. The
brand sells 1 peanut butter jar
every 15 seconds. It has recently
expanded its portfolio to provide
a wider range of nut butter and
healthy spreads. In line with this, the company plans to launch an exciting
range of healthy breakfast essentials as a part of its vision to become the
go-to brand for nutritious breakfast without compromising on taste. The
startup is currently present on over 20 e-commerce platforms and over 5000
retail stores across India in addition to selling from its website. It specialises
in products that are made of premium quality and minimum ingredients. The
brand focuses on busting myths of healthy food being costlier.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in COMPANY NEWS 15

Global coffee brand Tim Heritage Foods
Hortons to enter India in 2022 widens product
portfolio with
Tim Hortons, an iconic coffee brand established in 1964 in Canada, new launch
will enter India as part of an exclusive agreement with AG Café, a joint
venture entity owned by Apparel Group, a global fashion and lifestyle Hyderabad-based Heritage
retail conglomerate and Gateway Partners, an emerging markets Foods has announced the launch
of an all-new Premium Badam
alternative investment manager. Popular Milk with real almond bits. The
for its freshly prepared iconic beverages new 'Badam Charger' is the
like the smooth and creamy French latest addition to the company's
Vanilla and its creamy blended frozen growing list of value-added
coffee, the Iced Capp, Tim Hortons will products (VAP) portfolio. It is
open in New Delhi this year, quickly loaded with real almond pieces
followed by Punjab and other parts of that energises drinkers and
the country. India is one of the world's delivers a yummy, crunchy and
fastest-growing markets for speciality uplifting beverage experience.
coffee retail chains. The growth can be Developed with intense R&D
attributed to the changing lifestyle of efforts, the new Badam Charger
the young population, rising disposable is prepared without any artificial
income, and a keenness to explore ingredients, colours or flavours
global experiences. With this launch, and brings a perfect blend of
India will become the brand's fourth ingredients that delivers its
country in the Asia Pacific region and unique great taste. The 'Badam
plans to open over 250 outlets over the next five years. Tim Hortons India Charger' contains just 6g of
will be led by Navin Gurnaney, an experienced and reputed professional added sugar per 100ml making
who will serve as the company’s India Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He it one of the healthiest choices
was previously the CEO for Starbucks India. in the badam milk beverage
segment. This new drink will be
Tameemi Foods deploys CCR available across all general trade
tech for its foray into RTC foods and modern trade stores as well
as online grocery platforms.
NSR Group of companies, having its headquarters at Inkel Business Park, Initially launched in Hyderabad,
Angamaly, Kochi, has recently launched its new food brand Tameemi the company plans to expand
Foods specialising in South Indian Breakfast products. The Kerala-based the product to markets across
corporate group is now in the ready-to-cook (RTC) category through other states over the next many
Tameemi Foods. The product offerings include puttu powder, rice flour, weeks.
easy idli etc. Tameemi Foods registered its unique technology in process
through copper controlled roasting (CCR) in which the rice and wheat
flours are subjected to double roasting in large scale copper vessels.
The manufacturing plant is situated in a 15,000 sq ft area with advanced
industrial machinery and CCR vessel units. The traditional concept of
roasting raw materials in copper-lined vessels without compromising its
taste factor is quintessential of
this technology. NSR Group
plans to extend Tameemi
Foods into the adjacent
categories of whole spices,
masalas, snacks, and multi-
millet cereals to retail across
South Indian markets.

16 COMPANY NEWS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Bikano eyes Fonterra, Future Consumer
South India wrap up India joint venture
market
with new Fonterra and Future Consumer Limited have agreed to wind down their 50:50
Hyderabad India joint venture - Fonterra Future Dairy. The joint venture was established in
plant 2018 and has 22 employees, all of which will receive appropriate entitlements.
The last few years have been challenging for the joint venture with COVID-19
New Delhi-based brand Bikano causing significant disruption to the Indian market. Despite this, the joint
has inaugurated the newest venture has delivered some important initiatives, including the launch of the
plant in Hyderabad. After their Dreamery brand which is a range of consumer products made using Indian
huge success in the north of milk, and distribution
India, Bikano has long-term of Fonterra’s New
plans of market expansion Zealand Anchor Food
in the south, and are kicking Professionals products
them off with this new plant. for the foodservice
Their immediate focus is going sector – both of
to be to make forays into which have received
the entire Telangana market positive feedback
and, gradually, Bikano will from consumers and
take steps to target the other customers. The Co-op
southern states as well. With entered the joint
this new plant at Hyderabad, venture as a capital light way to test the Indian market, which has a large dairy
the company intends to create consuming population but restrictive trade access for New Zealand dairy.
a lasting production and supply The company will continue to have a presence in India through Anchor Food
footprint in the south that it Professionals and its ingredients business, and will explore opportunities to
can keep building on. After grow access for New Zealand milk as they come up.
doing research and analysis of
the southern market, Bikano SwissBake plans frozen
decided to step in with the foods category expansion
namkeen and sweets category.
Along with its ongoing SwissBake, a Mumbai-based bakery and culinary ingredient brand, has
products, the company is also announced its expansion plans into Frozen Foods. The company also
launching a few products recently celebrated 10 years of successful operations in Asia and the Middle
that will specially cater to East. Currently, SwissBake has over 350 products in its portfolio, serving 16
the southern taste palette.
Telangana, Maharashtra, and international markets. In years to
Andhra Pradesh are the markets come, SwissBake will be focusing
that this plant will chiefly supply on easy and instant solutions
to at the beginning. to support its clients in the QSR
segment. Frozen breads and frozen
cakes would be the next big step in
this direction. SwissBake also plans
to explore global opportunities and
markets, while setting up additional
production bases in different
geographies. With strong support
from their technical partner Trade’n’Bake Switzerland, SwissBake has access
to extensive know-how and latest research thus offering a wide range of
quality international bakery ingredients to the bakery sector. The company
further plans to support the growth of the retail segment by making
professional quality products available to home bakers.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in COMPANY NEWS 17

Food delivery Tata Coffee business
merges into Tata
platform Deliveroo Consumer Products

launches engineering Tata Consumer Products Limited (TCPL) has announced
a reorganisation plan in line with its strategic priority
centre in Hyderabad of unlocking synergies and efficiencies. This plan
includes the demerger of plantation business of Tata
Deliveroo, a global food delivery company Coffee Limited into TCPL Beverages & Foods Limited, a
operating across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, wholly owned subsidiary of TCPL and the merger of the
and Australia, has opened its India centre in remaining business of TCL, consisting of its extraction and
Hyderabad. Deliveroo’s multi-year plan is to branded coffee business with TCPL, with the demerger
expand its world-class engineering capabilities to happen as the first step
with a new team that will be focussed on and merger to happen
delivering superior experiences for Deliveroo as the immediate second
customers, restaurant and grocery partners and step, both being proposed
delivery riders, and building highly scalable, through a composite
reliable and innovative next-generation scheme of arrangement.
products for its worldwide operations. The Additionally, TCPL
engineering centre in Hyderabad will be a proposes to purchase the
core part of Deliveroo’s central technology minority interest in its UK
organisation. The company has already started subsidiary, Tata Consumer
recruiting and plans to employ over 150 Products UK Limited by
engineers in India from the fields of analytics, way of a share swap, through a preferential issue of its
platforms, automation and machine learning by equity shares. The Boards of Directors have approved the
the end of 2022. The engineering centre will be combination of plantation business of TCL with TBFL and
Deliveroo’s largest technology hub outside the non-plantation business with TCPL through a composite
UK, where the company is headquartered. scheme of arrangement for demerger and merger. This
will enable the consolidation and 100 per cent ownership
of the branded, extractions and plantations business of
TCL into TCPL and its wholly owned subsidiary.

Prasuma expands product
portfolio with new frozen food offering

Gurugram-based Prasuma has portfolio. The massive category all other products are being shifted
announced the addition of new expansion is in line with the organic from the company’s Fresh and Chill
snacks to its frozen food portfolio. demand being generated across the category to the Frozen segment
The brand is set to launch frozen country for Prasuma’s products as based on the shift in consumer
Chicken Nuggets, Frozen Veg and frozen food becomes a mainstream expectations and interest arising
Chicken Spring Rolls, Veg and part of Indian kitchens. With from its business partners. The new
Chicken Mini Samosas, Mutton and Chicken Nuggets being a brand product range will be available
Chicken Shami Kababs, and Mutton new addition to the Prasuma brand, across all 70 cities that are a part of
and Chicken Seekh
Kababs Prasuma’s geographical
as well as footprint with
Bacon to the price
its frozen range starting
foods from Rs 185 to
Rs 596.

18 WORLD NEWS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

EFSA reflects upon USDA extends
antibiotic-resistant technical assistance
food-borne pathogens to meat and poultry
processors
Antibiotic resistance in Salmonella and Campylobacter
bacteria is still high, says a report released by the European The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has
Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the announced the launch of the Meat and Poultry
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Campylobacteriosis Processing Capacity Technical Assistance
was the most reported zoonosis in the EU in 2020 and Programme (MPPTA) to provide technical
the most frequently reported cause of foodborne illness. assistance to meat and poultry grant applicants
and grant-funded projects. Processors and
Campylobacter bacteria from applicants involved with the Meat and Poultry
humans and poultry continue Inspection Readiness Grant (MPIRG) programme
to show very high resistance to and the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion
ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone Programme (MPPEP) can access this technical
antibiotic, that is commonly used assistance. USDA also announced it is now
to treat some types of bacterial accepting applications for $23.6 million in
human infection. Increasing competitive grant funding available through
trends of resistance against the the MPIRG programme. USDA’s Agricultural
fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics Marketing Service (AMS) has established
has been observed in humans and cooperative agreements with three non-profit
broilers for Campylobacter jejuni. In Salmonella Enteritidis, organisations to coordinate and provide
the most common type of Salmonella in humans, increasing technical assistance utilising a wide range of
trends of resistance to the quinolone/fluoroquinolone class expertise and outreach strategies.
of antibiotics were observed. In animals, resistance to these
antibiotics in Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella Enteritidis
were generally moderate to high. However, despite the
increasing trends of resistance against certain antibiotics,
simultaneous resistance to two critically important antibiotics
– remains low for E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter in
bacteria from both humans and food-producing animals.

Economists back subsidy to
improve fruit and veggie intake by 15%

High fixed costs for retailing by economists at the University at least 40 per cent. These high
fresh fruit and vegetables means of Warwick, England set out to prices imply that consumers on
that they cost 40 per cent more quantify distortions in the price of average buy 15 per cent less fruit
than would be efficient, unlike fruit and vegetables due to market and vegetables than they would
unhealthy alternatives, which imperfections, and their impact on have if these were sold at marginal
trade close to marginal cost, a new our diets. The economists found cost. This under consumption is due
study demonstrates. Introducing that fixed costs in the supply chain to a market imperfection: the fixed
a subsidy to counteract the price play a much larger role in the
distortion and reduce the cost of price of fruit and costs prevent the 'invisible hand'
fruit and vegetables will change vegetables than of the market from allocating
diets in a way that is not only in prices of more fruits and vegetables
healthier, but also more in line other foods, to consumers, which
with what consumers like to eat, distorting both they and the
according to the research. Published the relative producers of these
in Science Advances, the study price by products
would prefer.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in COVER STORY 19

IPnrnoomvaotitvineg

FNUOTRIOTIODNASL
Adolescence, as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is a period of rapid physiological,
sexual, neurological, and behavioural growth, and it lays the foundation for adopting adult roles
and responsibilities. As quoted by UNICEF, “Adolescence is a nutritionally vulnerable time when
rapid physical growth increases nutrient demands. Dietary behaviours established in adolescence
may contribute to nutrition-related problems that have consequences for long-term health.” In a
country like India where adolescents and young people account for nearly one quarter of the total
population, improving food habits for adolescents to reduce the prevalence of life-long health
problems becomes extremely important. Keeping in mind adolescent’s nutrition requirements in
our country, the government and the food industry are taking initiatives by launching many new
schemes and products. Let's get up close and find out more.

In recent years, nutrition transition has brought about overweight/obesity are now both prevalent. Healthy,
rapid changes in the structure of the Indian diet. The balanced and varied diet is essential for all age groups.
evolution of ultra-processed foods and fast-foods Studies have shown that maternal and early life nutrition
has drastically increased with the boom in the food also significantly affect the risk of chronic diseases which
processing and packaging industry. The replacement may start manifesting as early as adolescence. Since
of traditional home-cooked meals with ready-to-eat, adolescence is a period of rapid growth, the nutrition
processed foods has contributed to an increased risk of requirements reflect that. Suboptimal food choices in
chronic diseases in urban Indians. Henceforth, improving adolescence will impact both growth outcomes and
the nutrition of Indians by promoting healthy food increase risk of lifestyle diseases later in life.”
lifestyle in early life and adolescents can help to reduce
major health risks. However, not much attention has been paid to
adolescent’s nutrition in our country. These issues call
Sharing his insights, Angshu Mallick, Managing for strategies and interventions. But, one question still
Director and CEO, Adani Wilmar said, “The changing remains - 'In the light of the increasing prevalence of
lifestyles in India have led to a dual burden of obesity and diet-related diseases, what actions should be
malnutrition where underweight/under-nutrition and taken to enable adolescents to eat more healthily?'

20 COVER STORY NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Addressing nutritional needs Catering to this line of thinking, the food industry
India, among other countries, has been focussing is stepping up with new food innovations for early
life and adolescents. The Himalaya Drug Company,
on nutrition initiatives focused on children and women, India’s leading homegrown wellness brand, recently
and invariably neglecting adolescents. Perhaps, announced the launch of Quista kidz, a tasty, nutritional
addressing the nutrition needs of adolescents could be supplement formulated for children that aids in active
an important step towards breaking the vicious cycle of growth, building strong immunity, and supporting smart
intergenerational malnutrition and chronic diseases. memory in children. Fortified with 100 per cent milk
protein, minerals, and vitamins, Quista kidz is a unique
As suggested by the WHO, some of the strategies blend that brings together the benefit of both worlds,
for improving adolescent nutrition include: food- scientific research along with time-tested traditional
based strategies like dietary diversification and food ingredients.
fortification; ensuring adequate nutrition at household
level; addressing behaviour modification to bring about “Hidden hunger affects millions of children
dietary change in adolescents; using a social marketing worldwide. It occurs when the quality of food does
approach; mobilising families and communities; not meet the nutritional requirement. Parents, today,
control of micronutrient deficiencies; regular nutrition try to consciously put together a balanced, nutritious
assessment and counselling of adolescents; care of diet for their children. However, they tend
adolescents during pregnancy and postnatal period; to miss out on micro-nutrients, and
intersectoral linkages at community level and building the resulting deficiency affects
linkages with adolescent friendly health services. children’s health. Deficiency of
either macro- or micro-nutrients
Food innovation can affect a child’s physical and
Sharing her views Dr Seema Puri, Associate Professor, mental development in the long
run. Hence, it is important to
Department of Nutrition, Institute of Home Economics, incorporate them in children’s
University of Delhi, revealed, “Today's adolescent is daily diet,” says Dr Rashmi
exposed to a wide variety of cuisines and hence providing Murthy, Consultant Paediatrician,
just dal-roti-sabzi meals at home may not be acceptable. Bengaluru.
So, menus have to evolve incorporating regional/global
cuisines. Even traditional fried, rich food can be made Additionally, a leading
in a healthier manner using air frying/steaming/baking food company, Danone India
etc. Give them interesting choices: this is where food has entered into the health
innovation comes in even at the home level.” drink category for children with
the launch of AptaGrow. It is a
Dr Seema added, “Hence promotion of consumption scientifically designed health
of a variety of foods is important. This can be done drink for children with 37 nutrients
by inculcating good eating habits from a young age, that includes a unique blend
making vegetables, millets etc. interesting to eat, of prebiotics and DHA for
ascribing a status or a ‘fun’ or aspirational value to such the physical and cognitive
foods e.g., ragi cake may not find many takers but nutri development
choco-muffin may be more aspirational.

India, among other countries, has

been focussing on nutrition initiatives

focused on children and women,

and invariably neglecting

adolescents. Perhaps,

addressing the nutrition

needs of adolescents could

be an important step towards

breaking the vicious cycle of

intergenerational malnutrition

and chronic diseases.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in COVER STORY 21

of children. Its unique nutri-absorb formula enables “The major cause in
better absorption of key nutrients which support better adolescents' increased
growth. consumption is the
convenience, low
AptaGrow has 100 per cent milk protein and calcium prices, easy availability
to support height gain, Prebiotics, and Vitamin A, C, D to and their addictive taste and
support immune health, and DHA, iron, folic acid, and
iodine to support brain development. flavours compelling a teenager

Speaking at the launch, Himanshu Bakshi, Managing to keep going back to them. Besides the
Director, Danone India said, “At Danone, our goal is to
innovate and offer products and services that meet the apparent unhealthy snacks, a lot of packaged
nutritional needs and expectations of consumers at
every stage of life. With this launch, we endeavour to food that is projected as healthy such as cereals,
support healthy eating and drinking habits from an early
age as these are the foundation years that contribute to multigrain crackers, baked chips, health bars
health later in life. AptaGrow is scientifically designed
to meet the nutritional needs of growing children and and nut butters are also equally unhealthy and
address concerns mothers have regarding the nutrition
intake of their children.” sometimes even toxic for adolescents in their

Another brand Yogabar, a Bengaluru-based startup growing years as it contains additives or excess
brand forayed into the kid’s foods segment, aiming to
lead the category, with nutritious and tasty additions salt and sugar and poor fats which predispose
to its portfolio. With YoChos and Yo Fills, the brand
aims to deliver on its promise of clean ingredients that young people towards adult-onset diseases such
give maximum nutrition to the kids
without compromising on taste. as hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases and

Guiding cancer.”
adolescents
towards healthy - Manjari Chandra,
choices
Consultant Functional Nutrition and Nutritional
As mentioned in
a study by Engaging Medicine, ManjariWellness, Max Healthcare
adolescents in changing
behaviour (EACH-B), that adolescence is a challenging
“Adolescents’ health time to intervene to improve health
needs are often ignored behaviours for both psychological and
and they can be difficult physiological reasons. Adolescents find
to engage in behaviour it difficult to engage with the long-term
change. Building a cheap, consequences of their lifestyle choices.
sustainable way of engaging
them in making healthier Developmental changes in brain structure
choices will benefit their long- leave them sensitive to emotional and social
term health and that of their influences and to prioritising the immediate
future children.” over the long-term; brain pathways involved in
The study further stated decision-making processes do not mature fully until
early adulthood.
Dr Ameet Babre, National Program Manager-
Health System for India and Smitha Parambath, State
Representative, Gujarat at the Nutrition International,
India, through their joint research have listed out a few
more details on the same.
The authors highlighted, “Multiple studies depict
that adolescence is a nutritionally demanding phase
of life. Even though both adolescent boys and girls
face emotional changes during puberty, girls face
more physiological demands, thus requiring a higher
intake of macro and micro nutrients. Susceptibility of
adolescent girls to anaemia is 40 per cent, much higher
compared to boys at 18 per cent. This is why promoting
dietary diversity is crucial during adolescence, as
dietary habits are in the formative stage and evidence
shows that behaviours imbibed during adolescence
have a higher chance of being continued in adult life.
Ensuring appropriate nutrition for adolescent girls is also

22 COVER STORY NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

“Studies have shown
that maternal and
early life nutrition
significantly affect the
risk of chronic diseases
which may start manifesting

as early as adolescence. Since

adolescence is a period of rapid growth the

nutrition requirements reflect that. Suboptimal

food choices in adolescence will impact both

growth outcomes and increase risk for lifestyle

disease later on in life.”

- Angshu Mallick,

MD and CEO, Adani Wilmar

“Today's adolescent is
exposed to a wide
variety of cuisines
and hence providing
just dal-roti-sabzi
meals at home may not be

acceptable. So, menus have to

evolve incorporating regional/global cuisines.

Even traditional fried, rich food can be made in

a healthier manner using air frying/steaming/ paramount considering the intergenerational impact it
has on combating malnutrition.”
baking etc. Give them interesting choices: this
The authors emphasised that there's a need to
is where food innovation comes in even at the promote good nutrition among adolescents through
Nutri-smart schools (building kitchen gardens in schools)
home level.” which is already being implemented in some Indian
states. These gardens are sustained on the tenet of
- Dr Seema Puri, growing locally available foods to nudge students to
eat nutritious and local food, and ultimately achieve
Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition, malnutrition-free villages. Such initiatives will increase
awareness, improve availability, and accessibility to
Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi diverse food groups.

“India has a well-funded India’s health surveys further demonstrate the dire
programme for various need for focusing on the nutrition of adolescent girls.
nutrition-specific and The recent NFHS-5 data (2019-20) shows an unfortunate
sensitive interventions increase in anaemia among adolescent girls by 5 per cent
covering the entire when compared to NFHS-4. The Comprehensive National
country. During the POSHAN Nutritional Survey (CNNS) 2019 survey shows that even
Maah (Nutrition Month) there was before the pandemic, consumption of diverse food
reiteration to continue focusing on the basics of groups among adolescents remained low. The fallout
prevention of maternal and child undernutrition of COVID-19 has further worsened dietary diversity,
and focus was also brought on new areas, such especially of women, adolescents and children.
as children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)
and promotion of locally-sourced nutrient-rich Promoting good nutrition among adolescents
foods grown in kitchen gardens.” Manjari Chandra, Consultant, Functional Nutrition

- Dr Alok Ranjan, and Nutritional Medicine, ManjariWellness and Max
Country Lead (Nutrition), Healthcare pointed out actions that needs to be taken at
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in COVER STORY 23

“At Danone, our goal
is to innovate and
offer products and
services that meet the
nutritional needs and
expectations of consumers
at every stage of life. With the
launch of AptaGrow, we endeavour to support
healthy eating and drinking habits from an
early age as these are the foundation years that
contribute to health later in life.”

- Himanshu Bakshi,
Managing Director, Danone India

government, institutional and individual levels: than just energy-dense foods needs to be constantly
 Government policies should clearly regulate the sale communicated to young impressionable minds.

and availability of processed food. Saying No to Unhealthy Fare
 Nutrition education needs to be added as a part of Nowadays, the consumption of ultra-processed foods

school curriculum to all students starting at a very such as chips, cookies, crackers, packaged snacks, tinned
young age. and canned beverages and packaged fruit juices is
 Sale of ready to eat and convenience should not be highest among teenagers. These convenience foods are
allowed by regulation in school canteens and college loaded with refined flour, sugars, preservatives, artificial
premises. colours, emulsifiers and stabilisers, excess salt and poor-
 Canteens at educational institutions should have quality fats leading to a rise in teenage obesity not only
the facility to provide nutritious meals and fruits at in high income groups but in middle and low-income
affordable prices to students who can’t bring home- groups as well.
made tiffin.
 More healthy meal cafes and healthy street food/fruit Manjari explains, “The major cause in adolescents'
stalls need to be added in all local areas especially increased consumption is the convenience, low prices,
near education hubs. easy availability and their addictive taste and flavours
 Local Anganwadi workers should be given training compelling a teenager to keep going back to them.
to provide nutrition education to each household for Besides the apparent unhealthy snacks, a lot of packaged
members of all age-groups. food that is projected as healthy such as cereals,
 Government health promotional campaigns for multigrain crackers, baked chips, health bars and nut
the target audience should be run on TV and social butters are also equally unhealthy and sometimes even
media platforms. toxic for adolescents in their growing years as it contains
 Apps with nutritional education should be developed additives or excess salt and sugar and poor fats which
and promoted among teenagers. predispose young people towards adult-onset diseases
 Importance of other aspects of a healthy lifestyle such as hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases and
such as proper sleep schedule, regular physical cancer.”
activity and intake of nutrient dense foods rather
Apart from adult-onset diseases, a large number of
adolescents suffer from obesity, chronic malnutrition
and anaemia. India is facing a triple burden of
malnutrition, Dr Seema commented, “Malnutrition
is multidimensional. Programmes till a decade back
focussed only on supplementation or similar nutrition-
based interventions. However, other factors like
infection, environmental sanitation, income, gender
disparity, socioeconomic discrimination all contribute
to the burden of malnutrition and should be tackled
together. The revamped strategies are now considering
this aspect too.”

24 COVER STORY NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Minerals & Trace Elements came up with project SuPoshan, which has been
highly successful and has contributed to a significant
Sr. Minerals / Recommended reduction in malnutrition indicators, an assessment
No. Trace Element Intake report of the project has found. The project’s aim is to
control the spread of malnutrition across 22 chosen
1 Phosphorous 1000 mg/day locations in the country. The company further
intends to support the Ministry of Women
2 Sodium 2000 mg/day and Child Development’s Poshan Abhiyaan,
by facilitating a community-based model.
3 Potassium 3500 mg/day This initiative has been in association with
Adani Foundation who have been acting
4 Copper 2 mg/day as its implementation partner. Project SuPoshan

5 Manganese 4 mg/day encompasses curative and preventive actions in line with
the ‘10 proven interventions to reduce under-nutrition’.
6 Chromium 50 µg/day
With the motive ‘malnutrition-free India’, India’s
7 Selenium 40 µg/day robust public health and nutrition infrastructure has
positioned dedicated frontline workers as its pillars,
Table: Summary of recommended intakes for other minerals/trace elements making it one of the few countries to achieve this scale
Reference- Recommended dietary allowances and estimated average requirements for and intensity of human resource support.
Indians-2020 (Source: FSSAI)
“India has a well-funded programme for various
She added, “While we have not overcome nutrition-specific and sensitive interventions covering
undernutrition, many segments of our population are the entire country. During the POSHAN Maah (Nutrition
facing the challenges of obesity and Non-communicable Month) there was reiteration to continue focusing
diseases (NCDs). On top of that, we have a high on the basics of prevention of maternal and child
prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies - like anaemia, undernutrition and focus was also brought on new areas,
Vitamin D, Vitamin A deficiencies. So, the government such as children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM)
has to deal with all three.” and promotion of locally-sourced nutrient-rich foods
grown in kitchen gardens. Food fortification, too, has
The government and industry experts have been gained good momentum in India over the last few years.
constantly working towards making the country I feel a larger number has been added to the people
malnutrition-free. Ahmedabad-based Adani Wilmar consuming fortified products in the world from India,
than any other country in the last few years. India has
almost everything (policies, human resource, funding
and political will) in place in terms of what needs to be
driven and the focus now more than ever before has to
be on strengthening the implementation,” shares Dr Alok
Ranjan, Country Lead (Nutrition), Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare has recently launched the Weekly Iron and Folic
Acid Supplementation (WIFS) Programme to meet the
challenge of high prevalence and incidence of anaemia
amongst adolescent girls and boys. WIFS is evidence
based programmatic response to the prevailing anaemia
situation amongst adolescent girls and boys through
supervised weekly ingestion of IFA supplementation and
biannual helminthic control. The long-term goal is to
break the intergenerational cycle of anaemia, the short-
term benefit is of a nutritionally improved human capital.
The programme, implemented across the country both
in rural and urban areas.

Pooja Yadav
[email protected]

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in NUTRITION 25

Why Dr Prema
Overnutrition in Ramachandran,
Children Must Halt
Director, Nutrition Foundation of India

Global and Indian data indicate that children from all management of both the under- and overnutrition
segments of the population face dual nutrition burden in children. There is ample data on the prevalence of
and related health consequences. Long-term cohort undernutrition in children, but there is a paucity of
studies have shown that both under and overnutrition are data on the prevalence of overnutrition in children. It is
risk factors for overnutrition related ailments and non- essential to have data on the prevalence and number
communicable diseases (NCDs) in adult life. Halting the rise of preschool and school-age children who would need
in overnutrition is one of the Sustainable Development Goal interventions to halt and reverse the rise in overnutrition.
(SDG) targets to be achieved by 2030. With the development
and inclusion of body mass index (BMI)-for-age in the World Growth monitoring of high-risk children
Health Organisation (WHO) child growth standards, it Data from longitudinal studies in India and globally
has become possible to assess over- and undernutrition in
short-statured children. showed that both the under- and overnutrition in
children are risk factors for overnutrition and non-
In the last two decades, there has been relatively communicable diseases in adult life. Given this scenario,
rapid gross domestic product (GDP) growth, rise in both the undernourished and over nourished children
per capita income, and reduction in poverty ratio. require BMI monitoring. BMI- for-age charts by the WHO
The last four decades have witnessed a substantial provide a ready graphic tool for detecting deviations
reduction in undernutrition rates across all the age from the trajectory of BMI-for-age in an individual
groups; however, stunting, underweight, and wasting child over time. Indian children had a lower BMI for any
rates in Indian children are still among the highest
in the world. In addition, the country witnessed an
increase in the overnutrition rates in children. With the
emergence of the dual nutrition burden in India, there
was growing concern among public health nutritionists
and paediatricians that if the weight for age is used as
the indicator for assessing nutritional status, the short-
statured Indian children who were overweight for their
age and height will not be recognised as over nourished
and opportunity to initiate early interventions will be
missed.

In India, two of the largest food supplementation
programmes in the world- the Integrated Child
Development Services (ICDSs) for preschool children
and the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) for school children aimed
at bridging the dietary energy gap in children are being
implemented in India.

To achieve the SDG targets, India has to undertake
programmes focusing on prevention, detection, and

26 NUTRITION NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Indian school children benefit from the MDM supplementation to all the children at 6–72 months
programme that is aimed at preventing of age; weighing at periodic intervals and monitoring
undernutrition by bridging the gap between growth for early detection of undernutrition; food
energy requirement and intake and the school supplementation to bridge the gap in energy intake in
health programmes aimed at screening undernourished children; and monitoring the response.
children for health problems. There is a
nutrition education component advising the Because of the ready availability of balances and
children to consume an adequate balanced ease of weighing children by using digital balances,
meal; to have an adequate physical activity for the programme has been using weight-for-age for
optimal nutrition and health; not to habitually assessment of undernutrition. Efforts are underway to
consume high-fat, high-energy and high-salt operationalise growth monitoring by using the WHO
snacks and high-energy beverages. weight-for-age growth charts.

given age as compared to the WHO growth reference The ICDS centres are currently being provided with
standards across all the age groups, but followed a stature metres and the frontline workers are being
similar smooth trajectory between 0 and 18 years. trained in measuring height. They have mobiles in
Whether Indian children also have a lower fat mass as which they can calculate BMI for each child. The ICDS
compared to Caucasians is not well-documented. Body centres are being provided with the WHO growth charts.
composition studies in Indian children are required to By using the WHO BMI-for-age chart, they can assess
document the contribution of muscle mass and fat mass whether the child is wasted, normal, or over nourished.
in the lower BMI for age in Indian children.
Indian school children benefit from the MDM
Assessment of nutritional status programme that is aimed at preventing undernutrition
During the development of the WHO growth by bridging the gap between energy requirement
and intake and the school health programmes aimed
reference standards, it became obvious that weight-for- at screening children for health problems. There is a
height varies with age and is not an age-independent nutrition education component advising the children
indicator. Further calculation showed that BMI-for-age is to consume an adequate balanced meal; to have an
a sigma-shaped curve in the 0–18- year age group. adequate physical activity for optimal nutrition and
health; not to habitually consume high-fat, high-energy
Given these findings, the WHO provided the and high-salt snacks and high-energy beverages.
standards for weight-for-age, height-for-age, BMI- for-
age, and weight-for-height, but recommended the use Neither the MDM programme nor the school health
of BMI-for-age as the preferred indicator for assessment programme has an inbuilt component of periodic
of wasting and overnutrition, especially in short-statured measurement of height and weight, calculating BMI,
children. detection of under- and over nourished children, and
providing individual child- focused management of
However, some of the WHO guidelines continue to nutrition problems. The MDM and the school health
indicate both the weight-for-height and BMI-for-age as programmes may have to be reorganised, so that they
indicators for assessing wasting and overweight and can take-up periodic measurements of height, weight,
others recommend weight- for-height as the indicator calculate BMI-for-age, and detect and manage under-
for assessment of undernutrition. In India, the majority and over-nourished children.
of nutritionists and paediatricians have switched over
to the use of BMI-for-age for assessment of nutritional Though overnutrition rates are lowest in the 15–18
status. Among national surveys, some continue to use age groups, the 'figure-conscious' adolescents, especially
weight-for-height instead of BMI-for-age for assessment girls, may readily accept and practice interventions to
of wasting and overnutrition in children, while others reduce overnutrition.
have shifted to use of BMI-for-age. This accounts for
some of the differences in the reported wasting rates The existing school health and the MDM
between surveys. programmes can provide nutrition and health education
regarding optimal diet, physical activity, and lifestyle
Detection and management of overnutrition modifications needed to combat the dual nutrition
In India, the ongoing ICDS programme aims burden in school-age children.

at prevention of undernutrition through food Over time, the MDM and the school health
programmes can be modified and they can develop the
capacity to undertake screening for detection of under-
and overnutrition; it will then be possible to provide
focused care and monitor improvement in the nutritional
status of school-age children.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in CONTACTLESS TECH 27

Embracing
'No Touch' Technology

The food and beverage (F&B) industry is segwaying into a 'no touch' mode of dispensing food products.
Making it all possible is a technology-enabled touchless, adaptable, and customisable automation
solution that has emerged as a creative option in the form of smart vending machines for food and
drinks. But before we head for a contactless or ‘no touch’ future, we need to understand the challenges
associated with it.

Almost all industries have transitioned or are for incorporating contactless technology is to reduce
in the process of adopting the World Health staffing cost rather than to enhance safety.
Organisation's pandemic protocols into the
way their businesses operate. The most significant of Global tech advancements
these include social distancing, hygiene, and safety. In One of the first to incorporate the use of contactless
order to incorporate a ‘low touch’ culture, development
of contactless solutions is gradually seeping within technology during the pandemic was the Swiss
different operations. In particular, the essence of multinational food and drinks company Nestle. The
contactless service in the food and beverage (F&B) company launched a remote control solution for all
sector is the use of cutting-edge technology to prevent Nespresso Momento machines, where coffee drinkers
unnecessary human-to-human contact, thus creating could control the machine from their mobile phones
the safest possible encounter for both customers and thanks to an intuitive web-app. Another option provided
employees. by the company is automatic brewing that can be set
up on the coffee machines. This means coffees will be
In fact, experts believe that the inclusion of brewed without touching the screen thanks to the
contactless technology might bring revolutionary Nespresso Momento capsule recognition feature. The
changes and create ‘Industry 5.0’ in the post-COVID-19 machine will recognise the inserted capsule and brew
era. Nowadays, we are seeing the introduction of the coffee according to the predefined cup size.
innovative vending machines for food and drinks that
are being installed in public places such as offices, Nespresso Momento machines also offer a lock-
schools, malls, convention centres etc. The contactless screen option for safe interaction. The main advantage
technology involves a series of technological modules is that each coffee drinker can disinfect the touch-screen
including voice control, motion sensing, mobile before interacting with it. In fact, Nestlé has teamed
phone control, robotic services, thermal sensing, facial up with Singapore-based Nanoveu to customise its
recognition, infrared temperature measurement, Nanoshield antiviral and anti-bacterial screen protector
Internet of Things (IoT), drones etc. to support the entire for its coffee machines.
ecosystem. As a result of which, F&B companies are
now eagerly investing and collaborating to design such “Increasing interest in Nanoshield, which is available
solutions across the globe.

However, contactless technology is not an invention
of the pandemic. Many technological modules had
already been explored before COVID-19 arrived across
industries. While the F&B industry is increasingly
implementing contactless services to help eliminate
the health risks of COVID-19, several issues might
prevail with respect to technology acceptance in the
long run. It might even be speculated that the reason

28 CONTACTLESS TECH NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

“We have our own air touch technology for their automatic machines such
laboratories where we as coffee vending machines, which allows the user to
do extensive research obtain the products without having any contact with the
on vending technology surface of the machine, adding safety and hygiene to the
as well as on beverage purchasing process.
ingredients.”
Quench, a leading provider of filtered water solutions
- Parimal Shah, for businesses across the United States and Canada, has
launched a touchless Quench Q8 bottle-free filtered water
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Cherise India system. The Position Sensitive Detector sensor-activated
water cooler connects to an existing water supply and
“We are working on dispenses hot and cold, mineral-infused drinking water.
expanding the vending
machine business in a Adding on, Coca-Cola is patenting a touch-free,
big way.” optical dispensing solution for its fountain dispensers.
- Amuleek Singh Bijral, Sensor-enabled levers will detect the presence of a cup
under the nozzle and pour the drink. When the cup is
Co-founder and Chief Executive removed, pouring will automatically stop.
Officer, Chai Point
PepsiCo is responding to these changing times by
“Our novel low-cost creating a first-of-its-kind restaurant menu controlled
patterned transparent by hand gestures as an alternative to traditional
touchscreen kiosks. This is the first deployment of a
electrodes have touch-free gesture interface in a QSR using this type of
computer vision and 3D hand-tracking technology.
tremendous potential
Another player joining this list is Unilever. In
to be used in advanced collaboration with UK-based food retailer Co-op, Unilever
is developing a smart ice-cream vending machine with
smart electronic devices like contactless technology.

touchless screens and sensors.” Further, RoboBurger has been developed as the
- Dr Indrajit Mondal, world's first fully autonomous robotic burger chef in
the US. RoboBurger is an artificially intelligent, self-
Researcher, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for operating, patented kitchen designed to include all
Advanced and Scientific Research the processes of a restaurant at a fraction of the size. It
is the first hot food vending machine approved at the
“The touchless technology gold food standard for safety by the National Sanitary
offers the consumer Foundation (NSF) at the standard NSF/ANSI (American
a safe way to make National Standards Institute) 25.
purchases, ensures
lower operating cost and ‘Low-touch’ boom in India
higher margins for the vending Driven by IoT-enabled technology, digitally

machine operator.” connected food vending machines and smart-stores
in India have been identified to accelerate the growth
- Aroon Khatter, of the F&B industry. For instance, Daalchini, a startup
based in Delhi-NCR, is popularising smart food vending
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, machines with the added benefit of no contact services
to comply with the stringent parameters set by the
Vendekin Technologies pandemic.

as a commercial roll of film or in a number of pre-cut According to a report by ResearchAndMarkets, the
units such as tape and push-pads, is driving record sales. Indian food tech sector is expanding at a CAGR of 39 per
The increasing sales figures buoy our expectation that cent from 2021 to 2025. This demonstrates the growth
Nanoshield will become increasingly relevant for a wide of the food tech industry, making it the fastest-growing
range of customers seeking greater protection and direct-to-consumer (D2C) category.
peace-of-mind when operating high-touch surfaces”,
said Alfred Chong, Executive Chairman and Chief Mumbai-based startup Cherise India has also forayed
Executive Officer, Nanoveu. into smart vending by launching a range of smart, IoT,
and android-based vending machines dispensing a wide
On the other hand, Azkoyen Group, a Spanish
technology-based firm, has developed and patented

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in CONTACTLESS TECH 29

portfolio of teas, coffee, soups, and milk, under its own Types of contactless
brand. The user-friendly smart vending kiosks of Cherise technology emerging in F&B sector
come with their own proprietary IoT dashboard and app
for monitoring the operations.  Internet-of-things (IoT)
 Drones
“Our vending technology is fully proprietary and  Voice control
owned by us. We have our own laboratories where  Motion sensing
we do extensive research on vending technology as  Mobile phone control
well as on beverage ingredients. Our smart vending  Robotic services
machines as well as our beverages and formulations are  Thermal sensing
manufactured by us at our own plants. We do not have  Facial recognition
any third party or OEM partners”, said Parimal Shah,  3D hand-tracking technology
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Cherise India.  Antiviral films

On the other hand, Bengaluru-based Chai Point has Nehru Centre for Advanced and Scientific Research
entered the vending segment back in 2017 with the (JNCASR) have provided an affordable solution to
launch of its boxC.in, an IoT enabled tea/coffee vending develop a low-cost touch-cum-proximity sensor
machine. boxC is currently present at more than 4,000 popularly called touchless touch sensor through a
locations in the country. Encouraged by the success of its printing technique.
boxC range, the company has now launched an android
enabled contactless vending machine dispensing This touchless sensor technology could help many
western coffee with beans grinding mechanism. The F&B companies build smarter food and drinks vending
new machines come fitted with sim cards and are machines in the coming times. “We are making a
remote monitored by Network Operating Centre (NOC). few more prototypes using our patterned electrodes
Furthermore, Chai Point has enabled access to high- to prove their feasibility for other smart electronic
quality single-origin Rain Forest Alliance certified beans applications. These patterned electrodes can be made
for these new range of boxC coffee machines. available to interested industries and R&D labs on a
request basis to explore collaborative projects. The
“We are working on expanding the vending machine novel low-cost patterned transparent electrodes have
business in a big way. Our ‘Vending as a Service’ (VAAS) tremendous potential to be used in advanced smart
channel powered by boxC machines, are already amongst electronic devices like touchless screens and sensors,”
the largest sellers of filter coffee,” said Amuleek Singh said Dr Indrajit Mondal, Researcher, Jawaharlal Nehru
Bijral, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Chai Point. Centre for Advanced and Scientific Research.

Pune-based startup Vendekin Technologies is But then ease of use is not always easy because
another player exploring this space rapidly. It has digitisation requires significant investments in the form
developed a retrofittable plug-and-play device that of time and money. Securing that willingness to invest
makes an existing vending machine smart in a few rests on the vendor’s ability to explain the technologies
minutes. The company has got two US patents and involved, and to put together an appropriate strategy
one Indian patent that enables it to convert the legacy to come in on time and on budget. Security is another
machines into smart vending machines. Apart from complexity that lurks behind seamless contactless
retrofitting, Vendekin also makes its own factory- experiences. In order for the system to operate, it must
integrated machines that can sell a wide range of goods be completely safe particularly when the use of mobile
from snacks and groceries to hygiene products. apps is involved.

“Touchless has become a must-have and our Lastly, technology acceptance is measured based
technology enables use of the machine through the on behavioural intention; however, the actual usage of
mobile phone instead of using the machine’s keypad. contactless services not only depends on customers’
The touchless technology offers the consumer a safe intentions, but equally on the availability of the
way to make purchases, ensures lower operating cost technological module. Therefore, when contactless
and higher margins for the vending machine operator,” technology is more widely adopted in the future, it
says Aroon Khatter, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, would be interesting to investigate its influence on the
Vendekin Technologies. industry’s growth.

With the industry developing different forms Dr Manbeena Chawla
of technology to expedite the acceptance of the [email protected]
contactless concept, the academicians are not far
behind. Bengaluru-based scientists from the Centre for
Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), and Jawaharlal

30 ANALYSIS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

CAN RUSSO-UKRAINE
CONFLICT CAUSE
A FOOD CRISIS?

The Russia-Ukraine turmoil has had and in future will have a lot of repercussions on the global food
sector. Many developing and developed nations could be impacted by it, including India. However, this
unfortunate chaotic situation could turn out to be a silver lining for Indian exporters. Let's see if that is
possible and how.

Be it natural calamities, or war between different grain shortfalls from Ukraine and Russia. However,
nations, the first thing which comes to one’s mind the FAO’s preliminary assessment is that, due to the
is the disruption of trade which in some ways war, 20 per cent to 30 per cent of wheat, corn and
lead to the food crisis in certain parts of the world. sunflower seed crops will either not be planted or go
Though the Russia-Ukraine war which is now going on unharvested during Ukraine’s 2022-2023 season.
for the second month has not only taken its toll across
various sectors around the world, however, the main
worry remains on the import of food grains to various
countries including India.

According to the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), prices of wheat, corn and cooking
oils have all increased to record high soaring prices.
Food commodities are likely to expose several million
people to hunger as the supply of key staple crops
such as wheat, corn and sunflower could be affected.

FAO states that countries like Australia, Argentina,
India and the US could make up for a portion of the

 20-30 per cent of wheat, corn and
sunflower seed crops will either
not be planted or go unharvested
during Ukraine’s 2022-2023 season.

 GoI has has halted sunflower
oil imports from the Black Sea
region as about 3,80,000 tonnes of
sunflower oil shipments from the
region are stuck at ports.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in ANALYSIS 31

Lingering crisis “The government is
According to the United Nations, the war has led keeping a close watch
on the situation and
to a giant leap in food prices last month to another whatever steps are
record high. Ukraine is a major producer of cereals required to be taken it
such as maize and wheat which have risen sharply will take action.''
in price too. The UN says that the war in the Black
Sea region spread shocks through markets for staple - Piyush Goyal,
grains and vegetable oils. The Food and Agricultural Union Commerce Minister
Organisation of the UN warned last month that food
prices could rise by up to 20 per cent as a result of “It is an "opportunity"
the conflict in Ukraine, raising the risk of increased for Indian exporters as
malnutrition across the world. the new wheat crop
will be available early
The world's wheat projection has been cut for 2022 from March 15 onwards
from 790 million tonnes to 784 million tonnes, because when compared to other global
of the possibility that at least 20 per cent of Ukraine's
winter crop will not be harvested because of direct wheat producers.''
destruction.
- Sudhanshu Pandey,
The India story
The pandemic followed by the political imbalance Union Food Secretary

between Ukraine and Russia has resulted in the impact prices and supply in the country.
advent of inflation, resulting in rising costs for critical A report from Reuters states that the Government
commodities such as cooking oil and largely the food
sector. India imports around 90 per cent of sunflower of India has halted sunflower oil imports from the
oil from Russia and Ukraine, hence, the crisis is likely to Black Sea region as about 3,80,000 tonnes of sunflower
oil shipments from the region are stuck at ports amid
the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

As per the Department of Consumer Affairs
website, the prices of six edible oils — groundnut oil,
mustard oil, vanaspati, soya oil, sunflower oil and palm
oil — have risen between 9 per cent and 56 per cent at
all-India levels in the last one year and with the war in
full swing, the price will head north.

However, according to the All India Edible Oil
Merchant Federation, the import price of edible oil has
seen around 12 to 15 per cent corrections in the last
two to three weeks and will be reflected in the retail
market in the coming month.

Piyush Goyal, Commerce Minister, Government of
India said, “Sunflower oil imports have been affected
as it largely came from Ukraine, it has a smaller
proportion in our edible oils basket. But, whenever
there is a situation like this it has an impact all over
the world and almost all edible oil prices in the entire
world have shot up today because of the Russia-
Ukraine war.”

Crisil in its report mentions that the supply
disruptions caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict
could lead to a supply shortfall of at least 4-6 lakh
tonnes of crude sunflower oil for India next fiscal. The
report further mentions that Russia's major banks
are severed from the SWIFT system after it invaded

32 ANALYSIS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Some facts

 Australia, Argentina, India and the US could
make up for a portion of the grain shortfalls from
Ukraine and Russia--FAO

 World's wheat projection has been cut for 2022
from 790 million tonnes to 784 million tonnes--UN

 The import price of edible oil has seen around 12
to 15 per cent corrections -- All India Edible Oil
Merchant Federation

 There could lead to a supply shortfall of at least
4-6 lakh tonnes of crude sunflower oil for India
next fiscal: Crisil

Ukraine and the resultant sanctions imposed by the speeches in Rajya Sabha said “Indian wheat exports
US and European nations. Although trading of food are set to cross 70 lakh metric tonnes this year from
products with Russia has not been prohibited, trade merely 2 lakh metric tonnes two years ago. Many ships
settlement has become difficult, leading to supply and containers have been blocked in several European
disruptions. countries following the Russia-Ukraine war and the
crisis has only deepened, especially after the COVID-19
An opportunity for Indian exporters crisis.”
Amidst the crisis, the Russia-Ukraine war created
"The government has maintained dialogue
an unlikely opportunity for some of the Indian agri- with shipping companies and those who operate
exporters who trade in wheat, maize, millet and containers. The government is keeping a close watch
processed foods. Since the war began, Indian wheat on the situation and whatever steps are required to be
has been in huge demand among European countries. taken it will take action," he said.
It may be noted that Ukraine is the top wheat exporter
in the world and Russia and Ukraine together have a The Government of India is waiting for things to
25 per cent share in the global wheat market. stabilise. The Department of Commerce is holding
regular consultations with all stakeholders to ensure
Says Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey, “Wheat the availability of essential imports and to find
exports from India, the world's second-biggest alternate destinations for our exports.
producer of the grain, have picked up after global
prices surged due to Russia's war against Ukraine, “Our position is quite comfortable,” says Food
and total shipments from the country have already Secretary Pandey while mentioning the case of edible
touched a record of 6.6 million tonnes this fiscal so far.” oils for which India is heavily dependent on imports
and for sunflower oil amidst the Ukraine crisis.
He added, “It is an "opportunity" for Indian
exporters as the new wheat crop will be available early What does the future behold?
from March 15 onwards when compared to other No one knows till when will this war go on. The
global wheat producers.”
likely disruptions in agricultural activities in both
Not only wheat but sugar exports are also countries will lead to an escalation of food insecurity
expected to touch 7.5 million tonnes in the 2021-22 globally when international food and input prices are
marketing year (October-September), much higher already high and volatile. Many countries are likely to
than 2 million tonnes in the last year buoyed by strong be affected by this war.
global prices.
India seems to be well prepared to mitigate the
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export crisis. Though there has been a lot of hue and cry
Development Authority (APEDA) mentions, a ban on how India overcomes challenges when certain
on Russian flights to Europe has also resulted in an situations arise, be it sanctions from the US and other
opportunity for Indian exporters of processed foods developed countries, the country can handle the crisis
like say nuts, fruit juices, confectionery, pulses etc. in a better way when it comes to strategies like food
protectionism.
Govt’s initiative
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal during one of his Sanjiv Das
[email protected]

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in SPEAKING WITH 33

“Thanks to FSSAI's Anand Diwanji,
stricter guidelines, more
international brands can Business Director,
enter Indian functional South Asia- Health,
Nutrition and Care, DSM
food market"

With the increasing focus on health and nutrition help us launch products that deeply resonate with our
today, the Netherlands-headquartered health, consumers, under- Targeted Health, Lifestyle Essentials
nutrition and bioscience company DSM is and Lifestyle categories, giving our partners or associates
redirecting its efforts in the domain of human nutrition an edge in the global marketplace.
and care. To find out more about the company’s plans for
the Indian market, nuFFooDS Spectrum spoke to Anand With DSM’s emphasis on human nutrition and care,
Diwanji, Business Director, South Asia- Health, Nutrition we are driven to formulate solutions that can prevent
and Care, DSM. Edited excerpts; nutritional inequalities and undertake collaborations that
serve the best interests of our consumers. DSM’s focus
What are the new initiatives for the Indian market? is on nutrient-rich foods, ranging from micronutrient
India has always been a key market for DSM, where powders to fortified rice, addressing hidden hunger, a
dietary issue that leads to micronutrient deficiencies due
we have put into focus challenges that threaten the to a nutrient-poor diet.
health and nutrition of the vulnerable population
and bring them sustainable solutions. To cater to a How receptive is the Indian market when it comes to
geography which believes to derive its nutrition majorly food ingredients?
from food, we have innovated a solution to fortify
the staples. More than half of the Indian population The pandemic has raised a sustained awareness
consumes rice as a part of their daily meal. Our solution, and consciousness about preventive health and holistic
Fortified Rice Kernel delivers essential micronutrients wellbeing among the Indian population. According
to the consumers without having to change their to market research insights, 75 per cent Indians agree
dietary behaviours. Another dietary habit commonly that consuming vitamins, minerals and supplements
identified in the Indian population is vegetarianism, (VMS) regularly, helps them achieve overall health and
which made them retract from consuming Omega-3, wellness. In fact, more than three-fourths (76 per cent)
even when prescribed due to fishy smell. We developed Indian consumers agree that VMS can provide necessary
a product life's DHA, a plant source Omega-3 that nutrition missing in one’s diet and for 37 out of 50
delivers the benefits of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) Indians, regular consumption of VMS helps in preventing
and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) fatty acids in a illnesses and diseases. This is a big shift in perception for
single, quality source. Immunity, too, is a top priority conservative markets like India. As consumer behaviour
for consumers today. These innovative solutions are inclines towards the acceptance of emerging solutions
available to be adopted for the Indian market. To help along with the overall growing emphasis on health,
streamline the concept-to-consumer process, DSM now the scope for DSM’s accessible, affordable and healthy
also offers science backed, Market Ready Solutions, so nutrition solutions widens, paving way for more high-
our customers can bring purpose-led solutions to market performing solutions to be introduced to the Indian
faster. market.

Any new launches in the food ingredients space? What are the growth prospects for the APAC region?
We have designed our portfolio of Health Benefit South Asia is an emerging market with a large

Solutions with consumer-centric data, intended to customer pool, paving the way for the introduction
of innovative and unique solutions that enhance the
impact of our efforts for our consumers. With increased

34 SPEAKING WITH NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

To be able to service the rural
market in India, DSM has designed

a segment called Nutrition
Improvement which focuses on
providing better nutrition to the less
privileged. This segment is uniquely
placed to work closely with the
government, development partners,
and similar organisations to take the
innovative solutions to consumers at

the bottom of the pyramid.

awareness towards preventive health and the expanding population there might be a need to introduce stringent
purchasing power among the Indian consumers, they guidelines to adhere to quality checks that are critical
are now open to explore and adopt new and innovative to win and serve the purpose of addressing this market.
solutions that are working for the west or prevalent DSM aims to assist these schemes by improving the
globally. This can be well verified by the consumer quality of the consumption to fulfill the nutritional
behaviour data sets and the industrial growth patterns requirements of the population. However, as a purpose-
for the supplement market that has been observed over led, performance-driven and science-based brand, we
time. From a regulatory perspective, the Food Safety ensure that we are backed by our strong understanding
and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced of the market and consumers so that our solutions
regulations which have enhanced the country's overall are successfully able to deliver the promise of quality,
regulatory environment, introducing stricter guidelines, nutrition and brighter lives for all.
which in turn, will give international brands the
opportunity to enter the Indian functional food market. What will be your plans five years down the line?
In addition, we have solutions in our portfolio to help Moving further, our plans are to innovate, grow and
combat the existing micronutrient deficiencies. This has
helped expand the growth of our portfolio by advancing build strong partnerships and create a wider impact.
the scope of our global yet localised solutions. To be able to achieve so, we are extensively working
towards our nutrition improvement programmes
What are the challenges faced while catering to the working towards expanding the reach of our Staple
rural markets? Food Fortification solutions through our customers
and partners. Understanding the critical need for early
Catering to the rural market is not only a necessity life nutrition, we are committed to deliver high-quality,
but also part of our brand’s purpose. To be able to insight-driven, innovative nutritional solutions at every
service this market, DSM has designed a segment called stage of child’s growth and mother’s nutrition through
Nutrition Improvement which focuses on providing Health Benefit Solutions. Another aspect DSM very
better nutrition to the less privileged. This segment is keenly supports is enabling the right nutritional care in
uniquely placed to work closely with the government, a timely manner to champion the health of patients and
development partners, and similar organisations to take elderly individuals, reducing medical complications and
the innovative solutions to consumers at the bottom promoting recovery and independence. Through our
of the pyramid. However, each market possesses its broad portfolio of science-backed customised solutions
own challenges. Housing more than 65 per cent of the supporting medical nutrition, we aspire to be a preferred
population, rural India doesn’t only exceed urban in partner to meet the ever-evolving and complex
population numbers but also the rate of malnutrition. nutritional needs of patients and the elderly.
Taking example of our solution fortified rice kernels,
lack of consumer awareness, lower purchasing power Lastly, for greater impact, DSM is looking forward to
in rural population and lastly accessibility gap has been building stronger partnerships that are supportive in
the observed roadblocks in curbing these challenges tackling challenges like malnutrition together, because
with our innovative solutions. To combat malnutrition, nutrition is an aspect that requires a partner more than
the government has also rolled out various food aid just ingredients.
schemes, but to serve this large percentage of the
Sanjiv Das
[email protected]

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in SPEAKING WITH 35

“Consumers are Anup Krishnan,
demanding clinically
proven products with CEO, Arjuna Natural
verifiable safety of products"

For thirty years, Kochi-based Arjuna Natural of the finalists in the Fi Hi 2021 Innovation Awards
has been India’s leading manufacturer of would be part of this range and so will BCM-95,
standardised spice and botanical extracts for the world’s most researched and leading Turmeric
food supplement industries, dedicated to eco- extract and Shoden, the world’s most potent
friendly and sustainable practices. To take this Ashwagandha extract.
legacy forward, Anup Krishnan has stepped in as
the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. Anup In the Indian market, we have also been a major
Krishnan speaks with nuFFooDS Spectrum to reveal and the true end-to-end player in the fish oil supplies.
his vision for the company’s growth. Edited excerpts; Most of the time, demand has outstripped supply
and customers have time and again come back to
What new strategies would you bring to the table us looking for quality supply which they can take to
at Arjuna Natural? consumers with confidence. This year we have taken
steps to ensure higher supply to be made available
Arjuna Natural has been at the forefront of so that our customers can service the demand
innovative products for the Nutraceutical industry. without gaps..
Our products are driven by innovation as well
as a strong manufacturing infrastructure. This Moving to food ingredients specifically, a key
combination has brought unique value to customers product line where we believe we can bring unique
worldwide which has been widely appreciated. I value to the table is in our EXTENFO line of natural
hope to build upon these solid foundations to create food preservation ingredients. Consumers, including
a quantum leap in growth at Arjuna Natural. in India, are looking for 100 per cent natural products
and are conscious of the concerns around synthetic
What are the major plans in store for 2022? Are food preservatives which are added to otherwise
you launching any new products or making new ‘natural’ products to enhance shelf life. Brands are
announcements for the Indian market?

Arjuna has always been focused on the world
market while wedded to our roots in India. India has
seen a quantum jump in terms of both recognition
of the need of quality Nutraceuticals as well as the
need for focusing on health. However, the Indian
market has been awash with ingredients, many of
which are neither proven nor having consistent
quality credentials. However, with the maturing
of this market, we hope to address the quality
conscious market in India and partner with brands
to build strong international grade portfolios for
them. In the Nutraceutical space, we would look
to re-introduce our international range of clinically
studied branded ingredients to the Indian brands.
Our most recent launch, Rhuleave-K which was one

36 SPEAKING WITH NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

There are two aspects to improvement, the international norms faster, especially with respect to
primary is customer demand and awareness potency, source and quality of ingredients.
and the other is regulation. The first is more
apt and we have seen that with the recent How do you view the role of technology/
pandemic, consumers have upped their automation in enhancing the food ingredient
awareness and are more sensitive to what industry?
they take. However, this is a slow process. The
other is for regulatory frameworks to adapt Technology and Automation has always
to international norms faster, especially with gone hand-in-hand with progress. To be able to
respect to potency, source and quality of address larger markets efficiently, cost efficiently
ingredients. and sustainably, adoption of technology and
automation becomes important. At Arjuna we focus
conscious of this change in consumer sentiment and on technology to find new ingredients and innovate
are increasingly seeking natural ingredients which new products. We develop new technologies which
can do the job of these synthetic ingredients but can enhance effectiveness. Our Award winning
without the risks. These clean label products add not product Rhuleave-K, is powered by our SPEEDTECH
only value to their current offerings, but also help technology and can manage musculoskeletal pain
open up a whole new market of health conscious in just 3 hours. Multiple product launches across the
customers, both in India and abroad. The EXTENGO world are happening with many brands releasing
line has successfully been deployed to extend the products incorporating this ingredient.
shelf life of various common food ingredients like
breads, cake, beverages, meats etc.. We also employ automation and sensors to
ensure consistent quality and enhance delivery
How many people are employed at Arjuna, in efficiencies. Going forward, as we focus to bring
India and globally? Are you planning to hire more value to our customers, the reliance on the
more? right tools including automation and technology is
bound to increase.
Arjuna is an innovation-led company which also
manufactures the products that it delivers. We also How can we improve the scientific understanding
operate in multiple locations. To this end we have of natural food ingredients/herbs to develop
a multi-talented workforce across geographies. We therapeutic foods, medicines etc.?
would, of course, be dipping into the untapped
potential of this available talent pool and Pharmaceutical and nutritional sciences have
augmenting the same as we expand to new horizons. witnessed a boom in scientific information in recent
times. It has geared up higher use of food plants
What are the key challenges facing the food for diversified health benefits and potential clinical
ingredients market in India, and how can those be applications. A synergism of nature-based bioactive
resolved? intake and nutrition stands the possibility to confer
better outcomes for a healthier lifestyle. Natural
Arjuna is well known the world over for quality products are marketed in the form of botanical
nature-based Nutraceutical ingredients. As I drugs, Nutraceutical or even cosmeceuticals for
mentioned before, a clear challenge in the Indian wellbeing and to improve the efficacy and safety.
Nutraceutical market has been quality, safety and Consumers are increasingly aware and demanding
efficacy assured ingredients. Arjuna’s ingredients are clinically proven products as well as verifiable safety
validated to international standards and norms and of products. Brands are increasingly aware of this and
the activities and their limits are assured. can only ignore these demands at their own peril.
This is where ingredient manufacturers like Arjuna,
There are two aspects to improvement, the whose products are clinically studied and safety
primary is customer demand and awareness and verified and assured scientifically become more
the other is regulation. The first is more apt and we valuable to brands and consumers alike. Brands also
have seen that with the recent pandemic, consumers take advantage of this, by focusing their message on
have upped their awareness and are more sensitive branded ingredients like BCM-95, Shoden, Rhuleave-K
to what they take. However, this is a slow process. etc, which gives their brands more credibility and
The other is for regulatory frameworks to adapt to reliability in the hands of the consumer.

Dr Manbeena Chawla
[email protected]

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in PROTEINS 37

Future Prospects Dr Pranjal Yadav,
of Plant-Based
Proteins Scientist,
Indian Agricultural
Research Institute

By 2050, the world’s total population is expected to grow as well as purification, has supported the growth of
or might exceed 9 billion, and, hence, the demand for food, the market. Also, improving the protein functionality
feed, and fibre around the globe is expected to increase by in foods through modification, enhancing the plant
70 per cent. To meet this increasing demand, new sources proteins proportion in human diets, and improving the
must be explored. Nowadays, food derived from plants bioavailability and digestibility of food proteins in the
plays a vital role in the human diet as an important source digestion process could be helpful to increase the overall
of bioactive components, such as vitamins, phenolic utilisation of plant- based protein.
compounds, or bioactive peptides. Further, several thermal
techniques used during food processing could be optimised Based on sources, proteins from plant origin might
to improve the quality of plant proteins. Also, they can lack some essential amino acids. For instance, cereals
be isolated from sustainable and cheap sources such as generally contain less lysine, whereas legumes are
plant-derived wastes from agriculture and by-products of deficient in sulphur-containing amino acids like cysteine
crop and oil industries, which can also regulate food waste and methionine. However, a good amount of lysine
reduction. is present in pseudocereals (for example quinoa and
amaranth). Sometimes, the same plants have different
Recently, plant-based sources of protein have nutrients due to differences in soil diversity, climatic
dominated the supply of proteins throughout the conditions, precipitation levels, geographic latitude and
world (57 per cent), with the remaining 43 per altitude, agricultural practices, and different varieties/
cent consisting of dairy products (10 per cent), shellfish cultivars.
and fish (6 per cent), meat (18 per cent), and other
products from animals (9 per cent). Generally, the daily Some traditional plants have been utilised by
intake of protein is provided by animal-based foods. human beings as protein sources, including beans, pea,
However, changes in the consumers’ requirement led to and soybean. Also, new sources such as proteins from
adoption of alternative sources of proteins for human insects and algae and unconventional and alternative
consumption. protein sources like agro-industry by-products from
the extraction of edible oil and those discarded by fruit
It is hard and expensive to extract an adequate processing have been discovered. In addition, different
amount of animal proteins; therefore, an alternative for meat, milk, and egg analogs from plant-based protein
improving the nutritional status of humans is mainly sources have also been identified.
received from plant proteins. Hence, attention has been
paid to evaluating the nutritional quality of proteins Health issues linked with plant-based proteins
from different plant species. The best way to increase the There are many health concerns linked with a large
supply of proteins is to improve the protein expression
and efficiency of protein production in natural resources. intake of dietary proteins derived from plants. Anti-
nutrients, such as tannins, phenolics, saponins, phytates,
The advancement of recombinant technologies of glucosinolates, and erucic acid, are naturally produced by
protein production, such as engineering of expression plants and further interfere with absorption, digestion,
hosts, upstream cultivation optimisation such as and utilisation of nutrients present in food, with other
nutritional, bioreactor design, and physical parameters, side effects as well. The adverse effects of anti-nutrients
and development of methods of protein extraction, might be maldigestion of proteins (protease and trypsin
inhibitors), carbohydrates (alpha-amylase inhibitors),
autoimmune and leaky gut (e.g., some saponins and

38 PROTEINS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

lectins), malabsorption of minerals (oxalates, phytates, thyroid and reproductive hormones at higher doses in
and tannins), inflammation and interfering in thyroid rodent and in vitro cell culture studies.
iodine uptake (goitrogens), behavioural effects, and
gut dysfunction (when converting cereal gliadins to It has also been reported that intake of soya protein
exorphins). might be linked with reducing breast cancer risk in
women. Although plant-based diets are mainly linked
However, these anti-nutrients also show beneficial with reducing the risk of diabetes, it is not clear that
health effects. For instance, at a lower level of lectins, substituting the plant-based proteins for animal proteins
phytates, enzyme inhibitors, saponins, and phenolic helps in reducing the risk of diabetes in the population.
compounds, there is a reduction in plasma cholesterol, Studies have shown that 5 per cent substitution of
triglycerides, and blood glucose levels. Saponins may vegetable protein for animal protein was linked with the
play a significant role in liver functioning and decrease 23 per cent reduction of type 2 diabetes risk.
platelet agglutination.
Food products containing plant proteins have also
To reduce the concentration of anti-nutrients been known as functional foods. Various trials have been
in plant proteins and their adverse effects, various conducted to test the health benefits of plant-based
treatment processes, such as fermentation, soaking, proteins by observing the concentrations of insulin,
gamma irradiation, sprouting (germination), heating, blood glucose, and hormones regulating the appetite.
and genomic technologies, have been adopted. Food
processing techniques also remove most of the anti- In addition to the nutritional quality of plant proteins
nutrients like phytates, glucosinolates, erucic acid, and and their bioactive properties, they play a major role in
also insoluble fibre from canola proteins that further food processing and formulation, i.e., the production of
improve and increase the digestibility and bioavailability. gluten- free (GF) and protein-rich foods. Chemical and
physical properties of protein help during the storage,
Plant-based proteins have also been linked with consumption, processing, and preparation of food
food allergy. Foods commonly causing allergy are tree products.
nuts, soy, wheat, fish, peanuts, milk, shellfish, and egg.
Other common food allergens based on the countries Future prospects & challenges
are lupines (European Union); sesame seeds (Canada, Most of the plant-based proteins, like flaxseed, soya,
European Union, and Australia); buckwheat (Japan and
Korea), and mustard (European Union and Canada). A and pea proteins, have the combined nature of various
higher number of children than adults are sensitive to proteins with different fractions, and hence, they have a
dietary proteins that mainly cause allergy. wide range of isoionic points (pI). Therefore, modulating
the properties of plant-based proteins for improving
Soya protein is associated with both positive and their functions and formulation characteristics is
negative health concerns. The adverse effect on health is essential.
due to the presence of isoflavones in soya protein, which
are chemically similar to oestrogen and could also be A deep understanding of the functional and
bound to oestrogen receptors. Due to soy isoflavones, physicochemical properties of proteins derived from
the issue of endocrine-disrupting effect is seen on plants is necessary for improving their utilisation in food
formulation and nutritional value. The presence of some
particular plant residues considered as anti-nutrients is
another challenge of plant-based proteins.

Furthermore, some plant-based proteins have
challenges in food applications due to their bitter
taste, which can be masked by various modulation
techniques. The methods of modification (physical,
chemical or biological) for plant-based proteins should
be carefully chosen, especially in pharmaceutical and
food applications, because these methods have effects
on the organoleptic and functional characteristics and
nutritional value of plant proteins.

The bio-efficacy of any active compounds generally
depends on various factors, like digestibility, solubility,
bioaccessibility, food matrix, transporters, metabolising
enzymes, and molecular structures. Therefore,
identifying the bioavailability of food constituents is
challenging.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in ADULTERATION 39

Detecting Dr Karun Verma,
Food Adulteration
Assistant Professor, Department of
in Real time Computer Science, Thapar University

To ensure consumer protection against fraudulent activities, mixture of potassium lactate and sodium diacetate
authentication of food and the detection of adulterants in is observed as an acceptable preservative under
various food items requires be taken into consideration. The refrigeration conditions. Salt is found to be an effective
methods used in industries to detect food adulteration are meat preservative but it can cause hypertension. Safety
quite expensive and complex. The specialised infrastructure and efficiency of preservatives are the fundamental
is required for quality evaluation methods. These methods criteria that have to be considered for long-term food
demand intensive manual labour and are sometimes quite preservation. However, malpractice like the addition of
tedious and inefficient. Hence, artificial Intelligence (AI) can harmful preservatives to food is often reported.
be used as a platform to develop a low-cost automated
system that could be used by the end-user to detect It seems that traditional food safety methods are not
adulteration in fruits, vegetables and dairy products. enough to control the issue. Therefore, innovative and
advanced ways have to be developed that may be used
Almost all foods are subject to food adulteration by the common public or less trained people in this field
including dairy products, grains, seafood, oils, to keep a check on the quality. The methods should be
alcoholic drinks, honey, etc. Also, the fruits and user-friendly and affordable tools should be designed to
vegetables being sold in the market are not pure as evaluate the food quality and achieve the desired aim.
they are injected with harmful chemicals and pesticides.
There are multiple ways of impairing the quality of the Need for AI-based detection
food. Food is considered to be adulterated if the valuable Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be
constituents of the food are removed or if the poor
quality of food products are concealed with an actual used as an opportunity in the food
food product. industry. It has a major role
to support our food
Prohibited colouring agents are common food system as it can help
adulterants even though they cause many types of in precision farming
health hazards. Also, the permissible food dyes are used
in large quantities to attract customers. There are other and many other
colouring agents like Metanil Yellow and Rhodamine B applications
etc. that are widely used in confectionery products, in food
dried fruits, wines, bitter sodas, juices, sauces,
pastes, and spices. Food dyes including Allura production
red and sunset yellow are used in Strawberry and food
jelly and wine. consumption. It can
also be used as a quality
Every civilised society is using food control measure in the food
preservatives but such practice can pose sector. AI is changing the way one thinks
a threat to public health. Secure and about food production, quality, delivery etc.
effective preservative production for and the era of intelligent mobile apps has a
perishable food products is a subject of big contribution to this transition.
intense study. For example, a suitable

40 ADULTERATION NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

The researchers at the Indian Institute of and prevents the wastage of fruits and vegetables
Technology, Hyderabad have been working by providing consistent results. It predicts if the fruit
on a project to develop a smartphone-based quality is good or bad. The different fruits stored in the
system that is equipped with sensors to warehouse are scanned through a set of cameras and
detect the amount of adulteration in milk. sensors to inspect their quality. The researchers at the
Initially, they have developed a system to Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad have
measure the acidity of milk through an been working on a project to develop a smartphone-
indicator paper that changes colour based based system that is equipped with sensors to detect
on the level of adulteration. Besides, they the amount of adulteration in milk. Initially, they have
have also developed algorithms that can be developed a system to measure the acidity of milk
incorporated on a mobile phone to detect the through an indicator paper that changes colour based
colour change accurately. on the level of adulteration. Besides this, they have also
developed algorithms that can be incorporated on a
The artificial brains can be used efficiently to create mobile phone to detect the colour change accurately.
food databases and analyse them. It has the potential
to create a healthier and more affordable food industry An innovative kit has been developed to detect the
for workers as well as consumers. AI can be used as a adulteration of milk by the National Dairy Research Institute
platform to develop a low-cost automated system that (NDRI), Karnal. The paper strip-based tests have been
could be used by the end-user to detect adulteration in developed which can rapidly detect adulteration of milk
fruits, vegetables and dairy products. containing neutralisers, urea, glucose, hydrogen peroxide,
sucrose and maltodextrin. The test involves dipping a
The different modern methods in this area like strip in the milk sample for a short duration followed by
electronic tongues, electronic noses, computer vision, immediate visualisation of the colour of the strip. A smart
spectroscopy and spectral imaging, and so on, have portable kitchen gadget has been developed to check the
been widely used to detect food quality. freshness of raw meat, poultry or fish. It’s a wireless device
designed by Swiss scientists that detects these non-veg
The electronic nose (E-Nose) and electronic tongue products if they are fresh, spoiled or in the stage of getting
(E-Tongue) are devices that work the same as human spoiled and the results are displayed on the smartphone. It
nose and taste organs and are composed of an array contains a sensor that collects the gases emitted by meat to
of sensors. These systems have broad applications in examine its freshness and helps to avoid food wastage and
the food adulteration detection system as the complex of course takes care of food safety.
data sets from E-Nose and E-Tongue signals coupled
with multi- variate statistics constitute fast and effective Challenges
instruments for classifying discriminating, recognising There is a lot of work to be done to improve the
and identifying samples, as well as predicting the
concentrations level of various compounds. accuracy of the detection system for food adulteration.
It has been observed that the datasets are not readily
The sensory devices such as a spectrophotometer, available online because the researchers do not provide
thermometer etc. are used to examine solid products. any links to the same. As there is a lack of annotated
Further, machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) datasets and the creation of labeled datasets for different
models can be applied for classification and pattern foodstuffs is a time-consuming task.
recognition based upon which the prediction is done
about the presence of adulterants in food. Also, the In the future, these resources can be provided to
other parameters such as odour, taste, the flavour of the utilise these by other researchers so that they can focus
food, aroma appearance and texture of the food can be only on enhancing the efficiency of the system by
analysed from the predictions of the model. Thus, to build developing new food adulteration detection methods.
a computer-based food adulteration detection system, It has also been analysed that deep learning approaches
one needs to use IoT devices to sense the data and ML for food adulteration detection are in demand.
models for predictions based on the collected data.
Hence, researchers can experiment with these
Work in progress approaches to achieve improved results. And, also there
There has been a practical application of ML at is a need to build online systems which can perform food
adulteration detection. Research can be done to develop a
Amazon that uses these algorithms to predict the low-cost smartphone-system to detect food adulteration
quality of groceries. It grades different types of products which can serve as an aid to end-users for their quality
satisfaction. This field needs to be integrated with a real-
time system for food adulteration detection.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in SYNBIOTIC FOODS 41

Fighting Metabolic Dr Arthee R,
Syndrome with
Synbiotic Foods Senior Project Assistant
(Agrl. Microbiology)

Dr Suresh Kumar P,

Principal Scientist,
Department of Crop production and

Post-Harvest Technology,
ICAR-National Research Centre for

Banana, Tiruchirappalli

With almost one third of the total population living in (HDL) cholesterol levels and has become a major public
the urban areas, and with 40 per cent of the population health concern in the Indian population. The prevalence
aged between 30 and 70 years, the overall prevalence of of MS is increasing exponentially with the rise of 33.5
Metabolic Syndrome (MS) in India has risen up. MS is a per cent overall, 24.9 per cent in males and 42.3 per
constellation of interrelated risk factors characterised by cent in females on the basis of diagnostic criteria given
the co-occurrence of hyperglycemia, hypertension, high by the National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult
triglyceride levels, and low high density lipoprotein (HDL) Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP-III). The occurrence of
cholesterol levels and has become a major public health metabolic syndrome is a mixed outcome of genetic,
concern in the Indian population. Let's find out possible metabolic, and some environmental factors. Among
ways to effectively tackle the exponential growth of MS in adaptable environmental risk factors, dietary habit,
the country. the prime factor could be intervened with a scope of
prevention and treatment of MS.
By 2030, the working Indian population will grow
by roughly 9.7 million per year in the next decade Synbiotics in MS amelioration
from the present 400 million. Young Indian Intestinal gut microbiome has emerged as a pre-
population (0-19 years) declines and the share of
elderly, 60 years and above, will continue to rise steadily, eminent target for potential MS amelioration. The gut
nearly doubling from 8.6 per cent in 2011 to 16 per microbiota comprises a community of ~100 trillion
cent by 2041. With total fertility rates (TFR) reaching microbes (including bacteria, viruses, and yeast), which
low levels and longevity continuing to increase, India’s
population at the national level and in several states will
start transitioning to an ageing society by the 2030s.
Thus, India is one wide demography and to cater to its
nutritional needs suiting the same is a cumulative task.

Indian dietary patterns with probable dietary risk
factors, such as high intakes of saturated fatty acids and
low intakes of omega-3 fatty acids increase the risk of
cardiovascular diseases. In addition, inadequate physical
activity, smoking, and extreme alcohol consumption
have been linked with increased risk of central obesity
and other metabolic abnormalities.

With almost one third of the total population living in
the urban areas, and with 40 per cent of the population
aged between 30 and 70 years, the overall prevalence
of Metabolic Syndrome (MS) in India has risen up. MS is
a constellation of interrelated risk factors characterised
by the co-occurrence of hyperglycemia, hypertension,
high triglyceride levels, and low high density lipoprotein

42 SYNBIOTIC FOODS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

List of ethnic fermented food and beverages from India

Sr. Traditional Possible Possible Salient feature States
prebiotic
No. Food probiotic

1 Raabadi Lactobacillus spp. Cereal Lactic acid fermented milk food in which Haryana,
lactose undergoes acid fermentation Rajasthan
2 Lugri phab Cooked local and Punjab
cooled, mixed, filled in earthen pots,
3 Kishk (local inoculum) varieties of rice and left for fermentation for 10-12 days, Himachal
4 Sur forming mild alcoholic beverage Pradesh
5 Koozh Lactobacillus spp. Cereal fermented food normally made from low-
fat yoghurt or buttermilk Maharashtra,
6 Kallu or Lactobacillus spp. finger millet and Fermented food Karnataka
Toddy Lactobacillus spp. jaggery
Fermented cereal based semi-solid drink Himachal
7 Kanji Lactobacillus spp. finger/pearl Pradesh
Yeast and millet flour and fermented sap based mild alcoholic
Lactobacillus spp. broken rice beverage Tamil Nadu,
fermented carrot based drink Karnataka,
sap of Coconut Maharashtra
palm or Palmyra
South Indian
deep purple/ states
black carrots
Northern
India

have symbiotic and mutualistic relationships with may have a positive effect on weight loss. Some of the
the host. These microorganisms are also responsible suggested anti-obesity mechanisms related to gut
for conversion of food components leading to the microbiota stabilisation are thought to involve secretion
production of several bioactive molecules such as short- of intestinal hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-1
chain fatty acids (SCFA), vitamins and diverse metabolites (GLP-1), well-known anorexigenic neurotransmitters that
known to exert functional effects on host health. decrease appetite.

To date, although there are a number of Traditional and modern foods in making of Synbiotics
compounds known to influence the gut microbiota, Although the term 'synbiotic' is new, such foods have
fructans (fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin) and been produced since antiquity without proven scientific
galactooligosaccharides (GOS) are the most commonly interventions. Not all fermented foods are synbiotic,
employed as prebiotics in the food industry. Probiotics instead synbiotic foods come under fermented foods
are defined as “live microorganisms that, when with standardised inclusion of both pro and prebiotic
administered in adequate amounts, confers a health components. A variety of traditional foods are known to
benefit on the host”. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium contain live probiotic microorganisms like Lactobacillus
spp are still the most widely used in functional foods spp thereby exhibiting synbiotic properties.
and supplements. As probiotics use prebiotics in order Other than the list in the table, many more are
to produce secondary metabolites that may exert existing ethnic fermented food and beverages across the
beneficial effects on the host, it is not surprising that the country, which have potential to behave as a synbiotic as
generation of synbiotics have arisen as an alternative in they are known to contain both probiotic and prebiotic
order to offer further advantages compared to probiotics factors. The advantages with the indigenous foods
or prebiotics alone. are that these are well accepted by the people and
they can be stored at room temperature for a longer
Recently, the International Scientific Association period of time. However, the poor hygienic conditions
for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) has redefined the at production level leads to the uncertain microflora in
concept of synbiotics as “a mixture comprising live the final food which questions the reliability of the final
microorganisms and substrate(s) selectively utilised by product. The production of such foods using indigenous
host microorganisms that confers a health benefit on raw-material along with modern technical methods will
the host”. The effects of synbiotic must be confirmed ensure the reach of these products to the masses at a
in the target host and its safety established. Synbiotic cheaper rate.
supplementation directed to modify gut microbiomes

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in SYNBIOTIC FOODS 43

Also, fruits are the natural source of sugars, flavours, Fruits are the natural source of sugars,
vitamins, dietary fibers, minerals, antioxidants, and do flavours, vitamins, dietary fibers, minerals,
not contain any dairy allergens. The fruits are highly antioxidants, and do not contain any dairy
valued for fresh consumption as well as for their allergens. They are highly valued for fresh
utilisations in numerous food products like puree, consumption as well as for their utilisations
flour, chips, jam, vinegar, wine and juice. The fruit juices in numerous food products like puree, flour,
have been suggested in the making of ideal synbiotic chips, jam, vinegar, wine and juice. The fruit
beverages as they inherently contain potential prebiotic juices have been suggested in the making of
components, have taste profiles that are pleasing to all ideal synbiotic beverages as they inherently
the age groups, and are perceived as being healthy and contain potential prebiotic components, have
refreshing. taste profiles that are pleasing to all the age
groups, and are perceived as being healthy
Among the dairy-based foods are yogurts, fruit and refreshing.
yogurts (made using fruit pulp matrix or juice),
yogurt ice-creams with micro-encapsulated probiotic Banana’s resistant starch, dietary fibre and pectin
culture Lactobacillus acidophilus along with FOS compounds could serve as excellent wall/ coating
(Fructooligosaccharides), cultured milk drinks, kefir, material in encapsulation of probiotics.
and cheeses. Other food applications include probiotic-
enhanced infant nutrition (formula and cereal), non- Successful brands and the future
alcoholic beverages, breakfast cereal, synbiotic bakery The companies enjoying substantial market share
products, composite flour extrusion-based foods like
pasta and noodles. are Yakult Honsha (Japan), Danone (France) and Nestle
S.A. (Switzerland). Most common brands involved in the
Banana as easily available Indian probiotic industry are Amul, Mother Dairy, Yakult
substrate for synbiotic foods Danone and Nestle along with other minor brands.
“Yogurt” is one among the prominent marketed Indian
Inulins, Fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galacto- probiotic foods. Market players are making a significant
oligosaccharides (GOS), trans- galactooligosaccharides investment in R&D to make various combinations of both
(TOS), pectic oligosaccharides (POS) are the most spoonable and drinkable probiotic yogurt, available to
common prebiotics. Bananas contain about 60–80 the consumers. This could be a potential platform for the
per cent of their carbohydrates as indigestible synbiotic food market in India paving a way to mitigate
carbohydrates, which contain prebiotic properties. prevention of non-communicable diseases such as
Some of the indigestible carbohydrates from bananas Metabolic Syndrome. Creating awareness among Indians
are a source of food for probiotic bacteria (e.g. on consumption of synbiotic foods and making them
Lactobacilli spp.). Probiotic bacteria can digest such potential takers for synbiotic foods is in the near future.
types of carbohydrates and produce short-chain fatty What we need now are varieties of indigenous synbiotic
acids including lactic acid, butyric acid, and propionic foods on the market shelves; their scientific validation
acid during fermentation and therefore promote the and approval.
growth of probiotic itself. Banana peels (pectin), raw
banana starch and flour (resistant starch), pseudostem
(cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin), ripe banana (inulin
and oligosaccharides) could all be potential prebiotic
substrates in making of a synbiotic food.

Formulation
Synbiotic food comes under functional food category
and formulation using encapsulation technology
helps in aroma and flavour stabilisation; increase its
bioavailability and targeted delivery and extension of
shelf life. Probiotic cells were encapsulated to increase
their viability protecting them from the acidic pH of the
products and to create a physical barrier protecting the
bacteria from adverse conditions during production
processes and digestion. Extrusion, spray drying, water
in oil emulsion, impinging and freeze drying are the
methods followed in encapsulation of probiotics.

44 PEOPLE NEWS NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Suguna elevates Vignesh Soundararajan as new MD

Suguna Foods, based in will continue to be associated now has risen to the level of the
Coimbatore, has announced with Suguna Foods as part Managing Director of Suguna
the appointment of Vignesh of the Board. Soundararajan Foods. With close to a decade
Soundararajan as its new joined Suguna Foods in 2013 of experience, he has trained
Managing Director (MD) effective as a Management Trainee and extensively in many domains and
from April 1, 2022. In his new has gained a solid understanding
role, he will lead the Farm, of all the business functionalities.
Feed & Process Food Division As part of his recent role as
of Suguna Foods operations Executive Director, Soundararajan
in India. In addition to this, launched Delfrez, Suguna Foods'
Soundararajan will also power retail division, which catapulted
the company’s expansion within the retail segment in South India.
the poultry segment and focus He contributed to the company’s
on strengthening the footprints transformation by fostering
of the brand across the nation. innovation, bridging technology
The current Managing Director and positioning the brand to have
and co-founder G B Sundararajan a stronger consumer impact.

Pratik Pota steps Licious appoints
Kiran Karthik Pandian
down as Jubilant as VP-Category

FoodWorks chief Bengaluru-based startup Licious has announced the
appointment of Kiran Karthik Pandian as Vice President
Pratik Pota, the Chief Executive Officer (VP) -Category. With the new appointment, the brand will
(CEO) and whole-time director of Jubilant focus on amplifying growth and profitability as it enters the
FoodWorks, has stepped down from the next phase of evolution. A seasoned leader in e-commerce
role. He will continue till June 15 in this role. category management, Pandian brings more than 12 years of
Jubilant FoodWorks, which operates Domino’s rich experience, having managed a wide range of categories
Pizza and Dunkin’ Donuts outlets, has started including home & kitchen, large appliances, automotive and
the process of identifying a successor. Pota more, across both B2C and B2B marketplaces. Prior to joining
had succeeded Ajay Kaul to join Jubilant Licious, he led a portfolio of durable product categories at
FoodWorks as CEO and whole-time director Udaan, where he drove initiatives around building
in April 2017. Before his stint at Jubilant brand aligned and private brand businesses
from scratch. An alumnus of IIM Bangalore
FoodWorks, Pota held various leadership and Madras Institute of Technology, Pandian
roles at Bharti Airtel, Hindustan has previously managed multiple categories
Unilever (HUL), and PepsiCo. He has across his various stints with GSK Consumer
over 24 years of experience in FMCG Health, Flipkart, and Cloudtail among others.
and telecom. He is an alumnus of He is passionate about building strong teams
BITS Pilani and the Indian Institute through a culture of high empowerment and
of Management-Kolkata. A part of capability building. Apart from his penchant
the Jubilant Bhartia Group, owned for internet businesses, Pandian is an
by Shyam Sunder Bhartia avid sports and fitness enthusiast.
(husband of Shobhana He also has a keen interest in the
Bhartia) and Hari Bhartia. startup ecosystem, advising and
Jubilant FoodWorks posted mentoring startups in the D2C
a net profit of Rs 133.2 and e-commerce space.
crore in the financial year
2021-22, a jump of 7.5
per cent year-on-year.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in INGREDIENTS NEWS 45

Roquette invests €25M to strengthen Ardent Mills
leadership in polyols production opens new
state-of-the-
French firm Roquette has announced an overall production performance art facility
an investment plan of €25 million improvement. This evolution will in US
for liquid and powder polyols ensure a sustainable supply in the
between 2022 and 2024 at its market and meet the customers’ Ardent Mills, a flour-milling
site in Lestrem, France. This major increasing expectations for greater and ingredient company,
investment will establish a strong flexibility. Driven by the fast-increasing has announced the opening
reliable supply in the long run and trend for healthier and sustainable of its brand-new state-of-
strengthen Roquette’s position food and lifestyle, the demand for the-art Port Redwing Mill
as a leader in polyols. Roquette’s nutritional solutions is dramatically in Gibsonton, Florida, US.
site in Lestrem is the largest polyol increasing. According to Euromonitor, The mill builds upon Ardent
plant in the world offering a wide the market of healthier food products Mills' strategic growth plan
variety of products. This investment is expected to grow by about 15 per by strengthening supply
will improve equipment efficiency cent in value between 2021 and 2026. chain agility, increasing
and increase safety standards. It Thanks to the nutritional benefits efficiency and product
will also help to standardise some they offer, polyols are addressing this consistency, and expanding
industrial operations contributing to trend. the ability to meet customer
needs. The 150,000-square
Symrise reveals multiple foot mill has the ability to
facets of science-powered produce up to 1.75 million
flavour creation lbs of flour per day and is
strategically located for rail,
An essay focusing on the Symrise Research & Technology (R&T) department ocean and truck access. The
in the Taste, Nutrition & Health segment fosters greater internal and external facility's 10 acres encompass
understanding by explaining the fascinating blend of scientific, technological and a mill, grain storage elevator
human factors that power flavour creation. To shed light on the secrets behind and cleaning house in
the creation of taste solutions, Germany-based Symrise has conducted interviews addition to an office,
with members of its R&T department. It has summarised its findings in an essay and multiple packaging,
to share with its customers. The essay explains what defines a ‘flavour creation’. warehouse and storage
It takes a combination of R&T, as well as raw materials with natural authenticity locations. Port Redwing
as an essential factor. This supports today’s consumers' wish to know what their produces all-purpose,
food and beverages contain, where they come from and how manufacturers whole-wheat, high-gluten,
produce them. Key technologies, such as LC-Taste (liquid chromatography – taste) cake and bread flours.
and GC-O (gas chromatography – olfactometry) combine chemical separation Notable features include
methods with sensory analysis, while trained experts identify which ingredients real-time data analysis
impart the different tastes and smells. and automation, rapid
line intervention and issue
management, and bolstered
on-site storage capacity of
up to 4.1 million bushels.

46 INGARCEADIEMNTICS NEWS NUNFUFFOFOODOSDSPSEPCETCRTURMUM | | MaMrcahy 20212 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Kerry buys Univar Solutions expands
nutraceutical ingredients portfolio
botanical extract
Univar Solutions Inc. has expanded its specialty ingredient
company Natreon portfolio in the United States and Canada through a distribution
agreement with Particle Dynamics, an integrated solution provider
Kerry has completed the acquisition serving pharmaceutical and nutraceutical customers in the global
of US-based Natreon, Inc., a leading healthcare market. Together, the companies will work to leverage
supplier of branded ayurvedic botanical innovative technologies, quality functional ingredients for solid
ingredients. Natreon supplies branded dosage forms, and deep knowledge in the pharmaceutical and
and scientifically studied and tested nutraceutical industries to better support customer success with
Ayurvedic extracts to the dietary more sustainable solutions and help keep communities healthy
supplement and functional food and and safe. Under the agreement, Univar Solutions will offer its
beverage industries across the globe. customers across the United States and Canada with Particle
The acquisition significantly expands Dynamics' compressible calcium and magnesium carbonates
Kerry’s leadership position and ProActive and microencapsulated vitamins and minerals. These specialty
Health portfolio of science-backed ingredients are used to produce solid dose prescription (Rx), over
branded ingredients, furthering the the counter (OTC) drugs and nutraceutical supplements. Univar
company’s technology growth. The Solutions supports its customers with a comprehensive portfolio
branded ingredients in Natreon’s of specialty excipients, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs),
portfolio are protected by a wide range nutraceutical ingredients and high purity solvents. Combining its
of US and foreign patents and supported distribution excellence with a global network of solution centres
by a total of 52 clinical studies which offering technical expertise, Univar Solutions provides products and
support the efficacy of their health services essential to these markets.
benefits. The ingredients will be
integrated into Kerry’s ProActive Health
portfolio and leveraged by Kerry’s broad
customer base. The ingredients will be
supported by Kerry’s global application
and R&D network, including continued
investment in the science and clinical
evidence supporting the brands.

CP Kelco launches ingredient solutions
for plant-based meat alternatives

US-based CP Kelco has announced functional ingredient for solving Fibre boost is a clean label-friendly
a new portfolio of offerings to plant-based protein challenges fibre ingredient that enables starch
support product development in and is widely used in plant-based, replacement in plant-based meat
the dynamic, fast-growing market dairy alternative beverages. For alternatives.
of plant-based meat alternatives. extra juiciness, GENU Pectin MA-50
The new range of solutions includes can be used in combination with
nature-based, cleaner label-friendly KELCOGEL MA-60 Gellan Gum
ingredient options for formulating or another gelling agent. GENU
plant-based burger and sausage Texturizer MA-1 is a multifunctional
alternatives and helping deliver solution which provides juicy
a meat-like eating experience. texture as well as both hot and
KELCOGEL MA-60 Gellan Gum acts cold bite, enabling a more
as an alternative to methylcellulose. robust formulation
Gellan gum, made by fermentation, and a meat-like eating
is already considered a go-to experience. NUTRAVA Citrus

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in ACADEMICS NEWS 47

AIIA's 2 new courses to promote Ayushakti
interdisciplinary Ayurveda studies introduces
3-year
The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), an autonomous body under the certificate
Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, has added two new courses to course on
its curriculum for academic year 2022-23 — Ayurveda Dietician Course, Ayurveda
and Ayurveda Ahara & Poshana Sahayak Course. The courses have been
launched by the Swasthritta Department to promote interdisciplinary Ayushakti has introduced an
Ayurveda studies and are affiliated with the Health Sector Skill Council Ayurveda course under its Ayushakti
Academy of Ayurved Education.
(HSSC) and the National Skill The education course named
Development Corporation (NSDC). ‘3-Year Healing PATH (Practitioner
Both the courses are for a duration Training in Ancient Healing Secrets
of six months and candidates will of Siddha-Veda)’ is being launched
be selected based on an entrance in association with the Ancient
test. The Ayurveda Dietician Course Secrets Foundation, St Elisabeth
is a specialisation programme for University of Berlin. This course
professionals with a BAMS degree aims at spreading awareness
and is aimed at meeting the rising about Ayurveda and teaching the
demand for specialised practitioners in Ayurvedic hospitals and medical generation of today the age-old
centres. On the other hand, the Ayurveda Ahara & Poshana Sahayak ancient lineage of pulse reading
Course is open for high school pass-outs seeking a career as Ayurvedic and marma techniques. It is open
diet assistants. There is a lot of demand for such professionals at health to all students and participants
resorts, wellness centres and hospitals. across the globe, who are keen on
learning the Ayurveda methods
CFTRI holds workshop on and healing techniques. The
probiotic Bifidobacteria programme is headed by Ayushakti
Academy of Ayurved’s Education
A two-day national workshop on ‘Bifidobacterial Probiotics: Head Dr Hemang Parekh along
Supplementation Through Fermented Food’ was held at Central Food with Dr Smita Pankaj Naram and Dr
Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru, in the last week of March. Clint G Rogers along with a team
The workshop emphasised the role of Bifidobacteria in the development of 11 doctors who are onboard as
of the new-born child and maintaining gut microbial homoeostasis in mentors. As part of this education,
the entire life of the individual and its there will be online sessions and
potential to immunise humans from every year a 7-day on-ground
common cold to cancer. The experts, training will take place, where the
during the workshop, explained students will learn how to scan the
health-promoting properties of body, practice pulse reading, visit
bifidobacterial supplementation in herbal gardens and learn to cook
preventionofcoloncancer.Discussions authentic ayurvedic recipes. The
were done on how Bifidobacteria first education meet-up took place
colonise in large colon and lead to recently, where students from 18
an array of health benefits, including countries, including the UK, USA,
intestinal health maintenance, gut Europe, Australia, Africa, Germany,
microbial homoeostasis, organic New York, and Qatar visited the
acid production, immune system Malad centre of Ayushakti.
maturation, digestion of food not
digested in small intestine, suppression of pathogens and detoxification
of anti-nutritional factors, etc. CFTRI has developed two different probiotic
products, ‘BIFIDOCURD and Bifidobacteria enriched soya curd’ which are
ready for technology transfer.

48 ACADERM&IDC NEWS NUNFUFFOFOODOSDSPSEPCETCRTURMUM | | MaMrcahy 20212 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Ayush Ministry Indian consumers are
ready for WL on the front
undertakes of packaged foods: Study

Phase III trial A national study by leading national social scientists revealed
that Indian consumers are ready for warning labels (WL) on
of Rheumatoid the front of packaged foods high in nutrients of concern.
A randomised control field experiment spanning six states
Arthritis treatment reiterated what public health experts and top doctors have
been saying for a while- simple, negative warning labels that
The Ministry of Ayush is conducting the clearly identify unhealthy products will work best in reversing
world's first multicentre phase III clinical the diabetes, hypertension and obesity health crisis. In this
trial examining the efficacy of Ayurveda in experiment, approximately 2900 adults in rural and urban
the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. The areas of Assam, Delhi, Gujarat, Odisha, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh
clinical trial will be conducted in accordance were asked to view a series of unhealthy products displaying
with stringent International Council for one of five labels that are prevalent, multiple traffic light label,
Harmonisation of Technical Requirements a system preferred by countries like the UK, Guideline Daily
for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use – Good Amounts (GDA) and Health Star Rating (HSR), labels favoured
Clinical Practice (ICH- GCP) guidelines and by the industry, and Warning Labels considered the global gold
is being closely monitored by Dr Daniel standard. Warning Labels emerged as the top scorer on both
Erick Furst, a renowned rheumatologist at primary and secondary outcomes. Findings of this study titled
University of California Los Angeles in the FOPL labels in India: A Randomised Control Trial, along with
United States of America. This project is one supporting evidence from other countries on the worthiness of
of the first multi-centre phase III double warning labels, will be shared with FSSAI to support its decision
blind double dummy clinical trials on the making process.
efficacy of Ayurveda in the management of
Rheumatoid Arthritis. This will be conducted
by AVP Research Foundation, a research
institution affiliated with The Arya Vaidya
Pharmacy (Coimbatore) Ltd and the Central
Council for Research in Ayurveda (CCRAS),
a government of India agency under the
Ministry of Ayush.

Ayurvedic medicine highly effective,
better treatment for diabetes: CU

In a recent study conducted by double-blind trials were conducted Sitagliptin, and the other group was
Chitkara University (CU), Punjab, it for the study. The patients were given Ayurvedic medicine BGR-34.
was found that Ayurvedic medicine not informed about the medicine After monitoring for a few days, the
is highly effective in treating diabetes administered to them.The first group results showed that the Ayurvedic
and is a better treatment option. was given the allopathic medicine medicine proved to be very effective
The research, published in the latest in treating diabetes. The study
edition of the Serbian Journal of found that Ayurvedic medicine
Experimental and Clinical Research, lowered sugar levels and improved
revealed that Ayurvedic medicine the functioning of Beta cells in the
would not just reduce diabetes but pancreas. The first round of results
also repair the damaged cells in the showed a decline in the baseline
body. Researchers conducted Phase level of glycated haemoglobin
IV clinical trials on a study group of (HbA1c), and the medicine was
100 diabetic patients. The patients found effective even in the Random
were divided into two groups, and Blood Sugar Test.

NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in SUPPLIER NEWS 49

PerkinElmer introduces new FT-IR liquid food testing platform

PerkinElmer has launched its new to beer, alcoholic spirits, edible oils, and processed milk. Step-by-step
FT-IR liquid food testing platform soft drinks, and more. pre-developed workflows
including instruments, software The LactoScope 300 and intuitive touch-screen
and streamlined workflows. system, which expands and software interfaces
As part of the platform and PerkinElmer’s FT-IR dairy enable users to simply
leveraging PerkinElmer’s leading portfolio, detects key place liquid samples into
FT-IR Spectroscopy technology, the markers such as fat, the instruments, push a
LQA300 system for wine identifies protein and lactose single button and receive
key quality markers – including levels in milk, cream and results on a 12-inch touch
alcohol, sugar, acidity, pH and whey. Adulterants screen in under 45 seconds,
density levels – during every part such as urea, allowing 60 samples to be
of the winemaking process, from ammonium run each hour. With the
harvest to bottling. Additional sulfate, streamlined approach,
fit-for-purpose LQA300 system maltodextrin, new users can also learn
calibrations will be added for other sucrose and to confidently perform
liquid food sample types by the end water can also mission critical analyses
of 2022 including but not limited be detected in raw in seconds.

Bühler hands over first Srichakra bags
Prime Masa plant in India positive assessment
to PV Sons Corn Milling from EFSA

Bühler has handed over its first Prime Masa plant in India, the Hyderabad-based Srichakra Polyplast,
second Prime Masa plant worldwide, to PV Sons Corn Milling. a food-grade quality plastic recycling
The innovative plant will consume 84 per cent less water, 52 company, has announced that its recycled
per cent less energy compared to a traditional nixtamalisation polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) has
process, and will produce 96 per cent less waste, among received a positive safety assessment
other benefits. The Prime Masa plant is a solution for corn from the European Food Safety Authority
flour, which is used to make tortillas and nachos. Tortillas and (EFSA). The announcement comes as the
tortilla chips have long been appreciated and consumed in Food Safety and Standards Authority of
India (FSSAI) is set to approve the use of
Latin and North America rPET for food packaging, reducing the
but are gaining popularity need for virgin plastics and paving the
in other regions, including way for a circular economy for plastics in
India. India is one of the India. To reduce, reuse and recycle plastic
top 10 maize producers in waste, the India Plastics Pact was launched
the world contributing 2-3 in September 2021 to bring together
per cent of the total maize businesses, governments and NGOs and
produced globally. And accelerate the transformation of the plastic
the country is one of the value chain. Srichakra’s certification is a part
top five maize exporters in of this ongoing movement, showcasing
the world. This did not go the company’s commitment to turn plastic
unnoticed by PV Sons Corn waste from a scourge into a valuable
Milling, a family-owned resource. Srichakra’s EFSA approval comes
business established in 2006 and one of the market leaders just months after the company announced
in the corn processing sector, who approached Bühler for the an investment of more than $10 million
novel Prime Masa Nixtamal process. After successful trials in into its world-class technology to upgrade
Bühler’s Grain Innovation Centre in Uzwil, PV Sons chose to and expand recycling capabilities.
integrate the line in their plant. The 4-ton per hour Nixtamal
line was commissioned entirely in July 2021.

50 LET’S TALK FOOD NUFFOODS SPECTRUM | May 2022 | www.nuffoodsspectrum.in

Focusing on Building Blocks of Life
According to the Indian Council
of Medical Research's (ICMR) rich food in daily diets has increased in India.
Recommended Dietary Allowance Growing soya protein-based food
(RDA), Indians should consume 0.8 to 1
gm protein per kg of body weight per day manufacturers in the country consider this
to meet their basic nutritional needs. The an opportunity and plan to expand the
situation, however, is different. soya protein products range. The country's
beverage industry has changed significantly
India is home to 32 per cent of the world's since last decade with rising consumers
stunted children, totalling around 46.6 million. preferring juices, flavoured and carbonated
Furthermore, 84 per cent of India's vegetarian water containing healthy and natural
population is protein insufficient, resulting ingredients. Such a trend has led to the ever-
in a slew of health issues. Furthermore, growing application of soya protein across the
malnutrition is responsible for roughly 66 per beverage industry.
cent of India's 1.04 million child fatalities under
the age of five, according to Protein Paradox. The know-how for food processing is very
low. Hence, there are not many local key soya
Malnutrition as well as micronutrient protein players in India. Also, the policy and
deficiencies can be reduced by increasing the regulation with respect to the soya protein
consumption of pulses and cereals, milk and application across various industry segments
milk products, animal sources such as eggs, have not been strictly defined, which hinders
fish, and meat, and other sources of protein. the market growth. However, all these issues
Cereals are a moderate source of protein as need the attention from the regulators in
they contain only about 10 per cent protein. coming years and will aid in the rapid market
However, in the Indian diet, they are the major expansion.
source of protein as per the National Sample
Survey Organisation (NSSO), 2011-2012. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has
already published seven Indian Standards
Soyabean, a cereal, is one of the very few for soya products. Considering the growth
plants that provide a high-quality protein with of the soya products market in India, BIS is
minimum saturated fat. It contains all the three developing new Indian Standards for soya
macronutrients required for good nutrition, products covering new products namely Doc.
as well as fibre, vitamins, minerals. Soyabeans No. FAD 16 (19026) C – Draft Indian Standard
have almost 40 per cent protein, making them Soy Curd — Specification; Doc. No. FAD
higher in protein than any other legumes and 16 (19046) C – Draft Indian Standard Soya
many animal products. Soya protein provides Nuggets — Specification; Soya Based Extruded
all the essential amino acids in the amounts Snacks – Specification; Soya Chakka and Soya
needed for human health. Protein in just 250 Shrikhand – Specification; Soya Muffins –
grams of soybean is equivalent to protein in 3 Specification; Soya Sattu – Specification; Soya
liters of milk or 1 kg of mutton or 24 eggs. The Biscuits – Specification and Tofu (Soya Paneer)
quality of soya protein is virtually equivalent – Specification.
in quality to that of milk and egg protein.
Here exists a huge opportunity for soya food Implementation and certification of the
processing and utilisation in India. Indian standards on soya products will aid
in integrating soya products into the Indian
According to Research and Markets, the diet. Thus, enhanced quality and safety of
soya protein industry of India is projected to the soya products will benefit the producer
grow at a CAGR of 8 per cent from 2022 to by commanding better prices and the
2027 to capture the value of $478.7 million by end consumers will receive safe products
2027. The application of soya protein across enhancing overall public health.
the food industry shares the highest market
share. In the last few years, consuming protein- Narayan Kulkarni
Editor

[email protected]