Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 25 (IANS): The CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST) will establish a Centre of Excellence for Food Fortification Innovation, Research and Training at its Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (ITE) Hub at Thonnakkal here, marking a major expansion of its research and technology translation activities in the nutrition sector.
The ITE Hub, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February this year, is intended to provide a platform for translating research into technologies and promoting entrepreneurship and industry-research partnerships.
The initiative was formalised on Friday through a Memorandum of Understanding between CSIR-NIIST and Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL), which was exchanged on Thursday during the 85th CSIR Foundation Day celebrations in New Delhi in the presence of Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh, and CSIR Director General and DSIR Secretary N. Kalaiselvi.
The proposed Centre of Excellence for Food Fortification Innovation, Research and Training (CEFIRT) will function as a national platform for research, technology development and training in food fortification, bringing together the scientific capabilities of the CSIR-NIIST and the industry experience of the TCPL.
The Centre will work on fortification technologies for staple foods including grains, salt, milk and edible oils, besides protein-enriched, functional and specialised nutrition products.
It will provide facilities for collaborative research between scientific institutions and industry, besides supporting analytical testing, validation, scale-up, technology transfer and commercialisation.
It will also conduct specialised training and technical programmes for researchers, students and industry professionals, with the aim of strengthening expertise in food fortification and nutrition science.
The initiative assumes significance for Thiruvananthapuram as it will be located at the CSIR-NIIST ITE Hub at the Bio 360 Life Sciences Park, Thonnakkal.
CSIR-NIIST Director C. Anandharamakrishnan said the partnership would bring together scientific expertise and industrial capabilities to develop scalable solutions in food and nutrition. TCPL Global Chief R&D Officer Vikas Gupta said industry-led innovation and collaborative research could help develop effective food fortification solutions with wider societal impact.
CEFIRT is expected to provide a sustained platform for food fortification research, innovation, training and technology translation, with a focus on improving the quality, safety, nutritional value and consumer acceptability of fortified foods.
