The Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) on Thursday launched two new technologies — rice mix milk and foot-operated papad press — and these can be availed free of cost.
The technologies were demonstrated at the institute’s Food Engineering Pilot Plant for entrepreneurs, who had come from across the country to participate in FreeTech Entrepreneurs’ Meet.
With the new launch, the number of free technologies available for adoption and commercialisation has gone up to 13. CFTRI had released 11 proven and successful technologies for free by publishing the Detailed Technology Dossiers on its website three years ago.
Many entrepreneurs who attended the Thursday’s event have adopted the technologies and are in the process of launching the products commercially.
CFTRI Director Ram Rajashekaran explained the ‘unique equitable model’ for empowering the first generation entrepreneurs by commercialising the free technologies. He spoke on the factors that drive the food industry. “If you are willing to adopt the technology, we at the CFTRI are ready to give,” he said.
According to CFTRI, rice mix milk is a convenience food with long shelf life of six months. About 20-24 gm of rice milk granules can be mixed with 180 gm of boiling water followed by mixing and boiling for another one minute. If needed, 5 gm of sugar can be added to improve the taste. It contains 15.2% protein and 74.2% carbohydrate. The developed process is meant for addressing malnutrition in children aged between 6 months and 6 years.
The CFTRI has developed the product at a cost of ₹57 lakh and revenue of ₹2.4 crore can be generated per annum by its commercialisation. Around 500 kg of rice mix milk can be prepared in a day at a production cost of ₹132 a kg.
Using the foot-operated papad press, 400 papads can be made in a hour. Four papads can be pressed between two plastic sheets at a time and thickness can be varied. The technology can also be used to make gol gappas and chapatis. The unit is independent of the recipe. It can prepare papads from even horse gram, which is considered difficult using conventional methods, according to CFTRI.
