The Centre of Food Engineering Technology, under the Department of Chemical Engineering, in collaboration with other departments, runs multiple research projects in the versatile applied domain of Food Engineering and Technology. It includes Food Chemistry, Food Biochemistry, Food Microbiology, Food Technology and Human Nutrition, Hydrocolloid Research, Traditional Food Processing Equipment Mechanization, Food Packaging Technology, Food Process Engineering, Sensor Development, Novel Techniques in Food Processing and Preservation, and Food process modeling and simulations etc.
The main areas of interest can be summarized as
- Characterization, functional properties and applications of hydrocolloid materials in food products.
- Innovations for foods and food constituents and nutrition interaction.
- Engineering properties of foods, food physics and physical chemistry.
- Process-structure-function relationships at macro, micro or nanoscale Tailor made foods.
- Economics of Food Engineering, including the economics of alternative processes.
- Design and operation of food processes, plant, and equipment.
- Resource efficient, gentle, scalable and consumer preference/acceptance/needs guided processes.
- Emerging Food Processing Technologies.
- Processing, measurement, control, packaging, storage and distribution.
- Engineering aspects of the design and production of novel foods and food service.
International Cooperative Agreement
Centre for Food Engineering and Technology is associated with the University of Georgia, Athens, USA (UGA) in the International Cooperative Agreement. The key point of this Agreement is that both BIT Mesra and UGA will jointly develop cooperative programs for UG, PG, and PhD students and faculty. The cooperative activities will include student and faculty exchanges, study abroad, collaborative research programs, seminars and workshops, and outreach programs. In brief, students admitted in any of the mentioned programmes (UG PG and PhD) can visit UGA, do their internship or final year project at UGA under collaborative research programs. They can attend seminars, workshops, and outreach programs following the same at UGA.
Technology Transferred
Centre has successfully transferred two technologies of food processing machineries to Twin Engineers, Vadodara.
Ongoing Research Projects
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Sl No
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Title of Project
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Role of faculty member (PI/ Co-PI/Supervisor
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Agency
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Year (From-to)
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Value (Lakh)
|
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1
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Biopolymer based nano-layer fortification of self-assembled micronutrients over pre-conditioned rice: Retention of fortified nutrients and scale up studies
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PI
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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
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2019-2022
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43.81
|
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2
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Development of process technology for enhanced resistant starch content in rice and rice-based snack (Puffed rice)
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PI
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The Science and Engineering Research Board, Department of Science and Technology ( DST-SERB)
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2019-2022
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53.064
|
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3
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Development of non-destructive process technology for simultaneous micronutrient fortification and bioavailability enhancement in Dal through selective binding of phytic acid.
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PI
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Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
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2020-2023
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57.9
|
|
4
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Design and development of low cost technology for micronutrient protein-fortified whole grain puffed rice
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PI
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Department of Health Research. The Indian Council of Medical Research (DHR-ICMR)
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2022-2024
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49
|
|
5
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Modification of expanded porous starch matrix (EPSM) for promoting survival of probiotic bacteria in both high temperature and gastrointestinal condition: Lab scale to food product matrix validation
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Supervisor
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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
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2022-2025
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15.46
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Research Scholars (Registered under Chemical Engineering- Food Engineering and Technology):
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Student Name
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Year
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Degree
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Titled of Thesis
|
|
Ph. D Awarded
|
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Sreyajit Saha (PHD/CHE/10051/17
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Awarded (2017-2022)
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Ph. D
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Development of a low-cost process technology for micronutrient fortified whole grain puffed rice
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|
PhD in progress
|
|
Shipra Jha (PHD/CHE/10053/18)
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In progress (Starting in 2018)
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Ph. D
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Starch based expanded porous matrix of puffed rice as a delivery vehicle for nutraceuticals and functional ingredients
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Bijendra Sahoo (PHD/CHE/10051/19)
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In progress (Starting in 2018)
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Ph. D
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Development of process technology for enhanced resistant starch content in rice and rice-based snack (Puffed rice)
|
|
Ankanksha Kumari (PHD/CHE/10052/19)
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In progress (Starting in 2018)
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Ph. D
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Biopolymer based nano-layer fortification of self-assembled micronutrients over preconditioned rice
|
|
Shubhajit Sarkhel (PHD/CHE/10001/21)
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In progress (Starting in 2021)
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Ph. D
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Development of non-destructive process technology for simultaneous micronutrient fortification and bioavailability enhancement in Dal through selective binding of phytic acid.
|
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Arunima Mukherjee PHD/CHE/10001/22
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In progress (Starting in 2022)
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Ph. D
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Design and development of low-cost technology for micronutrient protein-fortified whole grain puffed rice
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Sandipan Bera PHD/CHE/10053/22
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In progress (Starting in 2023)
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Ph. D
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Exploration of microbial survivalities during thermal processing
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Soumili Hait PHD/CHE/10001/23
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In progress (Starting in 2023)
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Ph. D
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Experimental and modelling studies of expanded porous starch based bioactive delivery
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Patents
The faculties from this centre hold multiple patent application of technologies relevant to food industry
Technologies available for commercialization or scale-up modifications
The Centre of Food Engineering Technology, under the Department of Chemical Engineering, has several available Process Technologies for commercialization and industry-scale testing. We believe that lab-scale technologies can only be developed on an industrial scale through industrial collaboration. We are open to sharing our cutting-edge research with the industry for their involvement through technology commercialization and further scale-up.
Some glimpses of the available technologies are:
Technological innovations
- Process technology and process machinery for simultaneous micronutrient fortification and phytic acid reduction in pulses – Developed with funding from DBT, Gov. India.
- Process technology and process machinery for rapid drying and functional-alteration of agricultural and pharmaceutical-ingredients – Developed with funding from DST, Government of India.
- Process-technology and process-machinery whole-rice-grain fortification – Developed with funding from ICMR, Government of India.
- Process-technology and process-machinery for whole-grain-puffed-rice fortification with Micronutrients – Developed with funding from ICMR, Government of India.
- Process-technology for resistant starch rich rice – Developed with funding from DST, Government of India.
- Process-technology and process-machinery for Rapid honey dehydrator – Developed with funding from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra.
New products
- Micronutrient fortified whole grain rice (Developed with funding from ICMR, Government of India)
- Micronutrient fortified whole grain puffed rice (Developed with funding from ICMR, Government of India)
- Rice with enhanced resistant starch (Developed with funding from DST, Government of India)