IIFPT manufactures nutrient-rich foods for COVID-19 patients

At a time when the need for healthy and immunity-boosting foods is indispensable, Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology has taken initiative to manufacture nutrient-rich foods for COVID-19 patients.

New Delhi: Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT), under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has taken initiative to manufacture nutrient-rich foods for COVID-19 patients.

Union FPI Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal appreciated the initiative taken by the IIFPT to manufacture nutrient-rich foods for COVID-19 patients at a time when the need for healthy and immunity-boosting foods is indispensable.

IIFPT has been manufacturing such nutrient-rich foods under proper medical examination and those who recently recovered from the pandemic after treatment at Thanjavur Medical College in Tamil Nadu.

Scientists from the IIFPT have come up with food product formulations that have been packed with a range of indigenous foods.

Bread, cookies, rusks and millet pops are being prepared daily at IIFPT’s HACCP and ISO Certified Food Processing Business Incubation Center (FPBIC) and are being supplied to the Medical College and Hospital.

Bread loaves are being enriched with dried moringa leaves, groundnut powder and whey protein to make up to around 9.8 per cent protein and 8.1 per cent fibre, apart from natural immunity-boosters like garlic, turmeric, ginger, pepper, and other spices.

Cookies have around 14.16 per cent protein and 8.71 per cent fibre, apart from the benefits of spice extracts. With around 12.85 per cent protein and 10.61 per cent fibre, the rusks were equally good in terms of organoleptic attributes.

Importantly, no synthetic additives are being added to these products and they are sent to the hospital soon after manufacturing (packaging and labelling).

IIFPT also houses a FSSAI referral laboratory and the Department of Food Safety and Quality Testing is preparing hand sanitizers for the District Police Department and other officers who are involved in various duties during this period.

These hand sanitizers are being formulated as per WHO protocols.

It is to be noted that the IIFPT is a national level academic and research Institution under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. Through its main campus at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu and liaison offices at Bathinda, Punjab and Guwahati the IIFPT offers various services in areas of food processing, value addition, food quality and safety, and business incubation.