CFTRI: making food safe for all
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Providing nutrition security to all sections of the population, through cost-effective technologies, is the aim of this institution.
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Being taught the latest in food technology
AN INSTITUTION of international standing, the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysore is today synonymous with learning and advanced research in food science and technology. And if Amul is a household name today, the credit goes to the CFTRI which developed the infant food formulation.
With a formidable reputation that surpasses the best in the world, the CFTRI has over 270 products and processes and half of India's roller flour mills are managed by its alumni. The CFTRI was established as a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in 1950 with a team of dedicated scientists to pursue in-depth research in food science and technology. Ever since its inception, the CFTRI has focussed on evolving cost-effective technologies that utilise indigenously available raw materials to deliver nutrition security to all sections of the population.
The role envisioned by scientists at the CFTRI is: to be a model for scientific industrial research and a trend-setter in the shifting paradigm of self-financing research and development; and to be a global research and development platform and provide services with a human face.
The main CFTRI laboratory complex is in Mysore and there are four resource centres at Hyderabad, Mumbai, Lucknow and Bangalore while the R and D and related activities of the institute are carried out by 25 different departments. There are nearly 450 highly qualified scientific and technical personnel who specialise in areas as diverse as food technology, process engineering, biochemistry, nutrition, toxicology, pesticides, chemical analysis, food packaging, microbiology and marketing information service. Equipped with state-of-the-art analytical instruments and pilot demonstration plants, the CFTRI also houses the National Information Centre for Food Science and Technology and provides the Indian R and D inputs to food science and technology. The CFTRI Director, V. Prakash, said the institution aims to provide value addition to meet nutritional demands, supply technologies that help generate employment opportunities in the area of food processing, improve the traditional methods of processing foods by incorporating new technologies, provide value addition to domestic and international trade and promote avenues for self-employment.
The courses available at CFTRI for students include M.Sc. in Food Technology consisting of 16 subjects with electives in the fourth semester. It also offers M.Sc. (Food Science) as part of the continuing education objectives. This is for in-service personnel with five years of research experience from academic, research and corporate centres. This benefits technical personnel working with a B.Sc. qualification.
The doctoral programmes and the United Nations Fellowship Programmes are among the numerous ones on offer.
There is an International Course in Flour Milling Technology. The CFTRI established the International School of Milling Technology (ISMT) in 1981 to provide professional grade personnel who could improve the quality of milled products.
Equipped with state-of-the-art mills, the training programmes are designed to meet the unique requirements of South and South-East Asian countries and people trained here hold responsible positions in the milling industries around the world.
The CFTRI also offers short-term courses in various aspects of food science and technology which are beneficial to industries. Details are available on the CFTRI's website www.cftri.com.
R. KRISHNA KUMAR
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