NA, 24/12/2025
Food Processing is at the heart of modern food systems, Ensuring Safety, Quality, & Affordability while meeting the nutritional needs of a growing global population. It plays a crucial role in improving Food Availability, Convenience, & Shelf Life. The latest innovations in food technologies have successfully addressed the issues associated with Traditional Processing Methods such as Nutrient Loss, Degradation of Bioactive Compounds, and Reduced Dietary Fibre Content.
The modern food-processing technologies can be leveraged to develop Healthier & more Functional Foods By Improving Digestibility, Bioavailability & Nutrient Quality, without compromising Taste & Consumer Appeal. They are able to successfully overcome challenges related to Nutrient Retention, Anti-Nutritional Factors &Food Safety. Moreover the research on Neuroscience of Taste combined with innovations in New Ingredient & Food Additives Development can help in Rewiring Flavor Perception & Reducing the Intake of Salt, Sugar & Fats and lead to healthier eating.
The Traditional Indian Knowledge can be integrated with Modern Food-Processing innovations for industrial applications.
Food Processing Industries are closely linked to Agriculture which provide raw materials for developing processed foods. This not only generates income for the farmers but also help in checking post harvest losses & provide an avenue for employment generation. Only 2% of fruits and vegetables are processed in India, though India is the second largest producer of Fruits & Vegetables in the world as against more than 40% in many countries. A large part of fruits and vegetables as also cereals that are wasted can be saved & consumers can benefit if the food processing activities pick up.
Food Processing sector is expected to reach US$ 535 billion by 2025-26. However, this turnover can significantly increase if food processing industries, though growing at 11% currently , grow faster. Potential is enormous and country can cater both to domestic consumers & become a major supplier of value added products in the world.
These aspects of Food Processing & many more were pointed out by galaxy of experts who made presentations at ILSI India sponsored INTECH 2025-Conference on Innovations in Food Processing and Flavour Technologies: Advancing Safety, Nutrition and Health held at the time of ILSI India Annual Meeting on December 9 in New Delhi. The Conference was organized in collaboration with ICAR-CIPHET; NIFTEM- K; NIFTEM-T, under Ministry of Food Processing Industries (GoI), and IIT Roorkee. The Conference was addressed by 28 leading experts, researchers and professionals. It was attended by 200 participants from Government, Industry and Academia.
The Presentations included the following:
Session 1
Novel Food Processing Technologies for Health with Special Reference to Nutrition and Food Safety
· History & Role of Food Processing: Food Safety, Food Security, Food Sustainability and Food Processing Technologies used in Foods and Beverages
Mr. Sunil Adsule, AVP-Regulatory Affairs-HPC & Foods, Reliance Consumer Product Ltd., Bengaluru
· Innovations in Non-Thermal Food Processing Technologies – Impact on Nutrient Composition and Food Safety
Dr. Sridevi Annapurna Singh, Director, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (Retd.), Mysuru Benefits of Nutritionally Enhanced Crops and Implications for Human Health
· Formation of Advanced Glycation and Products (AGEs) during Ultra Food Processing: Detection Methods, Levels, Health Impacts and Mitigation Approaches
Dr. Bhanuprakash Reddy, Scientist G & Head, Biochemistry Division, ICMR- National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN), Hyderabad
· Nanotechnology for Nutrient Delivery and Food Safety
Prof. Gopinath Packirisamy, Professor, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee
· Domestic Practices for Food Preparation and Industrial Processing
Dr. Swapna Chaturvedi, Senior Dietician, Department of Dietietics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
Session 2
Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Practices
· Translating Traditional Knowledge (Recipe and Ingredients) to Modern Applications in Food Processing Industries
Dr. Gurmeet Singh, Professor & Dean (Research & Outreach), Centre for Ayurveda Biology and Holistic Nutrition, University of Trans Disciplinary Health Sciences & Technology, Bengaluru
· Bioactive Compounds for Better Health Outcomes
Dr. Villas Shirhatti, Principal Advisor, Zydus Welness Products Limited, Mumbai
· Formats and Processing Methods of Traditional Foods- Is There Rationale? Needs Understanding
Dr. C. K. Katiyar, Advisor and Former CEO Health Care (Technical), Emami Ltd., Gurgaon
Session 3
Nutritional Advancements through Processing-Scientific Evidence
· Nutritional Enrichment through Processing for Better Gut Health and Potential for Positive Health Status and Disease Outcomes-Probiotics, Prebiotics and Postbiotics
Dr. Neerja Hajela, Chief Scientific Officer- Science and Regulatory Affairs, Yakult Danone India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi
· Fortifying Foods with Plant Proteins, Dietary Fibre, Micronutrients etc.
Dr. Seema Puri, Professor (Retd), Department of Food & Nutrition, Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi, New Delhi and Ms. Deepti Gulati, Senior Advisor TechnoServe, New Delhi
· Importance of Food Processing as a Tool for Enhancing the Bioaccessibility of Micronutrients in Plant Based Foods
Dr. Jyothi Lakshmi A, Senior Principal Scientist, Protein Chemistry and Technology Department, CSIR – Central Food Technological Research Institute (CSIR-CFTRI), Mysuru
· Designing Innovative Foods for Special Dietary Requirements for Promoting Metabolic Health
Mr. Vishavajit Karandikar, Head- Clinical Nutrition and General Manager, Fresenius Kabi, Pune
Harnessing Alternative Proteins / Smart Proteins for Health and Environment:
· Food Out of Thin Air: A Breakthrough for Sustainable Nutrition
Dr. Arttu Luukanen, Senior Vice President, Space and Defense, Solar Foods, Finland
· Processing Innovations for Smart Proteins: Enhancing Nutrition, Health, and Sustainability
Dr. Padma Ishwarya S., Senior Scientist, Good Food Institute India (GFI India), Mumbai
· Omega Fatty Acids: Nutritional Significance and Novel Production Strategies
Dr. Uma Rao, Former Head, Project Coordinator (All India Coordinated Research Project on Nematodes) and Principal Scientist, Division of Nematology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Delhi (Chennai)
· Analytical Techniques to Measure Bioavailability
Dr. K. Madhavan Nair, Scientist F, Department of Biochemistry, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (Retd.), Hyderabad
· Process for Scientific Substantiation of Claims- Latest Development
Dr. Debabrata Kanungo, Additional Director General, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GOI (Retd.), Faridabad
Session 4
Reformulating Food Products for Better Health:
Technology /Scope / Challenges
· Reducing Food Waste through use of Flavour Science
Prof. Rekha Singhal, Professor, Department of Food Engineering and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai
· Neuroscience of Taste – Rewiring Flavor Perception for Healthier Eating
Dr. Kavita Tarade, Associate Director, Regulatory Affairs TTH India Subcontinent and Dr. Meenal Tatke, Sensory Manager, DSM-Firmenich, Mumbai
· Innovations to Reduce: Salt and Sugar
Dr. B. Sesikeran, Chairman, K-FFIG and Former ICMR-NIN Director, Hyderabad
· Smart Processing of Edible Fats and Oils through structural modifications for Enhanced Functionality and Health Benefits
Dr. Rajni Chopra, Professor & Head, Department of Food Science and Technology, NIFTEM, Kundli, Sonipat
· Industry’s Perspective on Meeting Technological Challenges and Consumer Acceptance of Reformulated Products and Recommendation on Innovative Approaches
Dr. Arup Nandi, Director, Research Fellow: Processing Technologies Global, Mondelez International, Thane
The Compendium of Abstracts of Presentations can be downloaded from: https://tinyurl.com/nrvnkkn3
THESE PRESENTATIONS CAN BE VIEWED FROM: https://tinyurl.com/2c69hj3e