Aug 12, 2020
Scientists and researchers from renowned Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur have formulated a vegetable oil powder that helps to keep the heart healthy.
The novel innovation was led by Prof. Hari Niwas Mishra from the Department of Agricultural and Food Engineering. The innovation involved modifying vegetable oils through preparation of oil blends which are naturally gifted with natural antioxidants as well as well-balanced fatty acids in it.
“The novelty of the research team is in its formulation of a nutritionally balanced polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) enriched with antioxidants and producing a synergistic vegetable oil blend,” informed Mishra.
Researchers Monalisha Pattnaik and Dr. Mousumi Ghosh from the Food Chemistry and Technology Laboratory strongly believe that the PUFA-rich oil powder will find an extensive use in replacing dairy fat in bakeries and confectionaries benefitting the food sector for making healthy products.
“There is already a shortage of dairy fat which can not only be compensated by this product but also have a healthy impact particularly mitigating heart related diseases on the consumers,” they addressed.
Studying another critical area, the researchers have spoken about is the susceptibility of PUFA-rich vegetable oil to rancidity and reduced shelf-life under severe environmental conditions.
Fully prepared, the innovation has already been patented and is ready for commercialization at low costs.
“Even after several decades nutritious and healthy food are seen as lifestyle products. But with a holistic approach, we must remove this bias. This product answers this call by making available PUFA and antioxidant-rich vegetable oil for mass-scale consumption by large sections of the population especially in the lower income groups, who are otherwise forced to buy oil with saturated fats,” said IIT-KGP director Virendra Tewari, toasting the researchers upon their success.
The research team has already acknowledged and has received several awards for this product innovation including that of Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Award, 2020. Additionally, this work has been appreciated and considered for the Young Student Invention and best thesis work at IIT-Kharagpur too.