Nauni/Solan: The All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Post Harvest Engineering and Technology (AICRP on PHET) Solan centre of the Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni has been adjudged second in the ‘Best Centre’ for the year 2019-20 among 31 AICRP centres from the country.
The award was presented during the 35th Annual workshop of AICRP on PHET held at JNKVV Jabalpur. The research engineers and scientists of AICRP on PHET centres from across the country participated in the workshop and presented their progress report.
Dr Devina Vaidya, Dr Manisha Kaushal and Dr Anil Gupta from the Solan centre also presented their progress report, shared new project proposals, and machinery and process protocols developed by them during the meet. The award was given on the basis of outstanding contribution in development of technologies, NAAS rated publications in national and international publications.
The Solan Centre is in operation since 2004 in the Department of Food Science and Technology (FST) and is working on pome and stone fruits, kiwi, mushroom, ginger, aloe vera and some underutilized grains of the state. Last year the centre had bagged the ‘Best Centre Award’. Dr Devina Vaidya, Principal Investigator of the centre, said
“The assessment for the award was based on yearly progress made by the centres in the field of development of process protocols, designing of machinery, pilot-scale testing of developed technology, entrepreneurship development and dissemination of developed technologies among farmers and scientific community. Several process protocols for the development of aloe vera based products, mushroom fortified products, the complete value chain for apple, gluten-free protein-enriched pasta, utilization of bichhu grass and gethi for bakery and extruded products have been developed by the centre,”
Dr Anju Dhiman, HOD of the Department of Food Science and Technology told that the PHET centre has signed MOUs with three entrepreneurs of the state and complete protocols developed by the centre has been transferred to establish their industries.
University Vice-Chancellor Dr Parvinder Kaushal congratulated the scientists on the achievement. He said that the centre has been a consistent performer and the same has also been recognized by the ICAR. Dr Kaushal added that the department has been making sincere efforts in developing efficient technologies and have ensured that the same is transferred to the farmers and entrepreneurs of the state from time to time.
