The National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) is ready for the commercialisation of instant ragi mudde mix, a patent-pending product of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru’s (UAS-B) Department of Food Science and Nutrition (FSN) of Process Technology.
The department, led by Dr H B Shivaleela, professor and university head, FSN, academic council member and scheme head. She, along with S Meenakumari and Rani Arvind, provided the technical know-how about the product to NRDC, which could be accessed by the small and medium food companies in India.
The instant ragi mudde mix formula has been developed to suit both small-scale and mechanised processing. It does not involve a tedious process or require advanced processing equipment.
It could simply be blended with a specific amount of water in the desired cups/bowls, and heated in a microwave for four minutes, or steamed for four minutes in a pressure cooker.
“Ragi is known for its phyto-chemicals and calcium and fibre content. Developing an instant ragi mudde mix would now allow consumers easy access to the required daily nutrition intake,” said Dr Shivaleela.
The invention is aimed at developing simple process to prepare the ragi-based dumpling mix, which is a specialty food of Karnataka. The mix has brought stability and enhanced the value addition to cater to the growing demand of the product, particularly by the natives of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
“There is also immense export potential for the instant ragi mix. People from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh residing overseas can now pick it off supermarket shelves,” said N G Lakshminarayan, manager, business development; coordinator, IPFC, and chief vigilance officer, NRDC.
“A novel feature of the invention is that the mudde mix is a processed flour blend and ready to be used to prepare the Karnataka specialty, which is consumed by all strata of the local population,” said Dr Shivleela.
“In fact, the readymade mix is far more convenient with no lump formation during the predation process in contrast to the conventional process of preparing ragi mudde, which requires skill,” she added.
Therefore, UAS-B viewed it as a nutritionally-improved value-added processed food, saving considerable time vis-a-vis the traditional mode of preparation.
The option of easy preparation and cooking in microwave ovens could attract modern consumers towards instant ragi mixes in an age of ready- to-cook versions of processed foods.
source: http://www.fnbnews.com / FnBnews.com / Home> WideView> Top News / by Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru / Saturday – June 07th, 2014