T‘puram: CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST) will establish a Centre of Excellence for Food Fortification Innovation, Research and Training (CEFIRT) at CSIR-NIIST ITE Hub at Bio 360 Life Sciences Park, Thonnakkal.A memorandum of understanding was exchanged during 85th CSIR Foundation Day celebrations in New Delhi on Thursday. Union minister of state for science and technology Jitendra Singh and CSIR director general N Kalaiselvi were present. It is being developed with the support of Tata Consumer Products Ltd (TCPL).CEFIRT will focus on research and development of fortification technologies for staple foods including grains, salt, milk and edible oils, besides protein-enriched, functional and specialised nutrition products. The centre will provide facilities for characterisation, quality assurance, nutrient stability and bioavailability assessment.The initiative will also strengthen industry-academia collaboration by supporting research, technology development, analytical testing, validation, scale-up, technology transfer and commercialisation. It will offer specialised training programmes for researchers, students and industry professionals.CSIR-NIIST director C Anandharamakrishnan said combining scientific expertise with industrial capabilities would help develop scalable solutions in food and nutrition. TCPL global chief R&D officer Vikas Gupta highlighted the role of collaborative research in developing food fortification solutions with wider societal impact.
