Food Science, Food Processing & Nutritional Security in India

1. Kaushik Khamrui
Senior Scientist
Dairy Technology Division
National Dairy Research Institute
Karnal – 132 001, Haryana, India
Email: kkhamrui@gmail.com

3. Food Science
“Food Science is the discipline in which the
engineering, biological, and physical sciences are used
to study the nature of foods, the causes of deterioration,
the principles underlying food processing, and the
improvement of foods for the consuming public”
(Institute of Food Technologist’s, USA)
Food Science is a highly interdisciplinary applied
science that incorporates concepts from many different
fields including microbiology, chemical engineering,
chemistry, physics, biochemistry and many others

4. Sub-disciplines of Food Science
1. Food technology: the application of science in processing, preserving,
packaging, storing food, according to industry and/or government
specifications
2. Food Safety: the causes, prevention & communication dealing with food-
borne illness
3. Food microbiology: the positive & negative interactions between micro-
organisms and foods
4. Food chemistry: the molecular composition of food and the involvement of
these molecules in chemical reactions
5. Food physics: the physical aspects of foods e.g., it’s viscosity, texture etc
6. Food engineering: the industrial processes used for food manufacture
7. Product development: the invention of new food products
8. Sensory analysis: the study how food is perceived by consumer’s senses
9. Food packaging: the study how packaging is used to contain and preserve
food after processing till reaches to the consumer
10. Molecular gastronomy: the scientific investigation of the effects of the
processes involved in cooking in molecules present in food that determine it’s
taste and smell.

6. Food Production in India (2007-08)
Production in (Million World’s share World Rank
Tonnes) (%) (Approx.)
Cereals 260.48 11 #2
Rice 99.15 24 #2
Wheat 67 15 #2
Pulses 14.14 25.37 #1
Oilseeds 12.02 8.1 #5
Vegetables 77.24 8.50 #2
Fruits 57.47 10.36 #2
Milk 127.3(’11-’12) 16 #1
Egg 2.67 4.21 #3
Chicken meat 2.24 2.95 #5
Cattle meat 1.28 2.14 #9
Goat & sheep 0.77 6 #2
meat
Fresh water 3.99 9.84 #2
fish
Pig meat 0.5 0.5 #26

7. The Indian Food Industry
India is the world’s second largest producer of food (only
next to China)
Size of Indian Food market: Rs. 8190 billion
Size of the food processing industry Rs. 3150 billion
Food processing industry is one of the largest in India,
ranks fifth in terms of production, consumption growth &
export prospects
GOI envisages to triple the size by 2015 enhancing India’s
share in global food trade from 1.5 to 3 %
Food processing industry in India will grow 30-40% in
next 10 years vis-à-vis 15% at present
The industry has the highest number of plants approved
by the USFDA outside the USA

8. Food Processing Industry Subsectors
 Milk & Milk Products
 Poultry and Meat
 Fisheries
 Fruits and vegetables
 Grain
 Packaged/Convenience foods
 Beverages & Soft drinks
 Spices

9. Milk & Milk Products
Largest producer of milk in the world: 108 MMT in
2008-09
Size of the dairy industry Rs. 2820 billion, growing at
the rate of 5 % per annum
48% of milk consumed by the producer, 52%
marketable surplus
Unorganized sector handles 70% of surplus,
organized sector 30%
Projected domestic demand of milk 180 MMT by
2021-22
Needs to grow annually by 5 MMT

10. Poultry & Meat
 India is third largest producer of eggs, fifth largest producer of
chicken meat
 Lowest cost of egg production in the world
 Organized sector of poultry industry is contributing 70% of total
output the rest 30% by unorganized sector
 Presently around 800 hatcheries operating in country
 Poultry industry growing @ 8-15% annually
 NIN has recommended 180 eggs & 11 kg meat per capita
 Per capita availability at present: 42 eggs & 1.6 kg meat
 Poultry industry is labour intensive and has potential to create 25,000
jobs on the consumption of one more egg per capita and 25,000
additional jobs on the consumption of 100 gram of more chicken meat
 With steady production of 2.24 MMT of chicken meat, 2.67 MMT of
egg and employment generation of about 3 million people indicates
the future prospects of poultry industry
 India has a mere 2 % contribution of world’s total meat production

11. Value of the Output of India’s Livestock Sector
(Rs. Crores)
Item 2005-06 2006-07
1 Milk Group 130631 144386
2 Meat Group 31069 34310
2.1 Meat 26600 29706
2.1.1 Beef 2993 3366
2.1.2 Mutton 10415 11844
2.1.3 Pork 1520 1837
2.1.4 Poultry Meat 11671 12658
2.2 Meat Products 986 1131
2.3 By-Products 3483 3473
2.3.1 Hides 1291 1290
2.3.2 Skins 1349 1229
2.3.3 Other by
844 954
products
Continued

12. Value of the Output of Livestock Sector
(Rs. Crores)
Item 2005-06 2006-07
3 Eggs 6134 7123
4 Wool & hair 328 339
4.1 Wool 225 230
4.2 Hair and Bristles 103 109
5 Dung 14445 15596
5.1 Dung Fuel 6817 7429
5.2 Dung Mature 7628 8166
6 Silk Worm Cocoons
1689 1766
and Honey
7 Increment in Stock 6313 7110
Grand total 190608 210629
Source: Central Statistical Organization, Dept. Of Statistics, GOI(2008)

13. Fisheries
Ranks second in the world in fresh water fish
production
Resources: 8000km coastline, 3 mn hector reservoirs
Processing of marine product into canned & frozen
form for export market
372 freezing units with daily processing capacity of
10,320 tonnes & 504 frozen storage facilities with a
capacity of 138229 tonnes
Anti-dumping regulation initiated by US effected
India’s shrimp export to US

14. Fruits & Vegetables
India stands second in the world for production of
fruits are vegetables
A mere 2% is processed, over 25% is spoiled due to
improper handling and storage leading to losses of Rs
25000 crore annually
Other developing countries e.g., Brazil, South Africa
Malaysia & Philippines processed 70, 80, 83 & 78 %,
respectively
Fruits and vegetable processing industry is highly
decentralized, majority of the industry are in the
cottage, household and small scale-sector
 A remarkable push can be given to this sector by
strengthening the linkages between farmers and
processors

15. Grain Processing
 Processing of grain includes milling of wheat, rice
and pulses
Primary milling is the most important activity in this
sector but it adds little to the shelf life, waste control
and value addition
Approx. 65% of rice production is milled in modern
rice meals
Indian Basmati has gained international recognition
and is a premium export product
Wheat floor milling: 820 large mill, more than 3 lakh
small units in the unorganized sector
Branded grains are gaining popularity due to hygienic
packaging

16. Packed/Convenience Foods
Biscuits, chocolates, chips, confectionary, snacks,
pasta, cocoa based products etc. falls in this segment
Total value in this sector Rs. 489 billion to 587 billion
Total 60,000 bakeries & 20,000 traditional food units
in India
India is third largest producer of biscuits after USA &
China
Market for biscuits in India is growing @ 12-15 per
cent per annum, the per capita consumption in our
country is only 2.1 kg per annum, compared to more
than 10 kg in the USA, UK and Western European
countries
Huge export market in UAE, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
USA, European Countries, East Asian countries

17. Beverages & Soft Drinks
India accounts for approximately 10% of global
beverage consumption
India is the third largest in the world, after US &
China
The market for carbonated drinks in India is worth
US$ 1.5 billion, while
Juice and juice-based drinks market accounts for US$
0.25 billion
The fruit-drinks category is one of the fastest growing
in the beverages market growing @ 25%
 Sports and energy drinks, which currently have a low
penetration in the Indian market, have sufficient
potential to grow.

18. Spices
India produced 4.14 MMT spices in 2008-09
Despite a global slowdown, Indian spice exports are
growing
India exported 470,520 tonnes of spices valued at US $
in 2008-09.

19. Government Initiative for Food Processing Sector
Food processing industries have been put in the list of
priority sectors for bank lending
Thrust on contract farming and making the sector tax-free
GOI plans to open 30 mega food parks by the end of the
11th five year plan (2007-2012).
Fruit and vegetable processing units have been completely
exempted from paying excise duty.
Automatic approval for foreign equity up to 100% in most
of the processed food items.
Exempting/reducing central excise duly in food products
e.g., fruits and vegetables products, condensed milk, ice
cream, meat products
The MFPI would assist in the setting up of more food
processing units so that the industry could create 10
million jobs by 2015

21. Milk & Milk Products in Human Nutrition
Since time immemorial milk has been considered an ideal
food for infants and children
Milk & milk products are not only a source of good quality
proteins but also of Ca & Riboflavin & numerous other
nutrients e.g., biotin, pantothenic acid, iodine, potassium,
magnesium, selenium, thiamin, Vit – A, B12, D & K etc.
Recent studies show possible links between low-fat milk
consumption and reduced risk of arterial hypertension,
coronary heart disease, colorectal cancer and obesity
Overweight individuals who drink milk may benefit from
decreased risk of insulin resistance & type 2 diabetes
One study has shown that among the women desiring to
have a child, those who consume full fat dairy products
increase their fertility
Milk is also a source of CLA

22. Meat & Fish in Human Nutrition
Meat, poultry & fish are rich in good quality protein & also
provide B-vitamins
A special feature of flesh foods are that they contains Vit-B12
which is absent in plant foods
Also a good source of Vit – A (liver)
Fish is a good source of Ca and ω-3 fatty acids, which are
known to protect against CVDs
Since some amount of animal food is useful in improving the
quality of vegetarian diet, efforts should be made to increase
production of fish for which there is a good potential in our
country and make it available to the population which can
consume it.

23. Fruits in Human Nutrition
Serve as source of energy, vitamins, minerals, & dietary
fiber
Energy
1) Carbohydrates: banana, jackfruit, dates, raisin
2) Proteins are amino acid chains: nuts, fig
3) Fats: avocado, olive, nuts
Vitamins
1) IN US diet contribute: 90% of Vit-C, 25% of Vit-B6 and 15% of
thiamin and niacin requirement is fulfilled by fruits
2) Vit-A: cherry, orange, watermelon
3) Vit-C: orange, strawberry, banana, apple, etc
4) Niacin: peach, banana, orange, apricot
5) Riboflavin : banana, orange, avocado
6) Thiamin: orange, banana, grapefruit and apple

24. Fruits in Human Nutrition
 Dietary fibers
 Important role in relieving constipation by increasing
water-holding capacity of the feces
 Decrease the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and
colon cancer
 Consists of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and pectic
substances
 Dietary fiber content ranges from 0.5-1.5%

25. Fruits in Human Nutrition
 Minerals in fruits
1) Potassium: banana, peach, orange, apple
2) Phosphorus: banana, orange, peach, raisin, fig
3) Calcium: tangerine, grapefruit, orange
4) Iron: strawberry, banana, apple, orange

26. Grains in Human Nutrition
 Major cereals, millets and pulses consumed in India are
rice, wheat, jowar, bajra, ragi
 Main sources of energy in Indian diets contributing 70-80%
of daily energy of majority of Indians
 Since they are cheapest, contribution to energy intake is
inversely proportional to income
 Due to their relatively large intakes cereals are also an
important source of several other nutrients like protein,
Ca, Fe and B-complex vitamins
 Millets are rich sources in minerals and fiber, hence
inclusion of some amount of millets will help in making up
mineral deficiencies and also providing bulk

27. Pulses in Human Nutrition
 Pulses are important sources of proteins in vegetarian diet
 Pulses are rich in B-vitamins
 The protein of pulse are of low quality since they are
deficient in methionine and tryptophan, however they are
rich in lysine
 Pulses can supplement protein in cereals which are lysine
deficient and the quality of the protein from mixture of
cereals and pulses in superior to that of either one
 The most effective combination is 8 parts of cereals with 1
part of pulses

28. Major Nutrients in Foods
Food Group Main Nutrients
Cereal Grains & Products
Rice, Wheat, Ragi, Bajra, Maize, Jowar, Barley, Riceflakes, Energy, Protein, Invisible fat, Vit – B1, B2, Folic
Wheat floor Acid, Fiber
Pulses & Legumes
Bengalgram, Blackgram, Greengram, Redgram, Lentil, Cowpea, Energy, Protein, Invisible fat, Vit – B1, B2, Folic
Peas, Rajmah, Soyabeans, Beans etc. Acid, Ca, Fe, Fiber
Milk & Milk Products
Milk
Liquid milk, Dahi, Skimmed milk, Cheese Protein, Fat, Vit – B2, Ca
Meat
Chicken, Liver, Fish, Egg, Meat Protein, Fat, Vit – B2,
Fruits & Vegetables
Fruits
Mango, Guava, Tomato, Papaya, Orange, Sweet lime, Water Carotenoides, Vit-C, Fiber
melon
Green leafy vegetables
Amaranth, Spinach, Gogu, Drumstick leaves, Coriander leaves, Invisible fats, Carotenoides, Vit – B2, Folic acid,
Mustard leaves, Fenugreek leaves Ca, Fe, Fiber
Other vegetables
Carrots, Brinjal, Ladies fingers, Capsicum, Beans, Onion, Carotenoides, Folic acid, Ca, Fiber
Drumstick, Cauliflower
Fats & Sugars
Fats
Butter, Ghee, Hydrogenated oils, Cooking oils like Ground nut, Energy, Fat, Essential Fatty acids
Mustard, coconut
Sugars
Sugar, Jaggery Energy

30. Nutritional Security
Nutritional security implies physical, economic and social
access to balanced diet, clean drinking water, safe
environment & health care for every individual
The term malnutrition includes both under-nutrition in
terms of proteins, calories, fats, vitamins and minerals and
over-nutrition leading to obesity
Though India has made great progress in food production,
50% Indians particularly preschool children and women
suffer from protein calorie malnutrition, micronutrient
deficiency particularly Fe leading to anemia
Every third child born in India is low birth weight
30% adults are under nourished
Ten % Indians are obese and incidence being almost 20% in
urban areas

31. Nutritional Security
National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) Surveys
done between 1975-79 & 2005-06, show marked reduction
in intake of foods (expressed as % of Recommended Dietary
Allowance (RDA): Cereals >100 to 82; Pulse 85 to 70, Milk 77
to 55; Sugar 77 to 47; Energy 97 to 76 Protein 103 to 70; Fe
62 to 53
The malnutrition has a complex etiology and its prevention
requires Awareness & Access at Affordable price to all the
parameters of nutritional security
Countrywide diet survey shows that Indian diets are
qualitatively more deficient in vitamins and minerals than
proteins due to low intake of ‘income-elastic’ foods like
vegetables, fruits, pulses and flesh foods
Malnutrition reduces immunity & infections and disease
reduce appetite, impair absorption and lead to catabolic
losses of precious nutrients

32. Food production vis-à-vis Nutritional Security
India’s food grain (wheat & rice) production went up and
kept ahead of population till mid ‘90s but tending to plateau
Pulse production has stagnated and per capita availability
has declined
There is erosion in millet production & consumption
Milk, fruit & vegetable production has increased markedly,
but that is not reflected in the diet of the poor due tom poor
purchasing power & lack of awareness of their importance in
diet
New technologies for bio-fortification of crops have been
developed could not adopted due to inability of put in place
convincing safety guidelines and measures

33. Food Processing & Nutritional Security
Thirty % of India’s farm produce is wasted due to
inadequate post harvest storage facilities & food processing
for value addition
Food processing helps to prevent post harvest losses. NDRI,
IVRI, CIFT and several ICAR Institutes, CFTRI, DFRL etc.
have developed useful products & storage devices that
should be put into practice
Emphasis should be given in developing nutrient dense high
shelf life fortified foods like biscuits and ready to eat mixes
There should be grater scientific interaction between
nutrition scientists and scientists belonging to food science,
agriculture, medicine, public health as well as social
scientists/activists

34. Conclusion
Food Science: highly interdisciplinary applied science that
incorporates concepts from many different fields including
microbiology, chemical engineering, chemistry, physics,
biochemistry etc.
Food processing industry is one of the largest industries in
India, ranks fifth in terms of production, consumption
growth and export prospects
Though India has made great progress in food production a
large chunk of Indian population suffers from protein calorie
malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency related ailments.
There is an urgent need to improve the efficiency in utilizing
the existing food resources by adopting technologies
developed by various research institutes/organizations in
India.