Infrastructure Factilities
The NIFTEM-T is located at a distance of 2 km from the Thanjavur new bus terminus, 8 km from Thanjavur Railway Station and 50 km from Trichirappalli Airport and 300 km from Chennai. NIFTEM-T has created world class research laboratories in its main campus at Thanjavur for conducting research in different areas of food processing technologies. NIFTEM-T and its scientists are experts in different field of food processing. The institute has world class teaching and research facilities. The current facilities in the institute include the following:
Teaching Laboratories
o Unit Operations Lab
o Engineering Properties Lab
o Heat Transfer Lab
o Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Lab
o Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics Lab
o Strength of Materials Lab
o Crop Process Engineering Lab
o Spices Process Engineering Lab
o Theory of Machines and Engineering Mechanics Lab
o Food Engineering Lab
o Manufacturing Practices Lab
o Electrical Engineering Lab
o Electronics and Instrumentation Lab
o Food Packaging Lab
o Food Chemistry and Safety Lab
o Dairy and Meat Sciences Lab
o Basic Sciences Lab
o Computer Lab
o Communications Lab
· State of Art R&D Laboratories
o Food Science and Product Development Laboratory
o Food Microbiology Laboratory
o NABL Food Analysis Laboratory
o Food Packaging and storage laboratory
o ISO certified Food Processing Business cum Training Incubation Centre
o Image processing laboratory
o Soft X-ray laboratory
o Acoustics Resonance laboratory
o Modern Bakery Unit
o Food Engineering Workshop
· Bulk Storage Facilities
· Knowledge Centre and Computing Facilities
Centre of Excellence in Grain Sciences
The centre is also involved in developing the protocols for standardizing different testing quality parameters in nutrients analysis and quality assessment of pre-release varieties. Facility for quality evaluation and milling of millets and pulses, processing of oilseeds also included. Centre of excellence for grain sciences in association with leading industry aims to train students and professionals involved in grain milling, conduct innovative research, and provide solutions to issues faced by the milling industry. This centre also seeks to provide human resources, skill development and a continuous knowledge platform for Government procurement and public distribution authorities to process paddy, millets, pulses and oilseeds. Machinery available for processing half a tonne capacity “state of art rice parboiling and milling unit” integrated with solar drying system, millet processing unit and dhal milling unit. This department also has extrusion cooking unit.
Centre of Excellence in Non-Thermal Processing
Processing of foods without the application of heat is termed as the non-thermal processing. The most widely used non-thermal processing techniques are high pressure processing, pulsed electric field, ultrasound, pulsed light, ultra violet light, irradiation, oscillating magnetic field etc. As the foods are treated without heat, the foremost importance of the non-thermal processing is the maximum retention of colour, taste, appearance and nutrition content in food. The major facility in the centre is the unique equipment available for different non-thermal processing methods. The equipments and technologies available at CENTP are Cold plasma processing, ultrasound, ultraviolet and osmotic dehydration. These equipments are used by the scholars and doctoral students on various approaches to solve technical problems and challenges in food industries. Equipments on High pressure processing, pulsed electric field, pulsed light, irradiation, oscillating magnetic field are in the pipeline and will be added to this centre. The objective of this centre is to conduct research on non-thermal food processing methods to produce fresh like products with increased shelf life.
PILOT PLANT-EXTRUSION
FOOD PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT LABORATORY
This laboratory focuses on the development of nutraceutical and functional foods from India specific food grains, pulses, oilseeds, and fruits and vegetables. The food crop quality and its ingredient suitability for designing new food products suitable for target population of children, young adults, adults with lifestyle disorders and aged and ailing people are being studied by our scientists.
Modern equipment’s including different types of extruders, texture analyzers, phase transition analyzer, rapid visco analyzer, milling machines and all accessories necessary for food product development are parts of this facility.
FOOD PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT LAB
FOOD ENGINEERING LABORATORY
The ideas generated by other departments are given a shape in the food engineering laboratory. This laboratory consists of modern fabrication facilities with all manufacturing machines and tools. The food engineering division work, either independently or jointly with other divisions, help in creating new machines and processes for food processing industries. This laboratory provides direct linkage with the farm produce and the postharvest activities. Some of the gadgets, technologies or accessories developed includes Fruit and Vegetable Washer, Grader, De stoner, Mobile Processing Unit, Multi-Purpose Yard Drying Equipment, continuous rice puffing unit, thermal dis-infestation of paddy, low friction huller, improved parboiling unit, rice degermer, husk fired stove, small scale pulse de-husker, improved parboiling unit and pedal operated winnower. These technologies are popular among the farmers and entrepreneurs.
Unit Operation Laboratory
FOOD MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY
Microbes play major roles in our foods, some plays a good role and some a bad role. Bad microbes must be controlled to save the food from spoilage and good microbes must be provided with conducing growing conditions. Current Research Focuses include production of pigments from microbial origin, preparation and preservation of millet based Porridges for longer shelf life, beverage preservation, utilization of tapioca effluent for
spirulina production, standardization of ethnic fermented food and beverages by rationalization of indigenous knowledge, probiotic food formulation using n dairy substrates and tannase enzyme production from agro wastes.
FOOD MICROBIOLOGY LAB
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY TESTING
Our NABL accredited ISO/IEC 17025 Food Analysis Laboratory is equipped with modern equipment to carryout physico-chemical analysis of food, water and any organic samples. This laboratory has hi-tech analytical instruments like GC-MS/MS, FTIR, ICPMS, LCMS, NMR, HPLC, HPTLC Ami acid analyser, Iron chromatography for analysing biochemical parameters, pesticides residual and nutrition etc. in samples related to food products. Ready reference books such as BIS, CODEX, PFA, AOAC and AACC for food analysis are available. The laboratory is constantly upgraded to meet international standards. Recently,
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India recognised this laboratory as referral food laboratory.
FSSAI Referral & NABL Accredited Lab
COMPUTATIONAL MODELLING AND NANOSCALE PROCESSING UNIT
This recently launched unit focuses on the application of computational fluid dynamics in various Agri-food processing applications. Modelling is a powerful tool for optimizing and improving process control over various unit operations by acquiring an in-depth understanding of the intricate transport phenomena in food systems. The unit uses advanced computing methods and undertakes industry and other external funded research projects in this field.
Further, considering the potential of nanotechnology, the unit also conducts studies on Nano level food processing. This includes strategies for Nano encapsulation, Nano emulsions, Nano delivery systems, Nano packaging and other advanced applications. Research and development on various aspects of nanostructured foods, Nano carrier systems, Nano food additives, Nano coatings, and development of sensors are under progress.
FOOD PROCESSING BUSINESS INCUBATION CENTER
(ISO 9000, 14001 and 22000 certified)
FOOD PROCESSING BUSINESS INCUBATION CENTRE
The hi-tech and cottage level food processing incubation cum training centre at IIFPT is the Food Processing Incubation Centre has the following product lines:
Ø Canning fruits and vegetables or meat and meat products
Ø Ready to serve (RTS) or Ready to drink (RTD) fruit based beverages and jams and jelly manufacturing with bottling facility
Ø Ready to Cook (RTC) foods and Ready to eat (RTE) extruded food products making
Ø Instant mixes, masala and chutney powders production and sachet packaging
Ø Specialized packaging section with facilities for ordinary packaging and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)
Hands-on-training on different food processing technologies, renting facilities and other supports are offered all through the year to help the entrepreneurs to put in their innovative ideas for the development of new products
KNOWLEDGE CENTRE AND COMPUTING FACILITIES
The knowledge center has exclusive collection of books and journals on food processing related areas. The knowledge Centre having more than 23000 books and regularly subscribe for more than 52 Indian and 15 International journals in food processing. We keep adding to our wealth of books and journals resources every year and soon expect the library to become reference point of national importance for food processing, preservation and value addition related subjects.
COMPUTER CENTRE