DFRL's tech fetches DRDO award

The Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), Mysore has won an award for its retort pouch processing technology. The pouch preserves ready-to-eat food products for armed forces and civilians.

The performance excellence award, for 2003, was conferred by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on May 17.

The retort pouch has a shelf life of 12 months under room temperature. The technology has been transferred to a large number of firms.

These retort processed products have reached the hands of jawans in their rations and have undergone large-scale acceptance trials at high altitude areas, a DFRL release said.

The Mysore-based laboratory is established under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the Ministry of Defence to meet the R&D needs in the area of food science and technology & to design light weight pack rations for defence and para miliitary forces.

During the 35 years, it has emerged as a leading institution in the area of convenience foods and pack ration development and nutritional and safety evaluation of foods under various environmental conditions.

The DFRL has also emerged as a center of excellence in the field of food preservation, packaging, product specification development and training in the area of food analysis and quality assurance.

Dr Bawa has won a number of awards such as N N Mohan Memorial award in 1986 and 1999, Gardner's award in 1989, President's Special award by All India Processor's association for the year 2002.