CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Schevaran Laboratories for the development of personal hygiene, cleaning and related industrial products and solutions.

In the post-coronavirus pandemic scenario, both the organisations have felt the need for more efficient environment-friendly and cost-effective quality products in the market and the partnership would be beneficial in meeting the emerging challenges, the institute said.

During the lockdown, the CSIR-CFTRI delivered over 30 tonnes of ready-to-eat food supplements and flavoured water to migrant workers. Hand sanitizers prepared in the lab as per WHO guidelines were also distributed to the district administration and field-level staff.

The institute, in a release here on Monday, said it was planning innovative solutions to promote rural entrepreneurships with the involvement of FPOs, NGOs, and women SHGs and to address reverse migration to the countryside.

Though the primary focus will be supporting sustainable food enterprises, the institute is also exploring the potential of developing quality disinfectants and affordable sanitizers based on plant extracts for employment generation, the release stated.

Speaking on the occasion, KSMS Raghavarao, Director, CSIR-CFTRI, said the CFTRI would be keen to involve industry from the early stages of product development while fulfilling the customers’ aspirations and industrial viability. He also said that co-branding is one of the promising routes for successful commercialisation of innovation directly from lab to market.

Sam Cherian, MD, Schevaran Labs, said the partnership would help build a platform to promote innovations and enable the diverse industry sectors towards achieving cleaning hygiene in its true form. The impact will be more in the food industry sector that would usher in better hygienic standards through customised formulations, according to the release.

The MoU copies were exchanged in the presence of T.N. Bhavanishankar, director, Schevaran Innovation Centre, K.N. Gurudutt, M.C. Varadaraj and Anna Cherian from Schevaran along with scientists from CFTRI.