Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) has developed millet-based premixes without any form of wheat for making baked food items such as muffins and brownies and steamed items like dhokla.It has also applied for FSSAI licence before its launch in the market through food start-up Plantro Private Limited at the Research Park of the institute.Two patent applications for ragi brownie and jowar muffin under “Millet-based premix formulation for baked desserts and a process for its preparation” and sorghum dhokla under “Millet-based premix for steamed-fermented products and a process for its preparation” are filed earlier this year by the Department of Chemistry (Jointly with Biological Sciences and Engineering department) at the IITGN.“Applications for the two patents have been filed in May this year. Usually, the first round of decision takes around 6-8 months, so we are expecting a decision on the application by the end of the year. Our premixes do not incorporate wheat or any other flour. The premix formulations have been analysed for their biochemical performance via standard digestibility assays that test the release of sugars upon breakdown of the products in presence of digestive enzymes. Also, in vitro protein digestibility of the premix formulations is like that of the native millet flour. The premix formulations retain the antioxidant performance of the native millet flour used in each case,” Prof Bhaskar Datta from the Department of Chemistry, IITGN, told The Indian Express.Recalling the interest the institute developed in the area which, he said, is something unusual for the IITs, Prof Datta explained, “Barely 2-3 IITs have food processing or food science departments. Our research group at IIT Gandhinagar has been dabbling in various aspects of food biochemistry over the past several years. The team while working on the artificial meat or plant-based meat got drawn towards millet-based products that further led to developing milled-based premixes.”“Much of this work has an analytical focus and we have been interested in identifying and mitigating food hazards such as acrylamide in fried foods, and novel detection methods for herbicides and pesticides in raw fruits and vegetables. Our immersion in this line of work and engagement with the broader community of food scientists spurred an interest in processed foods,” he added.“Specifically, we were intrigued by the substantial emphasis on safety of processed foods with a discernible gap in emphasis on their nutritious value. Over the past three years, we have gradually built-up expertise on nutritious food product development involving multiple complex and inter-related parameters. Our efforts are founded on thorough scientific scrutiny of core and accessory ingredients, understanding of their mutual compatibility, and the contextual benefits and drawbacks of processing methods to be used.”Story continues below this adFor taste parameters, the department has an in-house panel of sensory evaluation. “Looking at the science behind food, for instance, to cut the sourness of jowar which is acquired on baking, we added banana. Our food product development efforts have required active input from food scientists, biochemists, chemists and food safety experts. In addition to digestibility, nutritional and safety profiling, we conduct our own aesthetic and sensory evaluation of products,” he stated.Explaining the nutritional values, Smriti Sharma, the team member of the patent development, said that a typical baked dessert prepared using our millet-based premix formulation provides 415 kcal of energy (per 100 g). “100 g of the millets-based baked dessert contains 52 g of carbohydrates, nearly 10 g of protein, 19 g of total sugar and nearly 18 g of total fat. A typical steamed-fermented dhokla prepared from our premix provides 176 kcal of energy (per 100 g). 100 g of the millets-based dhokla contains 28 g of carbohydrates, 5 g of protein, 6 g of total sugar and 4 g of total fat. These nutritional profiles are distinctive considering our singular use of millet flour, use of jaggery instead of cane sugar and absence of any preservatives, synthetic agents such as binders or stabilisers,” said Smriti, who completed her postgraduation in food processing and nutrition science from Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, West Bengal.