Imagine
Idlis that can last forever. Wistful, but this sizzling idea could become a
reality if the latest advances in food technology in the US are anything to go
by.
In fact,
long lasting food has been termed one of the 10 great ideas that are changing
our lives. The signs of food posterity are already there. In 2002, the US
Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate made the ideal sandwich with a
filling of barbecued chicken and glycerol and sorbitol to absorb the water. It
was then wrapped in a packet with chemicals which removed oxygen and put in polypropylene
and foil.
Nasa
recently reported making a bread pudding which could last four years, while the
Pentagon made cake that can stay spongy for five years. No, it wasn’t the wine
suffused Christmas cake that lasts a whole year even in the hands of the most
ordinary cook.
Cut to
desi food. Can Indian food with its generous doses of oil and spices be
palatable after years? “Why not,” asks Darly Thomas , head of technology
transfer and business development at the Mysore-based Central Food
Technological Research Institute. “Though it hasn’t been tried, it’s possible
to do so chemically. Besides, if it can be done in the West, why can’t we?”Be
it Indian or continental food, what’s important is to see that the water
content is reduced, microbe activity is nil and packaging material air-tight.
The signs
are already there. McCain Foods India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of McCain Foods
Canada which specializes in frozen French fries and potato products, even
launched an India specific product this month – McCain Idli Sambar Combo Pack.
MTR, which has been supplying to the army, and ITC, too, are upgrading to cater
to the Indian palate.
No comments:
Post a Comment