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This is an archive article published on October 20, 2011
Potatoes get a fresh shelf life,technology enables storage for 9 months
Central Scientific Instruments Organisation in Chandigarh,in collaboration with Shimlas Central Potato Research Institute,had developed a technology that not only increases its shelf life but also allows the crop to grow in some colder areas for a limited period of time.
Written by RituSharma
Chandigarh | October 20, 2011 12:35 AM IST
3 min read
3 min read
Coming up with a solution to the problem of storing potatoes for as long as nine months,the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) in Chandigarh,in collaboration with Shimlas Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI),had developed a technology that not only increases its shelf life but also allows the crop to grow in some colder areas for a limited period of time.
The major task for the team was to develop a technology that could find a solution of storage to this three-month crop. With the kind of technology that has been developed at CSIO,this can be stored for nine months, said CSIO Director Dr Pawan Kapur,whose brainchild was to develop such a technology. He also monitors the project of the Union Department of Science and Technology. While Dr A D Kaul is the chief investigator of this project at CSIO,Dr R Ezekiel is a co-investigator from CPIR,Shimla.
After the demonstrations and meetings,cold storages operators and owners had agreed to run this technology on a pilot basis in six cold storages across the country. The technique makes an automatic measurement of temperature,humidity and carbon dioxide levels to maintain a desired environment to not only check the problem of rotting but also sweetening and sprouting of potatoes.
Kapur said that so far,CSIO has developed a laboratory scale of three million tonnes. We are hoping to take this technology to its next stage of commercial scale to around 5,000 cold storages. The representatives of cold storage associations,who witnessed the demonstration,had agreed to adopt this technology, he added.
Various cold storage associations,which were present for the demonstration at CSIO on Monday,expressed their desire to adopt it. Among those present was Mahindra Swaroop,presidents of Federation of Cold Storage Association of India and the Cold Storage Association of Uttar Pradesh.
As the technology will be adopted step by step,we have agreed to run this on six cold storages in Gujarat,Uttar Pradesh,West Bengal,Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. With the difference in temperature and other environment conditions in these states,it will serve as a good testing ground for this technology, said Swarup.
He added that the technology will beneficial,as out of 4,500 cold storages under the Cold Storage Association of India,more than 3,500 are for potatoes.
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The technology is also likely to help in storing other food items like fish and vegetables.
On the cards,way to stop wastage of vegetables,fruits during transportation
CSIO is set to initiate work for finding a solution to the problem of wastage of vegetables and fruits during transportation. It is working on a technology where temperature and environment controlled coaches could be developed for transportation without any wastage. At present,there is very limited development in this field with only such transportation available only for edibles like mushroom,milk and some other limited vegetables, said Director Dr Pawan Kapur.
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