Now,kheer can be preserved for 4 months

The findings of the research were presented on the second day of a national conference,Managing Agri-Food Supply Chain,organised by the Indian Institute of Management,Lucknow.

Kishor Gedan,PhD scholar at IIT-D,said: “On a field trip to Haryana,which has one of the biggest dairy industries in the country,we found that a lot of surplus milk got spoiled as the milk could not reach the dairies on time. To prevent the loss,the dairymen turned it into ghee but even that was not sold. So,we took up a project for value addition of traditional milk product like kheer and sewaiyan,which can be preserved for a longer period of time.”

Refusing to divulge information about the technique which keeps the semi-solid milk product fresh for over four months,Gedan said they are applying for a patent on the technique. “It is a control of time and temperature that keeps the product fresh for over four months,” he said.

The products,tested in laboratory,are flavoured and are made from natural sweeteners. “While the products with natural sweetener will have a shelf life of six months,the sugar products will be fit for consumption for around four months,” said Gedan.

“To test the nutritional level of the milk,the product has been subjected to several tests and the results have been positive. We are,however,still working on saving the vitamins of the milk,which evaporates with time,” he said.