The Hindu Business Line : RRL-T to transfer spices processing technology to Synthite Chemicals

THE Regional Research Laboratory-Thiruvananthapuram (RRL-T) has entered into an agreement with the Kochi-based oleoresin major Synthite Industrial Chemicals for transfer of a pioneering technology to process fresh spices and botanicals.

Prof T.K. Chandrashekar, Director, RRL-T, said Synthite Industrial Chemicals was the second company from RRL-T's backyard to adopt the award-winning "Swing Technology", but quite sometime after it had managed to make inroads into the far-flung north-eastern States.

Another Kochi-based oleoresin house, Plant Lipids, had shown the way last year by availing of the technology. Synthite, reputedly the world's largest oleoresin manufacturer, and Plant Lipids together account for almost 75 per cent of the oleoresins marketed in the world.

Endorsement by these world leaders has provided just the right boost for the technology employed to produce food colours, spice flavours and extractions from fresh or dry spices and botanicals.

These two Kerala-based spice processing houses join others from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttaranchal, Karnataka, Meghalaya and Manipur in opting for the weather-neutral technology. The technology transfer agreement was signed on Monday with Mr Aju Jacob, Director, Synthite, who represented that company. The technology was transferred on a non-exclusive basis, Prof Chandrashekar said.

The technology had won the National Technology Day Award in 2003 and the coveted CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) Process Technology Award the next year. Unlike the existing technology used to produce oleoresin from dry spice, "Swing" can act on even fresh spice ensuring superior organoleptic qualities and at a lower cost, too.

The RRL-T technology has paved the way for producing value-added products such as oils and oleoresins from fresh spice without necessarily having to undergo the drying process. High-altitude spice plantations stricken constantly by weather events are expected to benefit, sources in RRL-T said.