Enhancement in shelf life of food products contributes to wider market outreach and remunerative price for the stakeholders in the domain of Agribusiness. Sugarcane Juice bottling technology, developed by Department of Food Science and Technology, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), is a valuable addition to address the above mentioned challenge. In its pursuit of taking research lab outputs to markets, PAU has inked Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Ganna House, based at Bhor Township (district Nashik) in Maharashtra. Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research, PAU signed the MoA with Mr Nilesh Khode, a representative of the firm. Dr Mahesh Kumar, Additional Director of Research (Agri -Engineering); and Dr Khushdeep Dharni, Associate Director, Technology Marketing and IPR Cell, were also present on the occasion.

Talking about the technology, Dr Poonam A Sachdev, Principal Food Technologist, revealed that the sugarcane juice is thermally processed to kill microorganisms and increase shelf life. This processing offers a completely healthy and hygienic product in comparison to the roadside vendors, she observed. Increased shelf life of bottled sugarcane opens up avenues for selling the product in national and international markets, she added.

Dr Dharni, Associate Director, Technology Marketing and Intellectual Property Rights Cell (TMIPRC) of PAU, informed that PAU technologies aptly address the market requirements and PAU is committed to sharing the knowledge generated in its laboratories with the stakeholders in the domain of agriculture and food processing. He divulged that Sugarcane Juice Bottling Technology is very popular among the entrepreneurs across the country.