Prompt Wins Animal Husbandry Startup Grand Challenge 2.0

MilkoChill, an instant chiller that helps in reducing milk spoilage, was awarded in the category of Development of Low-cost Cooling and Milk Preservation System. Adding another feather to its cap, Ahmedabad-based Prompt Innovations, a leading innovative start-up in the field of energy-efficient and sustainable cooling solutions, has been declared one of the winners of the Animal Husbandry Startup Grand Challenge 2.0.

Organized by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying as a part of the Startup India initiative, the Animal Husbandry Startup Grand Challenge 2.0 was aimed at scouting for innovative and commercially viable solutions to address challenges in the animal husbandry and dairying sector and harnessing the power of new technologies in these sectors. A total of 157 applications were received for the challenge.

Prompt Innovations won the honor for MilkoChill, an instant milk chiller that helps keep milk fresh and extend its shelf life, under the category of Development of Low-cost Cooling and Milk Preservation System and a Data Logger.

“MilkoChill is a revolutionary product that will change the way milk is chilled. Instant chilling at source results in reduced spoilage, retention of milk quality, higher shelf life, and hence more income for dairy farmers. We are thrilled that the government of India has recognized our efforts in the cooling technologies segment,” said Shridhar Mehta, Director, Prompt Innovations.

The award was presented to Prompt by Hon’ble Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala at the NASC Complex in New Delhi on Wednesday.

India is the largest milk producer in the world with an annual production of 210 million tonnes per annum. However, millions of litres of milk get spoiled due to la ack of refrigeration or feasible chilling facilities. Milk spoilage leads to a severe economic impact on marginal dairy farmers whose primary source of income is milk.

Delay in chilling and lack of availability of consistent power supply for chilling are key challenges for dairy farmers as it leads to spoilage and affects milk quality. It is also important to address this issue as India also aims to emerge as the best quality milk producer.

MilkoChill is based on a patented thermodynamic design that has been developed by Prompt under a technology license from IIT Bombay. The thermal storage mechanism stores energy whenever electricity is available and enables instant milk chilling even in the absence of electricity, making it ideal for rural places, where the power supply is still erratic. 

MilkoChill can be used where farmers sell directly to consumers, at small milk collection centers where there is no chilling infrastructure, at village collection centers that can provide chilled milk as pre-cooling to cluster bulk milk coolers, as well as by cooperatives and private diaries looking to improve the quality of incoming milk for improved quality of value-added products. The innovative and affordable MilkoChill allows instant chilling at 250 litres per hour, with a daily capacity of 500 litres.