PAU Hosts National Symposium on Food Processing 4.0; Experts Stress on Developing Innovative Technologies

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) hosted a significant gathering of experts, policymakers, and entrepreneurs from various parts of India at the National Symposium on “Food Processing 4.0: Innovation and Sustainability.” The event, organized by the Department of Food Science and Technology, PAU, brought together key stakeholders from across India to explore groundbreaking advancements in food processing.

The Vice-Chancellor Dr Satbir Singh Gosal, who was the chief guest, highlighted on creating a dynamic platform for interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration. The Punjab Agricultural University has remained a pioneer in addressing the national and global agriculture related challenges, and played a pivotal role in Green Revolution, bringing food security to the entire national system, he added. This symposium will enable the food science experts to explore the transformative potential of technology in revolutionizing food processing methodologies, he observed.

The guest of honour Bal Mukand Sharma, Chairman, Punjab State Food Commission, the need for innovative and sustainable technologies to tackle global challenges in food processing. His focus was on reducing carbon footprints and enhancing human wellness.

Ranbir Singh, General Manager of Punjab Agri Export Corporation Ltd, who was also the guest of honour, prioritized sustainability to navigate the challenges of feeding a growing global population while safeguarding the planet’s resources.

Dr AS Dhatt, Director of Research, PAU, while presenting an overview of the symposium, underlined the need to remain committed to our goal towards creation of green and clean environment friendly technologies, to deliver the effective solutions for complex challenges emerging in the sector of food processing.

Earlier, in his inaugural address, the Dean of College of Agriculture Dr CS Aulakh welcomed the delegates and the participants. He stated that this symposium would serve as a beacon of collaboration and insight, illuminating pathways towards a resilient, efficient and sustainable future for the food processing arena.

A notable entrepreneur Padma Shri Rajni Bector, founder and CEO of Cremica Food Industries Limited, was honoured with a prestigious award ‘Outstanding Contribution in Food Processing’ during the symposium. In her address, she advised the participants to develop smart and digital food processing technologies which are techno-economically feasible for implementation at industrial scale.

The panel discussion session was chaired by Dr BVC Mahajan, Director, Punjab Horticultural Post-Harvest Technology Centre; and Dr RS Sethi, Dean, College of Dairy and Food Science Technology, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), Ludhiana. It also comprised speakers from leading industries and academic institutes, gathered for amalgamation and fusion of cutting-edge technologies with digitalization systems for bringing more efficiency, transparency and traceability in food production, processing and distribution system.

Dr Savita Sharma, Head, Department of Food Science and Technology, and Convener of this national symposium, outlined the importance and objectives of the symposium which served as a platform to discuss and showcase cutting-edge advancements, strategies, and best practices in the field of food processing, with a particular focus on leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies. Dr Sharma expressed her gratefulness towards all the dignitaries, invited speakers, experts, participants, sponsors and media who have been instrumental in the success of this event.

The symposium witnessed a huge success with more than 200 participants from leading institutes like IIT, Delhi; National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal; Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi; CIPHET, Ludhiana; Panjab University, Chandigarh; GADVASU, Ludhiana; Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan (Himachal Pradesh); Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Longowal; Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda (Uttar Pradesh); Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, Bathinda; Lovely Professional University, Phagwara; and Islamic University of Science and Technology, Kashmir. There were a total of 50 oral presentations, and 119 poster presentations besides high-octane panel discussion on issues and challenges faced by the food processing arena and novel as well as feasible ideas to mitigate these challenges.