Bühler India partners with NUTRIHUB-IIMR to drive innovation in millets processing
Bühler India and Nutrihub-IIMR have announced a strategic collaboration to advance millet processing technologies in India. This partnership aims to enhance millet's industrial application by improving processing yields, extending shelf life, and enhancing flour properties. The initiative also includes extensive research on effective grinding methods and millet quality analysis
Swiss technology firm Bühler India has announced a strategic collaboration with Nutrihub, a Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt. of India supported Technology Business Incubator hosted by the Indian Institute of Millet Research (IIMR), ICAR – IIMR, Hyderabad. The collaboration aims to advance millet processing technologies and enhance the industrial application of millets in India.
India produces approximately 19-20 million tons of millet annually, yet only about 2 million tons are processed on an industrial scale. Bühler India, in collaboration with Nutrihub-IIMR, is committed to tackling the challenges in millet processing, focusing on extending shelf life, enhancing flour properties, and increasing processing yields.
Advancing Processing Technologies
A key part of this initiative involves researching the most effective grinding methods to achieve superior product quality at Bühler’s Application Center and Analytical Laboratory. The Application Center fosters collaborative partnerships between industry experts and partners, featuring six process lines and over 30 machines to conduct comprehensive product and machine trials. Meanwhile, the Analytical Laboratory performs detailed physical, chemical, and quality analyses of grains to ensure superior product quality, reinforcing Bühler's commitment to advancing grinding techniques.
Shashidhar Subramanya, Head of Corporate Technology, Bühler India, emphasized the significance of this collaboration, stating, "We are committed to fostering innovation in the food processing industry, and millets hold immense potential for the future of food. This collaboration with Nutrihub-IIMR brings together our expertise in processing technologies with the institute's in-depth knowledge of millets. We are confident that this partnership will yield significant advancements in processing solutions, making millets more accessible, nutritious, and enjoyable for consumers around the world."
Dr. B Dayakar Rao, CEO of Nutrihub, IIMR, added, “This collaboration is part of a larger strategic alliance between Bühler and Nutrihub, ICAR-IIMR, aiming to revolutionize millet processing worldwide. The collaboration focuses on researching the effects of different milling technologies on major millets and specifying milled millet fraction requirements for various end-user product applications. By improving the efficiency, quality, and versatility of millet-based products, this research opens new markets and applications for millets’ processing and value addition worldwide.”
Mission and Vision
With the mission and vision of IIMR to transform millet cultivation from subsistence farming to a global scale through cost-effective and environment-friendly production, processing, and value addition technologies, this partnership exemplifies a long-standing relationship dedicated to aligning Bühler's cutting-edge technology with the specific needs of industrial millet processing.
