Firm prepares nutrition food to check Covid-19

A Mysuru-based company, in association with CSIR-Central Food Technologies Research Institute (CFTRI), is providing a sea-weed based nutrition food supplement to patients and healthcare professionals in hospitals and also to migrants returning to their native places, in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.

Balakrishna B Bhat, owner of Aquaseal Technologie, said that his company has been culturing Spirulina, a cyanobacteria, an unicellular microbe, often referred to as blue-green algae, since 20 years.

“Our company is in touch with CFTRI since the beginning and we were culturing Spirulina on CFTRI technology. We were also manufacturing chikki, a popular confectionery, on CFTRI technology. Once the pandemic spread, CFTRI asked us to add Spirulina to the chikki. We have supplied 1.75 tonnes of spirulina chikki to CFTRI in three consignments,” he said.

Bhat said, “Spirulina is used in many health products and they used to supply its powder to many companies. The chikki bars are a new invention of the CFTRI, at a time of crisis. They are protein-rich with vitamin and minerals. The chikki bar not only provides nutrition, but also immunity.”

A S K V S Sharma, coordinator, Information and Publicity, CSIR-CFTRI said, “CFTRI has supplied a total of 16 tonne of high protein biscuits and rusks; seven tonne of cardamom flavoured water; five tonne of enriched fruit bars, and 1.5 tonnes of Spirulina chikki to around 60,000 people across Delhi, Bengaluru and Mysuru.”

“CFTRI has supplied 10 tonnes of high protein biscuits and rusks to Delhi migrants and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) patients; three tonne of high protein biscuits and rusks to migrant relief work in Bengaluru through the Income Tax (I-T) department. Five tonnes of vitamin and mineral enriched fruit bars, five tonnes of cardamom flavoured water, and 1.5 tonne of Spirulina chikki was distributed in Bengaluru. In Mysuru, three tonne of biscuits, two tonne of water and half a tonne of Spirulina chikki were distributed,” he said.

“A total of 15,000 Spirulina chikki, a snack that provides micronutrients from Spirulina as well as the tasty, nourishing groundnut proteins, have been supplied. It provides bioavailable micronutrients such as Vitamin A, Beta Carotene and easily digestible algal proteins,” said CFTRI Director K S M S Raghava Rao.