IIT Roorkee director Professor Ajit K. Chaturvedi and Rahul Mehta, Chief Executive Officer of Mehta Family Foundation (MFF) of USA signed a Memorandum-of-Understanding in this regard recently.

The other eminent personalities present were Professor Sandeep Verma, Secretary, Science and Engineering Research Board of Government of India and Dr. B.V.R. Mohan Reddy, Chairman of the Board of Governors, IIT Roorkee.

Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India Professor K. Vijay Raghavan said Artificial Intelligence research and training is key to our future.

AI technologies are critical for India and will have a significant social and economic impact in the coming years, he said while inauguration at IIT Roorkee.

This international academic collaboration between IIT Roorkee and MFF is a commendable effort to ensure that India continues on its innovation trajectory, he said.

The school will offer offer Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral Degree programs. The School will welcome its first cohort of Bachelor’s degree students in September 2022.

The objective of this School is to develop new and skilled manpower in the areas of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence along with an aim to empower existing manpower by offering focused Trainings and Certifications in these fields, say sources from IIT Roorkee.

IIT Roorkee is pioneering in the field of AI and Data Science and this MoU with MFF will provide an additional boost in creating resource centres for knowledge and information, he said.

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Director of IIT Roorkee said today is a landmark day in the journey of IIT Roorkee. We are setting up the first School of the Institute.

This would not have been possible without the generous support from Mehta Family Foundation. I would specially like to thank Mr. Rahul Mehta for his keen interest and time over the last six months without which we would not have reached this day, said IIT Roorkee director.

The school will be housed in a new dedicated building at the IIT Roorkee campus developed with the support provided by MFF.

In addition to the infrastructure, renowned experts in the field of AI including Professor Ananth Grama, Professor Shankar Subramanium and Professor Rajesh Gupta will actively participate in designing the curriculum, faculty recruitment, monitoring and suggesting new research ideas to the Indian students of this school.

These experts will also facilitate MFFs student scholarships and faculty exchange programs to make this initiative a success.

Rahul Mehta of MFF said AI-driven technologies are rapidly transforming our world. Academic collaborations like this one between international faculty and IIT Roorkee will produce individuals poised to address such ongoing global challenges as climate change, resource sustainability and security.

I want to thank Professor Ajit Chaturvedi and everyone at IIT Roorkee and International experts Dr. Shankar Subramaniam, Dr. Rajesh Gupta and Dr. Ananth Grama for their effort to create the school of Data Science and AI, added Mr. Mehta.

Dr. Ananth Grama, Alumnus, IIT Roorkee and Samuel D. Conte Professor of Computer Science at Purdue University, Indiana, said I graduated from IIT Roorkee (then, University of Roorkee) in 1989.

‘We are a proud family of Thomasonians — my brother, Dr. Chethan Grama, also graduated from IIT Roorkee in 1986, and my father, Dr. G.N. Yoganarasimhan, served on the faculty for many years.

‘It gives me immense pleasure to see the establishment of the Mehta Family Foundation School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at my alma mater.’

‘Working with the talented and dedicated faculty and students at IIT Roorkee, and with the support of the Mehta Family Foundation, I am committed to helping build a world-class research, education, and outreach program, in this critically important area.’

Its other objectives include supporting the Make-in-India and Atma-Nirbhar initiatives of the Indian government by seeding entrepreneurship and startups related to Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and creating resource centres for information and knowledge sharing.

About IIT Roorkee

IIT Roorkee is an institute of national importance imparting higher education in engineering, sciences, management, architecture and planning and humanities and social sciences. Since its establishment in 1847, the institute has played a vital role in providing technical human resources and know-how to the country.

Bachelor’s Degree courses are offered in 10 disciplines in Engineering and Architecture; 55 Postgraduate Degree courses are offered in Engineering, Applied Science and Architecture and planning. The Institute has facility for doctoral work in all Departments and Research Centers.

The IIT admits students to BTech and BArch courses through the IIT-JEE. conducted at various centers all over India. Since its establishment, the well-known institution has played a vital role in providing the technical manpower and know-how to the country and in pursuit of research.

Designed to monitor the freshness of seafood in real-time by responding to pH changes, the film offers a practical solution for improving food safety and reducing waste.

This film detects the release of volatile amines, compounds typically associated with spoilage, and indicates food quality through visible color changes, say sources from NIT Rourkela.

These natural components make the film biodegradable, safe, and responsive, aligning with sustainability goals and offering a non-invasive way to assess seafood freshness.

Findings

The findings of this research have been published in the journal Food Packaging and Shelf Life in a paper co-authored by Prof. Preetam Sarkar (as the lead corresponding author), along with his research scholars, Mr. Rahul Thakur, Miss Harshi Singhi, Mr. Vedsagar Rajesh Suryavanshi, and Dr. Ravichandran Santhosh.

Other co-authors in this work include Dr. Khalid Gul from NIT Rourkela, Dr. Swarup Roy from Lovely Professional University, Dr. Srinivas Janaswamy from South Dakota State University, Brookings, USA and Dr. Kirtiraj K. Gaikwad from IIT Roorkee.

Fishing

India is the world’s second-largest fish-producing nation, contributing approximately 8% of global fish production, say NIT Rourkela researchers.

It also holds the distinction of being the top five producer of shrimp globally, with frozen shrimp being the top export commodity.

Given the scale and importance of seafood production, innovations that ensure freshness and reduce spoilage are of immense value, say NIT Rourkela researchers.

In this context, intelligent packaging systems, which preserve food while monitoring its quality, are rapidly gaining global interest.

Unlike conventional packaging that serves merely as a protective barrier, the intelligent packaging film developed by NIT Rourkela team offers visual cues about the product’s condition, making it a promising solution for enhancing food safety and reducing waste.

The beetroot peel extract was prepared separately, and then combined with the starch, gum tragacanth, and a small amount of glycerol to cast the films.

These were dried and tested for their pH-sensitivity and effectiveness in monitoring seafood freshness, said Prof Preetam of NIT Rourkela.

Pigments

Beetroot peels contain betalains, a group of pigments known for their bright colours and pH sensitivity, say NIT Rourkela researchers.

These pigments also offer antioxidant and antimicrobial benefits, making them suitable for food-related applications.

Incorporating these natural compounds into the starch-based film creates a biodegradable, safe, and responsive packaging material.

When the seafood begins to spoil and pH levels rise, the film changes colour, providing a clear visual indicator of freshness.

Starch

The choice of Kodo millet starch and gum tragacanth contributes to the film’s biodegradable and eco-friendly profile.

Kodo millet is an underutilised grain with excellent film-forming properties, while gum tragacanth enhances the mechanical strength and flexibility of the material.

The researchers believe that using such agricultural by-products not only supports sustainability but also adds value to food processing waste, such as beetroot peels.

At the laboratory scale, the cost of producing the film was estimated approximately Rs. 900 per kilogram.

When scaled up for industrial production, the cost is projected to range between Rs. 400 and Rs. 600 per kilogram, making it a potentially viable option for commercial use.

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