With biscuits made of fruit peels and rice bran, two women win attention at science congress
The Hindu
Theirs was one of the 25 unique stalls put up at the 35th KSC that concluded in Idukki on Tuesday
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One of the major attractions at the 35th Kerala Science Congress (KSC) held at the Mar Baselios Christian College of Engineering and Technology at Kuttikkanam in Idukki from February 10 to 14 was a stall put up by two women that stood testimony to their unique thought and approach.
The displays at the venue by Sreelakshmi S. (24) and Amritha Nair (26) were products of ideas generated at their start-up ‘Uniwo Naturals’ that currently operates from the Business Innovation and Incubation Centre (BIIC), Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam.
Their innovative streak gave them scope to transform fruit peels and rice bran, which would otherwise be deemed waste, to biscuits that are as delectable as they are healthy.
The two women named the biscuits ‘Dhaanyamrit’ (made out of rice bran) and ‘Fruitscuit’ (made from fruit peels). The products are part of a range of nutritious and healthy items made from rice bran and fruit peels including powder, biscuits, chips, etc.
“Fruit peels and rice bran are often called waste products but could in fact be made into value-added products. Presently, the bran of Palakkadan Matta is used for making the food products. Our start-up company is registered and the product will soon be available in the market,” says Ms. Sreelakshmi.
Their food products could address issues of micronutrient deficiency, malnutrition and lifestyle diseases, according to Ms. Amritha, a postgraduate in Biotechnology and Ms. Sreelakshmi, a BTech holder in Biotechnology. The two as a team had earlier won the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) idea grant of ₹1.5lakh and KSUM Mahatma Gandhi University Research Incubation Programme (RINP) grant of ₹2.5 lakh.
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