Dr Swamy Anantheswaran is Associate Professor in the Food Science Department at the Pennsylvania State University, USA. In addition to his teaching assignments, he also consults with the food industry on issues related to food manufacturing. His areas of specialisation include microwave heating, thermal processing and food packing.

Dr Swamy was in India as part of the Pennsylvania State delegation to AgriFare 2000 at Ahmedabad. indiamarkets caught up with Swamy amidst his busy schedule. Here are excerpts from an interview.

indiamarkets: The ‘engineering’ side of food is not much understood. Being a ‘food engineer’ yourself could you elaborate on the subject?
Swamy: I find food processing and engineering very interesting. The way I look at it is much more unique than other forms of processing like chemical processing, where raw materials are much more well defined and with much less variations than in case of food products. The finished food product should be consistent and not different from batch to batch and not reflect changes in input quality. It is challenging to take in a material and build processes around it to get the desired product.

The interaction between product and process is very important. Generally what happens is that scientists are not strong on the engineering side and engineers are not familiar with chemistry, micro biology and other matters of science. My case is a little unique in that I have a degree in engineering and have done research in food science. I really want to bridge this gap. I want to use food engineering and food science as a tool to go from A to B.  The challenge in food engineering is to develop processes and built process control mechanisms which will accept changing raw material conditions.

indiamarkets: We understand that you have developed expertise in certain areas like microwave processing and thermal processing.
Swamy: I work in the area of heat and mass transfer. The attempt is to balance between basic research to understand food science and the applied aspects of developing food technology to solve industrial problems. I have been working in the area of microwave heating where I have developed microwave processes for the food industry. It is very expensive and only somewhat viable even back in the US. Such methods are to be used only when it is the only way to get from point A to B and when unique attributes can be conferred on the product using such processing or manufacturing methods.

indiamarkets: Unique attributes like?
Swamy: Like, microwave pasteurisation of packaged meals, for eg. this is being done in Europe. We also need to be careful - you don’t want to thrust a technology down processors' throats; you want to provide a packaged solution after knowing their problems. We just tend to take one technology and use it for all kinds of problems - we can't do that. It’s a bit like using the same painkiller for all kinds of pains. I believe in using microwave technology for unique operations and products where conventional methods don’t work. I also have a programme where I am trying to develop or engineer food products that you can heat in a microwave oven and still get the superior quality a consumer has come to expect from processed foods.

indiamarkets: How popular are these methods back in the US?
Swamy: Microwave heating is a unique heat and mass transfer and many times companies don’t understand what these mechanisms are. They just stamp a label saying  ‘Microwave Processed’, customers buy it, the product doesn’t work and the customers don’t come back. I just finished editing a handbook on microwave technology - I  hope this book, which covers issues ranging from electro-magnetics to food safety in microwave heating will benefit the industry.

The other aspect of my research is to do with packaging. I am developing packaging technology to improve the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables. Modified Atmospheric Packaging (MAP), Modified Humidity Packaging (MHP) are some of the packaging technologies I am working on. Again, these technologies will have to be looked at as a solution. Some of these are useful for bulk transportation and some for storage. There is tremendous scope for using some of this packaging technology for reducing post harvest losses.

indiamarkets: We are sure there must be serious misgivings about the cost-effectiveness of some of these technologies.
Swamy: The few technologies I mentioned are the ones I am most familiar with. We should not stop at a few. Technology is the large database that you have. You should select what you need as a tool. Technologies are very different in terms of what they offer. I am not here selling technology; I try to sell solutions. Technology is something I don’t have; I try to bring solutions for some one. For specific problems of the industry I am sure that we can find cost-effective technology.

indiamarkets: Again, how flexible are these technologies in terms of raw materials used and scale of operation?
Swamy: The flexibility of technology depends on the user.  If you don’t know how to use technology, technology won’t work for you. I have had experiences where certain companies have sourced technology/machinery and said ‘it does not work’, while some others have made it work. You must understand that technology is a tool to make the product. You can’t expect it to work in hibernation. What is needed is a clear understanding of what a certain technology can do and what it cannot. Also the onus is on the user to customize technology to his requirements & the dynamics of the product/process.

indiamarkets: Since we are talking of food products, are there quality and safety issues involved in using these technologies?
Swamy: Any time you use food products there is safety involved, any time you misuse a technology, quality and safety are involved. There will be safety issues involved in case of products that have shelf life. It will also depend on the specific features of the product. For eg: products with high moisture content are more prone to deterioration. I think safety is not the major issue involved. All food products are supposed to be safe for consumption. The problem is, it might be safe but the quality may not be great. There is a necessity to balance both.

indiamarkets: Now a couple of questions on the US food market. What is the status of organic food products?
Swamy: Customers are by and large still undecided. Even now most of us try it for novelty. The whole labeling issue also is in a state of flux. There are standards being set. I am not very conversant with the regulatory aspects.  I can surely tell you that organic food is being used as raw material for processed food.

indiamarkets: How big are export opportunities to the US?
Swamy: The opportunity to export processed food may be limited. There certainly is tremendous opportunity for exporting fruits and vegetables. Right now, most of the exports from India is going to the Middle East, some to Europe and almost none to the US. There is a growing market for ethnic food in the US. Indian food has not penetrated this market in a big way. Mexican food, Chinese food and Latin foods have done it successfully. I would be willing to pay a big premium for Indian mangoes and different varieties of bananas. There are lots like that here waiting to have the real ‘taste of India’. India has a big opportunity for exports.

indiamarkets: The lab-industry linkage or the lack of it is a big problem in India. The industry feels that relevant technology is not on offer and scientists and research institutes are not happy with the industry support for research.
Swamy: I have also heard about such problems in India. The problem is that either there are no linkages set up or some of the linkages are inefficiently set up and poorly operated. People have lost credibility. We have in the course of time developed certain perceptions about the government, and certain other agencies. To change that you have got to do a good job and prove that such a perception is wrong.  Things can be done by getting a small group of people who are dedicated to the mission and by letting them go about doing it. Also show that you can make money. Some of these agencies don’t understand the importance of making money. If the agency does not make money then there are no resources available for research and if industry does not-make money, no body will want to invest again. Transfer of tech should serve some purpose.

indiamarkets: What has been your experience in working with the industry?
Swamy: Three months in a year I am working directly at the industry. I am on a nine-month contract with my university. The rest of the three months I use for professional development. I work with the industry, I work at their site, and I relocate myself literally.