Published: 12 March 2024

The Hindu Business Line - https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/global-healthcare-brands-keen-on-opportunities-in-india-chairman-aaron-capital-inc-usa/article67912198.ece/amp/

 NRI News 24x7 – https://nrinews24x7.com/major-healthcare-brands-to-foray-into-india/

Maharashtra Lokmanch – https://maharashtralokmanch.com/?p=134808

Batmi TV – http://www.batmitv.com/Major-companies-in-healthcare-will-enter-the-Indian-market

Published: 07 March 2024

Published: 06 March 2024

D Y Patil International University held its first National Conference on Current Trends in the Food and Bioprocessing Sector on the 23rd and 24th of February 2024.

Participants from Pune and other parts of India joined the conference, participated in competitions, and presented their work - papers and posters - masterfully. 

The conference saw chief guests like Dr Malathy Venkatesan, Prof Smita Lele, and Dr Chiranjit Chowdhury, who delivered exceptional talks and imparted inspiring guidance. Industry experts Mrs Sruthi Sadanandan, Mrs Bhagyashri Chavan, and Dr Anbarasu Karthikaichamy contributed incredibly to the effectiveness and impact of the conference. Guest talks by Dr Rahul Bhambure, Dr Jyoti Sagar Gokhale, and Dr Balakumaran brought forth unparalleled insights from contemporary research subjects and career opportunities.

The talks at the conference discussed about the emerging technologies, sustainable practices and cost cutting strategies in food processing and biomanufacturing, apart from the entrepreneurship scope, market trends and opportunities in the food and bioprocessing industries, and presented an optimistic and encouraging message on fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations for advancing research and development initiatives.

The conference packed loads of knowledge and excellent guidance for students and provided a platform for learning, networking, and collaborating for everyone. Likewise, various technical and non-technical competitions sparked enthusiasm and meaningful conversations among the attendees and left everyone energised.

We were delighted to host the conference and live through the proceedings of its eventful and immensely gainful two days.

REPORT

D Y Patil International University successfully conducted its inaugural national conference on February 23rd and 24th, 2024. The event served as a platform for academic discourse and exchange, bringing together esteemed professionals, scholars, and students from across the nation to discuss ‘Current Trends in the Food and Bioprocessing Sector.’ The conference commenced with the opening remarks of the Director of the School of Bioengineering and the Co-convenor for the conference, Prof Shashi Singh. She welcomed the attendees to the university and the city and expressed hope for the awaiting discussions to be fruitful for all attendees. Next, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Prabhat Ranjan, delivered an illuminating address, highlighting the prediction for India to excel and hopefully overtake Asian country like China - which currently stand the highest in food export, manufacturing, and bioprocessing - in the forthcoming decades and emerge as a global epicentre. Following this oration, Dr Babuskin Srinivasan - an associate professor at DYPIU and the Convenor of the conference - foregrounded India’s prowess in food production and the biopharma domain and avouched these sectors to be India’s for the taking. To conclude the inaugural addresses, Dr Lubna Shaik, an assistant professor at DYPIU and a lead coordinator of the conference, delivered the vote of thanks, acknowledging all the present dignitaries, participants, sponsors, volunteers, technical aides, and attendees.

The first session for the day commenced at 10.30 AM with a keynote address by Dr Malathy Venkatesan, a senior chief scientist at Tata Chemicals Ltd innovation centre in Pune. Before an audience largely comprising students, Dr Malathy reminisced the days when she taught at the Mumbai University Institute of Chemical Technology (addressed by her as UDCT - the former name of the institution) and acknowledged the university’s role in fueling her interest in science. Her talk canvased a comparison between the consumption of alternative sugars and common sugars. It shed light on the differential metabolism of different sugars, debunked the myth of artificial sweeteners being related to better health objectively, and explained the hormonal influence over hunger, among other subjects. Mrs Sruthi Sadanandan, the chief product strategist and founder at Altruistic Innovations Pte. Ltd. and an industry expert at the conference, took the stage after the first talk, to discuss alternative protein spaces and the burgeoning field of cultivated meat. In her talk, she elucidated the abundant scopes and job opportunities available in the domain in addition to highlighting the currently faced challenges and technological advancements in the area. Mrs Sandanandan’s talk was followed by a paper and poster presentation session.

The second session of the day began at 2.30 PM and observed a continuation of the momentum of insightful discussions with a keynote address and talk from Prof. Smita Lele, a former emeritus professor at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) in Mumbai. She inspired the audience with her discourse on ‘wholistic’ research and the encouragement to investigate upon the observance of odd results with the belief that a breakthrough may be waiting to be realised underneath the observation. After the lecture, the first round of a technical quiz competition was organised, which filled the audience with excitement. The final talk for the day was delivered by the Founder & Director of Food Monk Consultants LLP in Pune, Mrs Bhagyashri Chavan, at 3.15 PM. Mrs Chavan's presentation delved into entrepreneurial opportunities in the food processing industry, the nuances of starting a food product manufacturing business, and consumers’ predilection towards healthier and minimally processed food. At the end of the talk, the final round of the quiz competition was brought to a close with the top performers of the preliminary round as its contenders. Overall, Day 1 of the conference provided attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the latest developments and opportunities in the food sector, setting the stage for further exploration and collaboration in these fields.

The second day of the conference commenced with a talk from the chief guest and keynote speaker for the day, Dr Chiranjit Chowdhury who is a senior scientist from National Chemical Laboratory in Pune, at 9.45 AM. Dr Chowdhury spoke about bacterial microcompartments and their employment as versatile and sustainable armours for enzymes against adverse conditions while they are used in bioprocessing techniques. The chief guest’s talk was followed by another interesting talk by Dr Rahul Bhambure, a senior scientist at the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune on continuous downstream processing of monoclonal antibodies. He convincingly established during his talk how continuous radial chromatography is superior to continuous axial chromatography and the wondrous increment in process productivity observed by wielding continuous radial chromatography. The third talk of the day began at 11.30 AM and was delivered by Dr Jyoti Sagar Gokhale, who is an assistant professor at the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai. Dr Gokhale spoke about integrated bioprocessing of fruit waste to produce value-added products. She discussed the products that she and her group concocted like bio-vanillin, chocolate-flavoured powder from jackfruit seeds, and several equally interesting creations and their respective manufacturing processes. The day’s first session concluded with paper presentation session. 

The day’s final session began with a talk by an industry expert, Dr Anbarasu Karthikaichamy, who is the associate director of R&D at Zero Cow Factory, located in Gujarat. He began his talk at 2.30 PM and spoke about synthetic biology & precision fermentation and delineated the many upsides and the need to adopt precision fermentation in the dairy industry for a sustainable future and to produce milk healthier than naturally drawn milk. The concluding talk of the conference was delivered by Dr Balakumaran - a scientist at the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST) in Kerala. Dr Balakumaran’s talk discussed the contemporary biotechnology industry’s expectations, opportunities in the industry,  and the knowledge gap potentially employable students are faced with. The talk spanned from a comprehensive strategy to search for relevant jobs and the nuances of the varied career choices to success stories of organisations that bridged the gap between graduates and industry essentials. The talk was followed by a games segment where attendees enthusiastically partook in the games ‘What’s in the Box’ and ‘Guess the Food Item with Emoticons.’ The segment’s end saw the opening of the valedictory ceremony where certificates were awarded to all participants and prizes to the winners of the poster presentation and paper presentation competitions, and the technical and non-technical competitions. The conference met a contented end and received commendation from the attending guests, faculty members, and students.

Published: 04 December 2023

Published: 04 December 2023

Published: 04 December 2023

Hon'ble Dr Sanjay D Patil, Chancellor DYPIU has been awarded with the Prestigious Navratna of Maharashtra Award by Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavisji  at World Trade Centre, Mumbai.