Rourkela: The Department of Food Process Engineering, National Institute of Technology Rourkela (NIT Rourkela), organised a seven-day India–Sri Lanka workshop on “Advanced Thermal and Non-Thermal Sustainable Technologies for Food Industry Waste Reduction and Waste Valorization” from September 21 to 27, 2026. The workshop was sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Sri Lanka.
The programme was convened by Prof. Winny Routray and Prof. Rachna Sehrawat, with Prof. Sabyasachi Mishra, Head of the Department of Food Process Engineering, serving as the Programme Chairman. It brought together experts, academics, researchers, students and early-career professionals from India and Sri Lanka to promote scientific exchange and explore collaborative approaches to sustainable food processing and waste utilisation.
The visiting Sri Lankan experts represented the Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura; Department of Applied and Natural Sciences, University College Matara; University of Vocational Technology; and Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, BMS Campus. The delegation included Dr. Dulani Somendrika, Prof. Indira Wickramasinghe, Dr. I. G. Gimanie Kasunmala and Chalani Akmeeman.
Addressing the Sri Lankan delegates, Prof. K. Umamaheshwar Rao, Director, NIT Rourkela, said, “Workshops of this nature provide a valuable platform for researchers and students to exchange knowledge, explore new technologies and build meaningful academic collaborations. Sustainable food processing and waste valorisation are important areas where scientific innovation can contribute to resource efficiency, environmental sustainability and value creation. I am pleased that this programme has brought together experts from India and Sri Lanka and created opportunities for continued research and institutional cooperation.”
The workshop featured technical sessions by experts from NIT Rourkela, IIT Patna, IIT Kharagpur, NIFTEM Kundli, ICAR-Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), and ICAR-National Institute of Secondary Agriculture, along with industry representatives from Biotez Agrinovation Pvt. Ltd. and Koel Fresh Private Limited.
The sessions covered emerging areas such as zero-waste food production, biofertiliser production from industrial waste, agricultural and aquaculture resource valorisation, bio-inspired engineering, sustainable packaging, smart sensing, protein and starch recovery, crystallisation, green-technology-based drying, membrane separation, extrusion, and advanced oilseed and spice processing. The discussions connected these technologies with practical applications in cleaner production, food safety, value addition and commercialisation.
A key component of the workshop was hands-on exposure to advanced research infrastructure at the Central Research Facility of NIT Rourkela. Participants from institutes across India received demonstrations of facilities and techniques involving electron microscopy, spectroscopy, chromatography, thermal analysis, X-ray techniques, ICP-OES, 3D printing, liquid nitrogen systems and cold plasma technology. Laboratory visits to the Department of Food Process Engineering further complemented the technical sessions.
The programme also highlighted the potential for converting food and industrial waste into value-added products, including biofertilisers and functional packaging materials, while encouraging collaborative research and technology development between institutions in India and Sri Lanka.
The workshop concluded with strengthened academic and scientific engagement among the participating institutions, creating opportunities for future joint research, institutional partnerships and continued knowledge exchange in sustainable food processing and waste valorisation.
