Rourkela, April 27: In a major boost to food safety, National Institute of Technology Rourkela has secured a patent for a cutting-edge system that can detect and quantify adulteration in spices within seconds.
Developed by researchers from the institute’s Department of Food Process Engineering, the technology combines Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) with advanced machine learning models to deliver fast, accurate, and non-destructive testing of food samples.
Unlike conventional methods that only confirm the presence of adulteration, this system precisely measures the extent of contamination in real time.
Food adulteration, often driven by cost-cutting practices, continues to pose serious health and economic risks in India. Existing detection techniques such as chromatography are time-consuming, resource-heavy, and unsuitable for routine screening.
The newly patented system offers a cost-effective alternative that can be deployed in quality control labs and industrial processing units.
The research, published in the journal Food Chemistry, was led by Prof. Sushil Kumar Singh along with Late Prof. Poonam Singha and M.Tech graduate Rishabh Goyal.
The patent, titled “Method and System for Detecting and Quantifying Adulteration in Food Stuff,” marks a significant step toward real-time food quality monitoring.
Highlighting its practical application, Prof. Singh said the innovation enables seamless integration into existing processing workflows, allowing industries to take instant decisions and maintain compliance.
In a key validation study, the team successfully detected sawdust adulteration in coriander powder with nearly 92% accuracy.
The framework, researchers say, can be extended to identify multiple adulterants across a range of food products.
With lower operational costs and faster turnaround, the system is expected to benefit both large-scale industries and small enterprises in price-sensitive markets like India.
The team now plans to collaborate with industry partners for pilot-scale deployment and further testing under real-world conditions.
As food safety concerns grow, such innovations are likely to play a critical role in strengthening consumer trust and ensuring accountability across the supply chain.
