Technology launched to detect udder disease in dairy animals

Tribune News Service

Karnal, March 23

Scientists of the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), today launched a new innovative technology for rapid detection of clinical and sub-clinical mastitis in dairy animals. Dr MS Chauhan, Director, NDRI, launched this innovative technology and said that it was an outcome of a joint collaborative research project of the NDRI and IIT- Delhi. Dr Naresh Kumar of NDRI and Dr Ravikrishnan Elangovan of IIT-Delhi worked hard on this project with their team members.

“It is a non-invasive technology wherein disease diagnosis of an animal is done through milk which is rapid and more sensitive than the existing technology,” said the Director while launching it during an industry meet organised by the NDRI on its premises.

Dr Chauhan said mastitis was a disease of the udder and statistics indicate that 30-35 per cent of the dairy animals are suffering from clinical and sub-clinical mastitis in India which causes huge loss to the dairy industry.

He said the test was cost effective and had been validated. While addressing the scientists and industry personnel, entrepreneurs and start-ups, the Director said in over past 12 years, the NDRI had developed 156 technologies and of them 85 had been commercialised to dairy industries, animal feed manufacturers as well as entrepreneurs. The Director said the main purpose of this meet was to reduce the gap between research institute and industries.

On this occasion, 15-NDRI supported start-ups and entrepreneurs were also felicitated which have successfully initiated their business by adopting NDRI developed technologies. Dr Dheer Singh said NDRI had been quite successful in commercialising its technologies and even during the pandemic period, NDRI was able to commercialise 24 numbers of technologies developed at the institute. He further said impact analysis of some of the NDRI technologies such as milk adulteration detection kit and anionic mineral mixtures had also been done and results were very encouraging which had been noticed by the policy makers.

During the meet, NDRI showcased its technologies related to milk quality, milk safety, health foods, fortified milk products, dairy equipment, animal nutrition etc.