Punjabi University, Patiala, granted patent for nutraceutical products

Patiala, March 6

Punjabi University and Punjab Agro Juices, Chandigarh, have been jointly granted a patent by Government of India for producing bioengineered nutraceutical products from kinnow processing waste.

University officials said the product, a bioengineered nutraceutical derived from kinnow peels, was a poultry feed supplement. They said the product had the ability to replace the use of antibiotics in poultry feed. The unbridled use of antibiotics in poultry feed is one of the reasons said to cause antibiotic resistance in humans as they become passive consumers through residues that remain in poultry.

Prof Minni Singh, Department of Biotechnology, said, “The Punjab Agro Juices were the key facilitators for carrying out the research. The technology uses kinnow peels in a way that they can be utilised sustainably and be converted into value added products. This research is nanotechnology driven wherein nano-formulations have been developed to enhance the efficacy of the bio-active molecules, extracted from the peels.”

“The formulation has two applications, one of them being significant for patients with the fatty liver disease. This component of the application was studied over a period of three years under the careful supervision of Dr Ajit Sood at Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana. This technology is now ready for transfer,” she said.

University Vice-Chancellor Prof Arvind said it was an extremely important work. “Dr Minni had earlier worked on turmeric products as well. She is now in a leading role in the entrepreneurship centre of the university,” he said.