Limopan-Punjabi University attains another milestone-Ghuman
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in/ Chandigarh
Making great strides in the research and innovation field, Punjabi University Patiala has been marching ahead in technology transfers to the market for the wider benefits of the society. Under the able guidance of Vice Chancellor Dr. B.S. Ghuman, University has come up with another remarkable achievement by developing a product, LimoPan, in collaboration with Punjab Agro Juices Ltd., Chandigarh and have transferred the technology to Juggernaut Hospitality Services, a partnership firm from Pune. This product, which is a bioengineered nutraceutical derived from kinnow peels is a poultry feed supplement with the ability to replace the use of antibiotics in poultry feed. The unbridled use of antibiotics in poultry feed is one of the reasons that has been attributed to causing antibiotic resistance in humans, as humans become passive consumers through residues that remain in poultry.
Dr. B. S. Ghuman, said that he takes great pride in congratulating the research team led by Dr. Mini Singh, Department of Biotechnology and Punjab Agro Juices Ltd., Chandigarh, the partner for this product, especially its Managing Director, Sh. Manjit Singh Brar. He said that such achievements are proud moments for any institution as reaching at the technology transfer stage allows the institutions to fulfill their research goals for the societal development. For Punjabi University, Patiala, this comes as even a more bigger news as the research and innovation being conducted here has been fast reaching at technology transfer stages in the recent past and proving highly beneficial in the health sector. He said that the use of the drug in the latest research would prove to be effective in reducing the use of antibiotics in the poultry industry in India, which will further prevent its far-reaching effects on the health of people who use poultry as food. He expressed happiness that a turmeric-milk related research has already transferred to the market and Verka, a reputed company, selling it in the market which has got very encouraging response in the market. He told that similarly a Bio-Device designed to detect chemicals in milk has also been patented in recent times. He said that he takes immense pride in sharing that now Punjabi University is one of those universities of the 21st century which are committed to carry forward the research and innovation for the betterment of the society.
Dr. Mini Singh speaking on the behalf of entire team told that the product utilizes the antimicrobial potential of phytoconstituents present in the peels of kinnows. Punjab is the leading producer of kinnow, and processes the same into juice which is exported, thereby generating a large quantity of peel. This technology sets an example of sustainable utilization of horticulture waste by converting it into a value added product. She said that she and her team used nanotechnology to develop the formulation, which has taken 9 years of R&D. Punjab Agro Juices Ltd., Chandigarh has funded the R&D and provided significant inputs in the application of this product. Dr Manju Wadhwa’s team from GADVASU conducted application trials on poultry through contract research. The safety of the product has been ascertained by National Toxicology Centre at NIPER, only after which the technology was opened for transfer.
Dr. Amritpal Kaur, Dean Academic Affairs, Dr. Devinderpal Singh Sidhu, Registrar, Dr. Gurdeep Singh Batra, Dean Research, Dr. Ashok Malik, Director Monitoring and Planning, Dr. Jagroop Kaur, Dean College Development Council, Dr. Happy Jeji, Director, Public Relations, Balwinder Sooch, Coordinator, Technology Transfer Cell were among those who specially congratulated the research team on the occasion.
October 25,2020
