Young undergraduate creates ‘cream milk tea butter’ product
While there has been a far cry that the country’s universities are lackadaisical and fail to produce employable and creative graduates, in the yesteryear those coming out of universities were considered excellent.
Undergraduate Ms. K. Uduli Indumini, Peradeniya University, winner under ‘Most Innovative Process Category for the Process – Cream Milk Tea Butter’.
At present there are some universities that understood the development and commercial strategies of the country and in fact gear their undergraduates to invent products and services that could reach international market.
This was apparent at the launch of the ‘Pro-Food, Pro-Pack and Ag-Biz 2020 (Sri Lanka’s largest food, packaging and agriculture Expo’) and the presentation of awards for the stall holders and the large number of university undergraduates who invented various products, under Food-Science, Food-Technology and Food-Safety. The event took place at the Cinnamon Grand, Colombo last week.
At this event there were a large number of undergraduates from some universities lined up to receive the prestigious accolades for their achievements.
Further, the National Science Foundation (NSF) under its Technological Grants Scheme has awarded financial assistance to various universities to invent various exceptional products and services that would hit not only the local market, but also the world market. In fact some of them have reached the international market already as some of these products have been really unique. The Business Times has been serialising these university achievements which has been partly funded by the NSF.
During the event, the Business Times spoke to one of these award winners, undergraduate Ms. K. Uduli Indumini, Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya.
She became the winner under the ‘Most Innovative Process Category’ for the process she has invented – Cream Milk Tea Butter – a product introduced for tea lovers all around the world – a butter that gives sumptuous flavour of tea along with creamy taste of butter. The butter too was manufactured by the Faculty of Agriculture of the university.
The tea taste is imbibed into butter so that when bread is eaten with this butter one gets the taste of butter as well as tea. She said that she was mindful of ‘Ceylon Tea’ that is accepted as the best tea in the world and thought that with her ‘process’ there would be a certain boost for Ceylon Tea further. No sooner when the product goes to the market, it would hit the international market, she added.
The Pro-Food, Pro-pack and Ag-Biz 2020 is scheduled to be held on August 7-9 August at the BMICH, organised by the Sri Lanka Food Processors Association (SLFPA). There would be around 370 stalls while more than 30,000 visitors are expected to visit the exhibition.
This year’s exhibition has two separate pavilions from the largest global players – India and China and over 100 companies from India and China are expected to participate. The highlight of this year’s exhibition is the Food Carnival and the Cooking Studio.
Sarath Alahakoon, President, SLPA said that this is an opportunity for the farmers to reach the public with their products along with food processing companies, with many new products and food packaging companies.
He indicated that encouraging university students to innovate new products and ideas, along with the industry, to recognise their efforts and award them, has become part and parcel of the event.