Kings Infra Ventures has signed a pact with the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (ICAR-CIFT) on 22 August, 2022 for developing ready-to-eat and ready-to-serve fish products by adopting steam or water immersion technology capable of achieving very long shelf life under normal room temperature, without using any chemical additives or preservatives. Safe food products with very long shelf life in ambient storage conditions in accordance with the stipulations of the US FDA and other regulatory agencies would be the focus of the project.

"The innovative project would also help in providing an opportunity for optimising ingredients, processing and heating conditions of the region-specific ethnic dishes," said Shaji Baby John chairman and managing director of Kings Infra. Elimination of the need for special storage temperature is the main advantage of the project, he added. The ready-to-eat/serve delicacies would be packed either in metal cans or retortable pouches.

Commenting on the venture, CIFT director Leena Edwin lauded Kings Infra for taking the initiative for commercial utilisation of the technology. “We have developed several such innovative technologies that could act as catalysts for improving the value creation in the seafood sector. We hope to have a long-term partnership with Kings Infra in many other areas,” she added.

The two entities would also collaborate on a project on a modified method of Chitin and Chitosan production of shrimp shells and shrimps which are normally thrown away as waste material. The modified technology developed by ICAR-CIFT uses a specially designed machine which reduces chemical usage in the production of Chitin/Chitosan making the process more sustainable. The process helps in improving the quality of chitin and chitosan at a reduced cost. The effluent treatment cost is also reduced due to the cutting down in chemical usage. The protein separated can be used for many products including feed and other bio active molecules.

Shaji Baby John and Senior Management team of Kings Infra and Head of Departments and Scientists from CIFT attended the Technology License Agreement signing ceremony held at CIFT headquarters in Kochi.