Processing and mechanization of Indian traditional food products

Foods/dishes that are passed through generations or which have been consumed many generations. Traditional foods are traditional in nature, and may have a historic precedent in a national dish, regional cuisine or local cuisine. These foods are not only free from additives, chemicals and many of the things we find in food today, but they were exceptionally nourishing. Indian Traditional food consists of a wide variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to the Indian subcontinent. Given the range of diversity in soil type, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially from each other and use locally available spices, herbs, vegetables and fruits. These foods are also recognized as functional foods. The Indian dietary pattern and the traditional foods evolved are based on the indigenous ayurvedic system of medicine, which admit natural ways of achieving physical and mental wellness. Traditionally, the product is prepared in batch. The process is very slow, labour intensive, results non-uniform quality of product, results unhygienic production of the product, having short shelf-life. Looking to these limitations, mechanization is the right solution which may result in production of traditional food products with uniform quality with better sensory and rheological attributes and at a larger scale of operation. This may also reduce the cost of energy and labor per unit production of the item. It also helps our traditional foods to establish in global market.