Mumbai, 5 October 2026: Fermenta Biotech Limited, India's leading manufacturer of premium-grade APIs, intermediates, and nutritional premixes for the global markets, today announced the inauguration of the ‘Fermenta – Centre of Excellence for Food Fortification’ at the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management – Thanjavur (“NIFTEM-T”).

Developed as a collaborative initiative involving the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (“MoFPI”), Government of India; NIFTEM-T; Fermenta Biotech Limited; and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (“GAIN”), the Centre brings together government, academia, industry and nutrition expertise on a common platform.

The Centre was inaugurated by Dr. Ranjit Singh, IA & AS, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, in the presence of Prof. V. Palanimuthu, Director, NIFTEM-T; Mr. Prashant Nagre, Managing Director, Fermenta Biotech Limited; and Dr. Bhuvaneswari Balasubramanian, Country Director, GAIN India.

The inauguration marks an important step in advancing India’s food fortification efforts, bringing together scientific expertise, technical capabilities and infrastructure to advance innovation in food processing and nutrition. The Centre is designed to enable research, knowledge exchange and collaborative efforts that can support the development of effective fortification approaches relevant to India’s nutritional needs.

Fermenta – Centre of Excellence for Food Fortification will focus on translating fortification science into practical applications through the development, demonstration and dissemination of fortified food technologies. By bridging research with real-world implementation, the Centre aims to facilitate scalable and application-oriented solutions for commonly consumed foods. Its scope also provides opportunities to strengthen engagement between academia and industry and to build technical capabilities relevant to India's evolving nutrition and food-processing landscape.

As envisaged, the Centre will also facilitate industry exposure for students, sponsored research, technology transfer, and engagement with food startups and innovators. The initial framework will focus on fortification opportunities across commonly consumed staples, including edible oil and wheat flour.

Commenting on the inauguration, Mr. Prashant Nagre, Managing Director, Fermenta Biotech Limited, said:

“The real measure of innovation in food fortification is its ability to move from the laboratory into foods that can be produced, adopted and consumed at scale. Through the Fermenta – Centre of Excellence for Food Fortification, our focus is on helping bridge that critical gap—from scientific development and validation to practical food applications. Fermenta will bring its expertise in nutritional ingredients, premixes and fortification to support solutions that are technically sound, commercially viable and relevant to the needs of the food industry. This is where we believe science can begin to translate into meaningful nutritional impact. Fermenta is happy to dedicate this Centre to the nation.”

Commenting on the inauguration, Prof. V. Palanimuthu, Director, NIFTEM-T, said:

“The establishment of the Fermenta – Centre of Excellence for Food Fortification marks an important milestone in NIFTEM-T’s efforts to translate scientific research into practical solutions for improving nutrition and strengthening the food-processing sector. The Centre will provide a strong platform for applied research, technology development and demonstration, capacity building, industry–academia collaboration, and knowledge exchange in the field of food fortification. By bringing together the complementary strengths of NIFTEM-T, Fermenta and GAIN, we aim to develop scalable and industry-relevant fortification solutions for commonly consumed foods and facilitate their effective adoption. We look forward to the Centre emerging as a national platform for innovation, skill development and technology transfer in food fortification, contributing meaningfully to India’s nutrition and food-processing ecosystem.”

Commenting on the inauguration, Dr. Bhuvaneswari Balasubramanian, Country Director, GAIN India, said:

“The partnership that started a little over a year ago between Fermenta and NIFTEM Thanjavur to accelerate innovation in food fortification and strengthen research, development, and knowledge exchange in food processing and nutrition technologies is now celebrating a milestone with the inauguration of the Centre of Excellence in Food Fortification (CEFF). A state-of-the-art facility, CEFF brings together the commitment, passion, and promise of Fermenta and NIFTEM-T in building capacity and driving excellence in the promotion of nutritious foods. We at GAIN are delighted to have been a bridge for this partnership and stand together as partners as we look to celebrate future milestones and achievements. Public-private partnerships like these that build on synergies and complementarities are the backbone to address malnutrition at scale.”

With the facility now operational, the collaboration moves into an implementation phase, creating a sustained pathway to advance promising fortification solutions from concept and validation toward practical adoption across India’s food ecosystem.