DSM launches a state-of-the-art fortified rice kernel manufacturing plant in India

New Delhi: Royal DSM, a global purpose-led, science-based leader in health and nutrition, has launched a new fortified rice kernel manufacturing line near Hyderabad, to support the nutritional needs of people across the country as well as the wider region.

This is a first-of-its-kind commercial manufacturing facility, utilizing ultra-modern technology and the highest-quality production methods to create nutritionally fortified rice kernels. The plant is ISO 22000: 2018 compliant and aims to produce 3,600 tonnes of kernels per year.  

Rice is a staple food in most Indian states but the traditional milling process that creates white rice removes the nutrient-rich bran layers, thereby making it a poor source of micronutrients. According to a 2022 report published in The Lancet, nutritional deficiencies are common in India causing younger-to-middle-aged Indians fail to perform at their maximum potential and putting the elderly at risk of “calamitous neurologic events”.

* Food fortification is widely regarded as one of the most effective techniques of preventing such “hidden hunger”, which is scientifically known to contribute to ill health and subsequently can have lasting consequences for people’s economic prospects and well-being.  

DSM’s unique technology uses vitamins and minerals blended with broken rice, and safely “locked in” through a hot extrusion process to produce new rice kernels. The fully automated technique can provide the exact dosage recommended by governments around the world and prevent over- or under-dosing. This approach also decontaminates the rice of microbes, ensuring superior purity. The resulting fortified rice kernels are easily blended with raw rice as it looks, cooks and tastes the same. It is an excellent alternative for health-conscious people seeking an innovative approach to achieving health benefits without changing their dietary habits. 

Anand Diwanji, DSM’s Health Nutrition & Care Director for South Asia, said, “We are pleased to bring DSM’s world-leading expertise in improving the nutritional quality of food to where it can have such a tremendous impact on the health of so many people. This aligns with our company’s commitment to address the challenges of hidden hunger which affects people across all income groups around the world, and is supportive of the Government of India’s health agenda. We hope this production facility sets new benchmarks for quality fortification practices in the future.”

DSM expects the Hyderabad plant will serve as a base to supply India as well as the wider South Asian region, where the staple diet also heavily incorporates rice. The plant complies to GMP standards and regulation from FSSAI. Water as well as the steam used in the production process is IS 10500 certified.

‘The silent tragic reality of Hidden Hunger, anaemia, and neural-tube defects (NTDs) in India’, published in The Lancet in November 2022.