CFTRI says Coca Cola interested in its carbonated fruit juice

Government food lab took up work after Modi's talk to cola companies of adding fruit

A government-run food lab in Mysuru has developed carbonated fruit juice products based on grape, apple and pomegranate with 20 per cent fruit juice content, which it claims has evoked interest of Coca Cola.

The Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), a unit of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), launched the juice cola with around 20 per cent fruit content on Monday.

"Coca Cola officials were here.. They have expressed interest and taken the samples," said Ram Rajasekharan, director of CFTRI.

In September 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked multinational beverage firms such as Coca Cola and Pepsi to blend five per cent natural juice in their colas, which would give help farmers find a market for their produce.

"We took up after that. We held meetings with the beverage companies. They said adding five per cent too will affect the product. We have shown that 20 per cent is good and the juice is tasty," he said. The product has a shelf life of four months.

Earlier in the day, CFTRI said it has set up an integrated sugarcane juice processing and bottling unit that would bottle sugarcane juice with shelf-life of four months.

The unit has taken shape under the rural development programs of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and soon such a unit will be replicated in association with farmers' cooperatives and SHGs in other sugarcane growing regions, a statement said. The project was launched by Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Harshavardhan.

The two tonnes per day plant will be commissioned in 90 days which will be 'Drive-in Plant' for sugarcane farmers of the nearby region, the statement said. Mysuru and Mandya, regions irrigated by river Cauvery, are sugarcane belts of Karnataka. The technology has been commercialised by over 20 odd entrepreneurs.

The beverage which is natural with multitude of health benefits has the potential to dominate the emerging wellness market. The unit has taken shape under the rural development programs of CSIR and soon such a unit will be replicated in association with farmers' cooperatives and SHGs in other sugarcane growing regions.