Lab Creates Seaweed Meals to Help Navy

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

MYSORE: The Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) has created seaweed toffees, energy bars, and ready-to-eat meals for the Indian Navy.

The products are said to be a result of path-breaking research in a hitherto unexplored field. The foods have reached the demonstration and induction stage, scientists told Express during a lab visit.

Sailors' Problems

Dr H V Batra, Director, DFRL, said nutraceutical products made out of marine sources, such as seaweeds, could address depression, fatigue, sea-sickness and muscular stiffness, often found among submariners and sailors undertaking long missions.

"Our main emphasis is to extract active compounds from marine sources and we are planning to attach an advanced team to an oceanographic unit. We have to provide MREs (meals ready-to-eat) with a longer shelf-life in a limited cold storage environment," Dr Batra said.

He described the naval ration supply as a challenge. Initial trials of the ready-to-eat meals were held at naval bases in Kochi, Vishakhapatnam and Mumbai.

DFRL plans initially to supply toffees and energy bars made of seaweeds to the Indian Navy.

Its scientists are working on developing other varieties of fresh, semi-processed and fully-processed foods for the Navy.

Customised Food

"We have to customise our products. A submariner undergoes psychological and physiological stress for want of physical activity and space. For marine commandos, the weight of the meal has to be as low as possible," Dr P S Raju, Associate Director of the lab, said. The lab will also comply with international packing and food waste disposal norms.

"We are also working on anti-sea sickness food based on fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs," Dr S Nadanasabapathy, senior scientist, said. Use of seaweed as by soldiers is not new. Wounded Japanese soldiers were given seaweed juice when they ran out of blood, while British soldiers ate seaweed limes to address degenerative disorders, DFRL scientists said.

"We are confident our packaged seaweed meals will be the first in the world for a military application," Dr S Nadanasabapathy said.

Lab Creates Seaweed Meals to Help Navy - The New Indian Express

 

[Ray]

Actually, the Japanese eat seaweed. It is called 'Nori'.

I, myself, enjoy eating Nori with or without it being in the Sushi.

I prepare sushi myself.

I think it is a bit of an exaggeration on the part of the Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) to claim that they have made a path breaking discovery.

The manner in which the DRDO and this case DFRL present and sensationalise their reverse engineered products as if they have done something original and attempt to bluff is why the military is very suspicious of their claims.

Here are Sushi chocolates
http://www.romanicoschocolate.com/Miami-Sushi-Box_p_484.html


Seaweed Recipes: believe it or not, healthy meals can be tasty!

Seaweed Soups
Clear Soup with Wakame
Miso Soup with Wakame Seaweed
Miso Noodle Soup with Wakame and Spinach by Rachel of the Friendly Kitchen
Mother Earth Ocean Soup
Rare and Common Soup
Shiitake and Wakame Soup
Simple Seaweed Soup

Kitchen Caravan Seaweed Recipes
Emma and Sophia of Kitchen Caravan have come up with 3 mouth-watering seaweed recipes and are sharing it with us at Ocean Vegetables! Want to try something refreshing with ingredients from the sea? These were made for the 4th of July celebrations, but hey, why not make any day a celebration? Check them out...

Basil Mint Agar Gelatin with Nectarines
Dulse, Avocado, and Tomato Sandwiches
Purple Potato Salad with Arame
Bulk organic herbs, spices and essential oils. Sin

Seaweed Drinks
Bladderwrack Tea

Seaweed Salads
These seaweed recipes of salads add a different taste to our everyday meals. They're simple and nutritious. Add these to your main course or take it as a light meal in itself!
Green and Purple Salad
Japanese Salad with Umeboshi Dressing
Purple Potato Salad with Arame
Tropical Beach Salad
Wakame Salad from Gone Raw
Wakame Seaweed and Cucumber Salad

Seaweed Snacks
Crispy seaweed - nori crisps
Korean Omelet
Seaweed Pizza
Spicy Cod Roe Spaghetti using S&B

Hawaiian Recipes

Ahi Poke
Mochiko Chicken with Seaweed
Spam Musubi
Squash and Tofu Musubi by Boy Bennett
Japanese Recipes
Ramen Noodle Sushi
Smoked Salmon and Avocado Nori Rolls
Zaru-soba


http://www.oceanvegetables.com/seaweed-recipes.html

 

[Twinblade]

Kelp tastes midway between Dhania (Coriander/Cilantro) and Methi (fenugreek) with a slight flavour of fish and slimy texture, like boiled spinach. Very nutritious.

 

[Ray]

Nori is edible seaweed species of the red algae.

The finished products are made by a shredding and rack-drying process that resembles papermaking.

 

[Ray]

Production and processing of nori is an advanced form of agriculture. The biology of Porphyra, although complicated, is well understood, and this knowledge is used to control the production process.

Farming takes place in the sea where the Porphyra plants grow attached to nets suspended at the sea surface and where the farmers operate from boats.

The plants grow rapidly, requiring about 45 days from "seeding" until the first harvest. Multiple harvests can be taken from a single seeding, typically at about ten-day intervals.

Harvesting is accomplished using mechanical harvesters of a variety of configurations. Processing of raw product is mostly accomplished by highly automated machines that accurately duplicate traditional manual processing steps, but with much improved efficiency and consistency. The final product is a paper-thin, black, dried sheet of approximately 18 cm × 20 cm (7 in × 8 in) and 3 grams (0.11 oz) in weight.

Several grades of nori are available in the United States. The most common, and least expensive, grades are imported from China, costing about six cents per sheet. At the high end, ranging up to 90 cents per sheet, are "delicate shin-nori" (nori from the first of the year's several harvests) cultivated in Ariake Sea, off the island of Kyushu in Japan".

In Japan, over 600 square kilometres (230 sq mi) of Japanese coastal waters are given to producing 350,000 tonnes (340,000 long tons) of nori, worth over a billion dollars. China produces about a third of this amount.

Wiki

 

[Ray]

In a way I am happy that the DFRL has introduced it in the Navy.

This is a highly nutritious meal.

India has a huge coastline and so production of Nori should be taken up in a big way and introduced initially as a soup for the Midday Meal concept for Schools so that malnutrition is minimised and the soup, apart from other food, does the children good.

I am sure it can catch on just like the soya bean did.

When Modi goes to Japan, I hope he is given a tasty Nori soup (vegetarian) so that, being the innovative person he is, he introduces the same all over India as a MNREGA scheme and in the midday meal programme.

 

[hitesh]

DRDO should also develop method to prepare ready to eat system through which you could make food from locally available ingredients in desert or jungle like grass,leaves, rats ,snakes ,termites ...like put all together and it will you a prepared dish ready to eat . DRDO should make Mr 'Bear Grylls' there food adviser so that he could advice what all living & non living creatures can be made available for not only SF solders but for common solders & it will bring an end to the food problems in remote areas but i hope this would not irritate the already irritated common solder on the border areas who is already frustrated with the lack of common facilities one would expect .

 

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

Instant Seaweed Meals to Help Indian Navy Beat Sea sickness | idrw.org
.
@Ray sir, here is better reference.
.
the first reference quote of 'ground breaking research' is an add by reporter. No such word by DRDO officials

 

[Ray]

Instant Seaweed Meals to Help Indian Navy Beat Sea sickness | idrw.org
.
@Ray sir, here is better reference.
.
the first reference quote of 'ground breaking research' is an add by reporter. No such word by DRDO officials

Thanks.

However, having seen them in action at close quarters, I would not be surprised that some coot of a scientist from the DFRL would have claimed so. This is their normal behaviour and that is the reason why none of the projects work out

They promise the moon and produce the tin moon that you see in Bollywood films, shot in the studio.

 

[Ray]

DRDO should also develop method to prepare ready to eat system through which you could make food from locally available ingredients in desert or jungle like grass,leaves, rats ,snakes ,termites ...like put all together and it will you a prepared dish ready to eat . DRDO should make Mr 'Bear Grylls' there food adviser so that he could advice what all living & non living creatures can be made available for not only SF solders but for common solders & it will bring an end to the food problems in remote areas but i hope this would not irritate the already irritated common solder on the border areas who is already frustrated with the lack of common facilities one would expect .

One of the problem with the troops is that they are suspicious of food that they are not used to either in look or taste.

Tinned keema produced at a factory near Tundla, constructed at a huge cost, went to seed, since the troops would not eat it imagining it to be beef.

Snakes have been eaten by those who have done the Commando course.

I have seen Assam Regt chaps living off forest produce, both animal, insect, fruits, berries and so on.

 

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

Thanks.

However, having seen them in action at close quarters, I would not be surprised that some coot of a scientist from the DFRL would have claimed so. This is their normal behaviour and that is the reason why none of the projects work out

They promise the moon and produce the tin moon that you see in Bollywood films, shot in the studio.

sir, navy doesn't have any problem of DRDO and quite happy with indigenous designs
.
its army and air force which keep changing its requirement. For example if you have told to go for delhi from mumbai, you are half way and then you are told to go for chennai. It will need much more time.

 

[Ray]

sir, navy doesn't have any problem of DRDO and quite happy with indigenous designs
.
its army and air force which keep changing its requirement. For example if you have told to go for delhi from mumbai, you are half way and then you are told to go for chennai. It will need much more time.

They have, but it is not mentioned.

An employee of private company Larsen & Toubro was killed when the lid of a pressure tank to be installed on an Arihant- class follow up nuclear sub, codenamed S-3, blew off at the facility in Visakhapatnam, which is operated by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

A Defence Ministry statement said, "The accident is in no way related with any nuclear related activity. The submarines are safe, and the accident does not adversely affect the project activities or the activities of the Indian Navy or the DRDO
Indian Naval Incidents Spur Calls To Boost Private Industry's Role in Defense | Defense News | defensenews.com

Well, as far as the Army changing its GSQR is concerned, I will say that when the GSQR is given, the DRDO promises better, It is changed and like that it goes on endlessly.

By the time the prototype is given for trials, the technology has changed and the adversary has better equipment. Obviously you cannot take some obsolete junk that is past its expiry date!

Let me give you an example of their making the Kitchen Lorry. They took a 3 Ton truck, fitted a Ludhiana washing machine (the old type which Punjabi rural women use for churning milk to make butter. The DRDO was using it to make dal), added an oven (those days there were no microwave ovens) and a small refrigerator and hey presto, it was a Kitchen Lorry! They got huge funds to 'design' it and it was given for trials way behind schedule!

Every delay is music to the DRDO ears. Delay means more funds to 'experiment' and 'innovate'.

If Navy has had no problem that why are their Projects not seeing the light of day?

I am not being a cynic. It is just that they disappoint.

Every military want indigenisation. It will ensure steady supply and we will not worry about sanctions.

In a war, it is our lives that are on the block!

 

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

@Ray sir, instead IA and IAF can add those and ask army for new variant of it.
.
for example many died cause of crashes of mig21, iaf instead should have inducted tejas as fast as possible and would have asked for a tejas mk2 then. But they tried another way.
.
not a single weapon is as capable as akash,tejas,arjun,astra etc. In pakistan army.
.
just an example of navy- they wanted kolkata class with composites structure, but then they understood problem as later ships structure were started so navy told to do it for last two.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

Dr H V Batra, Director, DFRL, said nutraceutical products made out of marine sources, such as seaweeds, could address depression, fatigue, sea-sickness and muscular stiffness, often found among submariners and sailors undertaking long missions.

I believe the Royal Navy resolved all those issues with lime juice and rum.

 

[abhi_the _gr8_maratha]

I believe the Royal Navy resolved all those issues with lime juice and rum.

how much can line juice be preserved? It will definitely affect the health of navymen cause of preservative. Imagine someone drinking rum and total down and enemy attacks submarine.

 

[Ray]

Indian Navy Procurement Plan
Indian Navy Procurement Plan

One cannot introduce unproven equipment and then wait for a better product, for the simple reason, that aircraft (eg Tejas) cost a lot & finances for defence is not limitless.

Now onto Mig 21 and crashes.

The Mig-21 FL (Type-77) was an air-defence aircraft. It was designed as such with a long nose and could fly at speeds up to Mach 2.05 (2.05 times the speed of sound).

Trouble actually began after the Hunter aircraft were phased out by the IAF. Indian designers promised another aircraft that could be utilized for ground attack but this never came. Finally, the Mig-21 FL had to be used for this role as well though it wasn't designed for this.

To be a capable ground attack aircraft, its nose had to be far shorter than the Mig-21's. In the Mig-21 FL, the pilot had difficulty in spotting whatever was below. Aircraft started stalling when pilots attempted to fit them into the new role. This is when the crashes started and pilots lost lives.

There was a time when the only true combat aircraft that we had was the Mig-21. It was being used for everything. When Pakistan got its surface to air missiles, it was realized that IAF pilots would need to learn to fly low to evade enemy radar that controlled the missiles. Again the Mig-21 FL was put to the test. The aircraft was not fit for this and the pilots still couldn't see the ground as they practically skimmed the treetops. The rate of accidents went up all over again and people started calling the aircraft names without getting into details,

This was what Air Vice Marshal (retd) Madhusudan Banerjee who has flown nearly 3,500 hours in Mig-21s said.

 

[W.G.Ewald]

how much can line juice be preserved? It will definitely affect the health of navymen cause of preservative. Imagine someone drinking rum and total down and enemy attacks submarine.

The rum ration was never incapacitating, and the RN ruled the waves for a long time. As for the imagined preservative in the lime juice... well. I think you just like to quibble.

If provisions were lacking liquor certainly was not. Fresh water, even in casks, would not keep for long and in an early century wine or beer was substituted. The usual ration was a gallon per day per man. The common saying was "We'll sail as long as the beer lasts". As there was nothing else to drink except rain-water or melted snow the remark seems an obvious one...

Admiral Vernon in 1740, while commander-in-chief of the West Indies squadron, ordered his captains and surgeons to make recommendations regarding the rum issue. The resulting mixture is called grog after the nickname of the admiral, 'Old Grog'. In 1850 the ration was reduced again to the present half-gill.

The inscription in brass letters on the grog tub "The King, God Bless Him" originates from the custom, regrettably no longer observed, of toasting the sovereign with the first sip of a tot. When all hands had worked in repairing the mainbrace, the heaviest piece of rigging in the ship -- an evolution not often carried out -- it was usual to issue an extra tot of rum. Thus developed the custom of Splice the Mainbrace.

Royal Navy Customs and Traditions

Anyway, I doubt DRDO consulted IN sailors about eating seaweed.

 

[Dovah]

10/10. Will eat.

 

[suryaprabu02]

Hi, would you like to remodelling your kitchen. There is a lot of varieties in the modular design, So you are selecting a good decorators for your kitchen remodelling.