Preamble

Department of Dairy Microbiology

            Dairy Microbiology is one of the four major departments under the Faculty of Dairy Technology. We have the laboratories for Dairy and Food Microbiology, Quality Assurance and Quality Control, Dairy Microbiology and Biotechnology. Broadly, the department is engaged in teaching, research and extension activities in basic and applied microbiology of milk and milk products, food commodities and quality assurance aspects thereof including biotechnological aspects.

            The entire teaching faculty working in this department is holding Ph. D. degrees. The department has its scientific reputation on national and international arena, especially for its achievements in the field of probiotics and prebiotics since last two decades. The department has the highest number of projects, quantity-wise and the financial outlay funded from almost all of the leading funding agencies in India viz. ICAR, UGC, DBT-DST, MoFPI, MCAER (GoM) and also has a project funded by the World Bank to its credit. Majority of the scientist in this department have international exposure by means of attending IDF, SASNET-ff, PAi sponsored Conferences, Seminars, meetings held in Sweden, France, Denmark, Finland, Singapur, etc.  

            To keep pace with the latest scientific and technological developments and innovations, the staff of the department has a tradition to acquire Life Membership of various scientific bodies viz. IDA, DTSI, ISCA, AFSTI, AIAM, SASNET-ff, PAi, etc. 

            Scientists of the department have developed a Question Bank for students by virtue of which several students of the college have brought laurels for the MAFSU and the Department by top ranking and qualifiing in the All India Entrance Examinations (ICAR) for PG studies under ICAR-SAUs.

            Department has a special focus on SC/ST and downtrodden communities for its upliftment and sustainable development  by means of suitable training and demonstration options for their livelihood security. Several programmes aimed at “reaching-to-the-unreached” were conducted through DBT-DST and World Bank-funded projects. 

            The staffers under this department have over 300 publications to their credit in the journals, encyclopaedias, books and periodicals of national and international repute.

            A scientist belonging to this department bestowed with Young Scientist Award (ISCA) for hypocholesterolaemic effect of human strain of probiotic organism, GAAS’s (Gujarat) Prof. JP Trivedi Award sponsored by Hari Om-Ashram for development of First Indian Probiotic Culture till its Commercial Application, Vasantrao Naik Award for exemplary scientific achievements in the field of probiotics to combat malnutrition in tribal children, six Best Poster Awards instituted by Indian Dairy Association, Best Teacher Award (MAFSU), Best Research Scholar Award (MAFSU) and the Best Extension Worker Award (MAFSU).    

            The scientists have developed a probiotic preparation with high density probiotic population and demonstrated its positive impact in case of malnourished tribal children of 2-5 years. The department is offering M. Tech. (Dairy Microbiology) programme from the current academic session with an initial intake of two PG scholars.