NIT Rourkela spice adulteration detection patent

NIT Rourkela has secured a patent for a rapid food‑testing system titled "Method and System for Detecting and Quantifying Adulteration in Food Stuff," combining Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) with machine learning to estimate spice adulteration levels within seconds . The institute announced the development and publication details in a press release and a study appearing in the journal Food Chemistry on April 27, 2026 .

The technology was developed by Sushil Kumar Singh, Late Poonam Singha and MTech graduate Rishabh Goyal from the department of food process engineering. In demonstration trials the team focused on coriander powder adulterated with sawdust and reported a detection accuracy of about 92% .

How the NIT Rourkela spice adulteration detection patent works

The system reads infrared absorption signatures from samples using FTIR and applies trained machine learning models to match patterns of known adulterants. Unlike binary pass/fail tests, the model estimates the level of adulteration so processors and regulators can make quicker compliance decisions.

Researchers say the approach aims to be a faster alternative to chromatography and molecular tests, reducing sample preparation and repeated chemical analysis delays. The patented method is designed for industrial quality control units and food testing laboratories and needs FTIR hardware plus model training for each food or spice type.

Why the NIT Rourkela spice adulteration detection patent matters for industry

NIT Rourkela plans pilot‑scale collaborations with food companies to test embedding the system into production lines for near real‑time screening of raw materials and processed spice batches. If pilots succeed, companies could check batches on site without waiting for external lab reports.

The institute also says future experiments will expand the framework beyond spices to other food materials, but the team notes additional datasets and model training are required for new items. The patent document and the Food Chemistry paper provide the published validation details for the coriander–sawdust trial.

For students and researchers in food process engineering, the work highlights active research opportunities and potential industry tie‑ups at NIT Rourkela. The institute’s move toward pilot deployments may create internships or project roles linked to system validation and scale‑up efforts.

Coverage gaps in public details include the patent grant date and number, specific machine learning model architectures, deployment costs, regulatory certifications and detection limits. NIT Rourkela has indicated these will be addressed during pilot studies with industry partners.

Source: NIT Rourkela press release and the study published in Food Chemistry reported on April 27, 2026 .