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HomePosts Tagged "Guwahati"
Logistics, Supply Chain, Warehousing

Operations commenced at its newly acquired warehouse in Guwahati, Assam, featuring advanced ‘multi-temperature control’ capabilities

Snowman Logistics Limited, a leading cold chain and integrated temperature-controlled logistics service provider in India has initiated operations at a newly leased multi-temperature-controlled warehouse in Guwahati, Assam. The total capacity of the warehouse is 5,152 pallets and this facility features eight chambers and four loading bays, equipped with the latest infrastructure. Specifically designed to accommodate products from ambient temperatures to minus 25 degrees Celsius, the warehouse will primarily focus on providing storage, handling and transportation services for ice cream, poultry, ready-to-eat food, dairy products, confectionery, bakery products, seafood, fruits and vegetables. Other products include pharmaceuticals, specialised chemicals and various commodities.

Sunil Nair, CEO, of Snowman Logistics said “The inauguration of our latest facility in Guwahati signifies a momentous achievement for Snowman Logistics. This establishment marks our initial venture into a fully leased cold storage facility, aligning with our strategic move towards becoming asset-light. With this expansion, our overall pallet capacity has soared to an impressive 1,41,000+ pallets, strategically distributed across 20 cities, thereby expanding our foothold in Northeast India.

Snowman Logistics has garnered extensive expertise in the storage, handling, and transportation of diverse products, spanning the food, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and specialized chemicals sectors. Our commitment to innovation is evident through the incorporation of technology-enabled facilities and platforms. This, coupled with our unwavering dedication, allows us to consistently provide tailor-made solutions that cater to the dynamic needs of the industries we serve.

Operations commenced at its newly acquired warehouse

Acquaculture, Agro Universities, R&D

The sensor has been tested for adulterated fish at lab scale as well on fish available in the fish markets of the Guwahati region.

Nanomaterials and Nanoelectronics Laboratory, headed by Dr Hemen Kr. Kalita, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Guwahati University, Assam has developed a cost-effective formalin sensor using tin oxide-reduced graphene oxide composite that can effectively detect the presence of formalin in adulterated fishes.

A new low-cost sensor made of metal oxide nanoparticles–reduced graphene oxide composite can detect formalin adulteration in fishes at room temperature in a non-invasive way. The sensor shows long-term stability with a low detection limit.

Food adulteration is the practice of adding illegal or harmful substances to food to make it appear more appealing or to increase its shelf life. Formaldehyde is a colourless, pungent gas that is used in a variety of industrial processes, including as a preservative in some foods, commonly in fish in developing countries. However, the use of formaldehyde in food is illegal in many countries, as it is a known carcinogen.

Commercial formalin sensors for fish are primarily electrochemical-based or colorimetric-based. Electrochemical sensors are extensively used but are expensive. On the other hand, calorimetric sensors are less expensive. But both methods are invasive. Moreover, low-level detection and selective detection are two major issues with these sensors. The development of 2D materials-based gas sensors has created a new avenue of effective detection of toxic vapours at room temperature. These sensors have the potential to detect the formalin evaporated from adulterated food products.

Graphene oxide (GO), the oxidized form of graphene, exhibits high solution processability and ease of chemical modification with other materials such as metals, metal oxides, or polymers. However, the low electrical conductivity of GO posed a challenge and the scientists overcame this by developing the tin oxide-reduced graphene oxide composite (rGO- SnO2).

While reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has been used to detect various toxic gases and VOCs, tin oxide (SnO2) has been extensively investigated for formaldehyde detection in pristine form and by incorporating it with various compounds, including graphene, due to its high stability and high sensitivity toward low concentrations of formaldehyde.

The researchers synthesised graphene oxide (GO) through a process called the wet chemical approach and tin oxide-reduced graphene oxide composite (rGO- SnO2) was synthesised by hydrothermal route followed by calcination of the obtained product. They found that the sensor made of tin oxide decorated reduced graphene oxide effectively sensed formaldehyde vapour at room temperature.

The sensor has been tested for adulterated

Agri Genomics, Agro Universities, India, R&D

ICAR- NRC Guwahati completes Genome Sequencing of indigenous and exotic breeds of pigs.

Whole genome sequencing of two indigenous breeds of pigs, namely Ghungroo (INDIA_PIG_2100_GHOONGROO_09001) and Mali (INDIA_PIG_1900_MALI_09009), and assembly was successfully completed up to the chromosome level. The research work was carried out at ICAR-National Research Centre on Pig, Rani, Guwahati.

Along with the indigenous breeds, genome sequencing of two exotic breeds of pigs (Hampshire and Large White Yorkshire, LWY) upto chromosome level, for which scaffold-level assemblies were only available, was also completed.

The mean size of the genome is about 2.55GB and contains about 40 per cent of repetitive elements, with minor differences between various pig genomes. The analysis of repeated elements in genome shows a distribution among class I retrotransposons (long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs, 17.3 per cent) short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs, 3.3 per cent) and long terminal repeat elements (LTRs, 6.8 per cent). The porcine genome contains about 25000 genes with 1580 common single nucleotide variations in indigenous pig breeds as compared to 4100 in exotic animals.

 Various classes of variants were identified through a genome-level comparison of Ghungroo, Hampshire, Mali and LWY genomes with the reference assembly Sscrofa11.1. Analysis revealed more than 100800 structural variants in the genomes of four breeds, with 46687 deletions, 352 duplications, and 53825 insertions. Unique variants of heat shock protein genes identified in indigenous Mali and Ghungroo genome provides insights into adaptability of indigenous animals. The assembled genome will serve as a resource for further understanding the porcine genome and promote application in functional genomics.

ICAR- NRC Guwahati completes Genome Sequencing of

Agrotech, Company News, India, People, Sustainability

The new program, MANDI, aims to benefit 50,000 farmers by end of 2023

Mastercard and ACCESS Development Services announced the launch of a new program in Assam focused on empowering farmer-producer organisations (FPOs) in the state. The program, Mainstreaming Agriculture through Networks and Development Initiatives, or MANDI, aims to strengthen FPOs by helping build their capacity through structured technical assistance by a professional cadre of trainers.

According to the ACCESS baseline survey of FPOs in Guwahati, 95 per cent of organisations cited access to markets as their key challenge along with a lack of financial services and the awareness and knowledge to avail of government schemes.

Mastercard and ACCESS are aiming to help address these challenges by facilitating training frameworks, curricula, and tools for FPOs. The program will focus on accelerating growth and development among FPOs and enhancing the financial literacy among farmers by Training them in best agricultural practices, Improving their access to market linkages, and digital tools, Generating awareness about financial services along with the available government schemes
The program has been operational on a pilot basis in Assam for the last six months and has been able to onboard 83 FPOs to date. As it continues, MANDI aims to benefit 50,000 farmers by the end of 2023.

The launch event was attended by Sankar Das, AGM, NABARD, Dr Jayanta Sharma, Senior Scientist, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kahikuchi, Dr Lalit Sharma, Director, Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, and other distinguished guests.

Vipin Sharma, CEO, ACCESS Development Services, said, “The adoption of agritech solutions has played a vital role in streamlining the supply chains and addressing diverse challenges related to market linkages and access to financial services. There is a need to strengthen FPOs through technology to ensure increased connectivity and enhanced productivity. We are thrilled to collaborate with Mastercard and facilitate the tools, curriculum, and skills to ensure long-term sustainability for FPOs.”

Gautam Aggarwal, Division President, South Asia, Mastercard, said, “FPOs face several challenges to growth due to lack of digital infrastructure and technical skills. The MANDI program aims to address these issues by establishing a sustainable model that bolsters the resilience of smallholder farmers as well as supports self-reliance for FPOs by equipping them with knowledge, digital tools, and training. This initiative advances the Government of India’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and reiterates Mastercard’s commitment to connecting more people to the digital economy, including those who earn their livelihoods from agriculture.”

The new program, MANDI, aims to benefit