PMG EXPLORE Program

Extraordinary People Led Outstanding Research and Engineering

The PMG EXPLORE program is an attempt to foster valuable research efforts among students by active and incentivized participation with all stakeholders in field of research and engineering.

PMG intends to be the high bandwidth link between academia and industry, which is absolutely critical to align academic research with industry requirements. For we believe, research is must for progress of science, and although science enables engineering, it is engineering which changes the world, and makes is a better place for everyone.

Therefore, we must align research and researchers with useful end-goals and real customers to enable the right science and engineering.

Download the PMG EXPLORE Program Brochure
- To connect research with useful end-goals, and researchers with real customers, and facilitate active and incentivized research and engineering by our highly capable Indian Academia
- To value and award merit, to foster merit-based academics and research, and to grow a merit-based culture across Indian Academia
- To contribute to the country’s overall R&D capabilities
Technology is the currency of our generation. Scientific research is the machine that produces technology. In absence of overall understanding , visibility, and meritocracy in current research environment
- Immensely valuable research efforts and research funding is being wasted in sub-optimal or below-par research projects - Instead of usefulness or end-value creation, number of publications and citations has become the measuring scale for research - Instead of resulting public benefits, the initial funding sources are defining the path of research, while import of technology at surreal cost has become the new normal for our country

With the PMG EXPLORE program, we intend to
- Transform our regular job-like academia into a highly productive research community – the most valuable resource of a nation
- Once again bring meritocracy to the forefront in our society and culture, not only in academia but every sphere of Indian existence
PMG Engineering Private Limited
The Indian Company meeting Global Standards and delivering End-to-End Engineering Design & Construction Management in Food & Beverage Industry.

Industry Partner
Any registered client, supplier, or govt. agency, either private or government, engaged in educational, research or industrial activities.

Researcher
A student or researcher or faculty for group, who are Indian Citizens, enrolled in a full-time, part-time, or distance education or research program at a college or university
PMG or Industry Partner identified projects
PMG Team and our Industry Partners (Clients/ Suppliers/ Govt. Agencies/ others) continue to brainstorm and identify interesting and valuable research projects, which are listed on company website.
A student, researcher or faculty interested to pursue the research topic or join an existing research group can apply online here.

Student / Researcher / Faculty identified projects
Students, Researchers and Faculty are encouraged to come forward with research proposals wherein PMG Team and/ or our Industry Partners (Clients/ Suppliers/ Govt. Agencies/ others) can play a critical role in the success of the research.
A student, researcher or faculty interested in the program can apply online here.

Other Notes
- Preference is given to groups of 3 or more researchers, as teamwork is critical to success.
- Presence of a full-time faculty member in the research group to supervise / guide the research project is highly desirable
- Applications shall be scrutinized and selected based upon academic credentials, complimentary capabilities of team members, commitment to research work, quality of proposed Action Plan, and demonstrated passion for research and engineering.
- Key emphasis shall be laid on early interactions and alignment among the researchers and end-beneficiaries before finalization of Research Proposal and Funding / Support Plan

Research Focus Areas

- Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Civil and Structural Engineering
- Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
- Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science Applications
- Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
- Food Processing Technologies
- Food Safety
- Sustainability
- Food Storage and Transport
- Food and Packaging Waste Management
- Agriculture and Farm Technologies
- Lean Manufacturing
- Six Sigma
- Scientific Management
- People Practices and Systems
- Energy Efficiency
- Health and Environment

Open Research

Open for all (students, faculty, institutions). Sponsorship is merit based.

Project 103

01 July 2020

Develop a theoretical model of frying process in snacks industry, and run simulations for processing of real-world products

Research Topic Flyer | Apply for Research

Current Practice and Pain Points

  • The traditional method of frying snacks in Kadhayi is a complex process, which produces unique product texture and flavour. This has not been perfectly replicated in automatic fryers with large throughput (2-4 ton/ hr) until now.
  • Although there is high customer demand for products via Kadhayi process, manufacturers are forced to produce in Automatic Fryers to meet sales volumes viably, as the traditional process is low throughput, labor intensive, people dependent, and unhygienic / does not meet Food Safety requirements.

The Research Problem

  • To understand and model the traditional frying process using thermodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, and other techniques.
  • Quantify the temporal and spatial variables describing product transformation, temperature profile, and other relevant process variables across the frying operation
  • The model would be able to predict the final product properties (moisture, temperature, etc.) and process variables given Initial Conditions and Process Variables.

Research Methodology

  • Study of current subject knowledge and ongoing research, to produce a Review Paper
  • Develop a theoretical model to quantify, analyse and predict the product and process variables in 4D (temporal and spatial), and simulate in high fidelity models
  • Simulate for common and real-world products
  • Write research papers to publish the findings

Point of Contact

Lalit Kumar
lalit.kumar@pmg.engineering
+91-8571800851

Project 109

01 July 2020

Development of low-cost rapid test kit for home use to detect and measure unsafe levels of microbial contamination in processed fruit beverages

Research Topic Flyer | Apply for Research

Current Practice and Pain Points

  • Unavailability of low cost rapid test kits to measure microbial load makes it unviable and impossible for consumers to quantitatively determine quality of manufactured beverages
  • Consumers fail to identify whether the beverage is safe or unsafe for consumption. As a result they often fall sick, and suffer loss of work and medical costs
  • Actual product sampling, in the retail market, is a minuscule of overall sales volumes, and it is impractical, impossible, and unviable to do large scale sampling and testing
  • Even if consumer detects poor quality via sensory, no scientific method to prove or escalate

The Research Problem

  • Identify target microorganisms for spoilage detection and/ or quantification in fruit-based beverages and drinks
  • Identify chemical and biological mechanisms/ reactions in laboratory environment to detect/ quantify the presence/ concentration of the target microorganism
  • Develop an easy-to-use, low-cost, and rapid test kit to implement the identified reactions/ mechanisms to detect/quantify the targeted microorganisms, i.e. quality of product

Research Methodology

  • Study of current subject knowledge and ongoing research, to produce a Review Paper
  • Develop a theoretical model of reactions/ mechanisms with target microorganisms, conduct lab experiments, and statistically validate the hypothesis and measure performance
  • Develop prototype for test kit for real-world trials to verify performance
  • Write research papers to publish the findings

Point of Contact

Lalit Kumar
lalit.kumar@pmg.engineering
+91-8571800851

Project 139

01 July 2020

Development of low-cost rapid test kit for home use to detect and measure unsafe levels of microbial contamination in liquid milk

Research Topic Flyer | Apply for Research

Current Practice and Pain Points

  • Unavailability of low cost rapid test kits to measure microbial load makes it unviable and impossible for consumers to quantitatively determine quality of liquid milk sold in market
  • Consumers fail to identify whether the beverage is safe or unsafe for consumption. As a result they often fall sick, and suffer loss of work and medical costs
  • Actual product sampling, in the retail market, is a miniscule of overall sales volumes, and it is impractical, impossible, and unviable to do large scale sampling and testing
  • Even if consumer detects poor quality via sensory, no scientific method to prove or escalate

The Research Problem

  • Identify target microorganisms for spoilage detection and/ or quantification in liquid milk, workable on all variants (full cream, skim milk, low fat, and others)
  • Identify chemical and biological mechanisms/ reactions in laboratory environment to detect/ quantify the presence/ concentration of the target microorganism
  • Develop an easy-to-use, low-cost, and rapid test kit to implement the identified reactions/ mechanisms to detect/quantify the targeted microorganisms, i.e. quality of product

Research Methodology

  • Study of current subject knowledge and ongoing research, to produce a Review Paper
  • Develop a theoretical model of reactions/ mechanisms with target microorganisms, conduct lab experiments, and statistically validate the hypothesis and measure performance
  • Develop prototype for test kit for real-world trials to verify performance
  • Write research papers to publish the findings

Point of Contact

Lalit Kumar
lalit.kumar@pmg.engineering
+91-8571800851

Project 167

01 July 2020

Development of low-cost rapid test kit for home use to differentiate fresh milk and reconstituted milk

Research Topic Flyer | Apply for Research

Current Practice and Pain Points

  • Consumers do not have a low-cost and rapid method to determine whether the milk sold in market is farm-fresh or reconstituted. This allows manufacturers to brand and sell part-or-full reconstituted milk as fresh milk.
  • Reconstituted milk is less nutritious than fresh milk, but sold at same price. There exists possibility of partial-use of old or even expired Skim Milk Powder in reconstitution of milk.
  • This lack of visibility at consumer-end, disincentivizes and deters manufacturers to produce 100% fresh milk at all, and is an eventual business loss to dairy farmers.

The Research Problem

  • Understanding chemistry of biomolecules present in fresh milk viz-a-viz reconstituted milk to conceptualize and design processes to differentiate one from the other
  • Test the physical, chemical and/or biological processes in laboratory environment to differentiate fresh milk from reconstituted milk with statistically acceptable accuracy
  • Develop an easy-to-use, low-cost, and rapid test kit to implement the identified reactions/ mechanisms to differentiate fresh milk from reconstituted milk

Research Methodology

  • Study of current subject knowledge and ongoing research, to produce a Review Paper
  • Develop a theoretical model of reactions/ mechanisms, conduct lab experiments, and statistically validate the hypothesis and measure performance
  • Develop prototype for test kit for real-world trials to verify performance
  • Write research papers to publish the findings

Point of Contact

Lalit Kumar
lalit.kumar@pmg.engineering
+91-8571800851

Project 193

01 July 2020

To develop methods to slow down the oxidation rate of (various) Oils used in Frying process in Snacks Industry

Research Topic Flyer | Apply for Research

Current Practice and Pain Points

  • Sub-optimal design of frying equipment and process lead to mixing of moisture and air into the hot oil, resulting in thermal and oxidative decomposition of oil, and formation of polymers harmful to health. However, such oil continues to be used in manufacturing via blending with fresh oil, which superficially brings the overall quality metrics (peroxide value, acid value, FFA content) within safe limits
  • This uncontrolled thermal-oxidative decomposition of oil is a major economic loss to manufacturers and major health concern to consumers

The Research Problem

  • To understand and model the factors affecting the quality of Oils in frying process. Develop a predictive model to plot the oil properties vs time given initial conditions and constraints
  • Identify or develop catalytic ingredients which can slow down the thermal and oxidative decomposition of oil, without affecting the product quality
  • Conduct laboratory-scale trials to validate the performance on different types of cooking (frying) oil and statistically measure the improvements

Research Methodology

  • Study of current subject knowledge and ongoing research, to produce a Review Paper
  • Develop a theoretical model to quantify, analyse and predict the oil properties by deep understanding of factors responsible for thermal and oxidative decomposition of oils
  • Collate a list of possible catalytic agents/ ingredients, and plan-conduct lab-scale trials to discover any improvement in rate of oil degradation over time compared to usual trend
  • Write research papers to publish the findings

Point of Contact

Lalit Kumar
lalit.kumar@pmg.engineering
+91-8571800851