Indian Bioinnovation Center Partners With State Government To Create Plant-Based Energy Bars

Bangalore Bioinnovation Center (BBC) has teamed up with the state agriculture department of Karnataka, India, to produce energy bars made from local pulses. This project aims to support "science-to-farm innovation" that benefits farmers and promotes sustainable agriculture. The energy bars are made from pulses like toor dal, black gram, green gram, and Bengal gram, combined with plant-based ingredients such as peanuts, jaggery, oats, and pumpkin seeds.

BBC launched this initiative as part of the Kalyana Karnataka Bio-Economy Mission to create a regional agricultural roadmap. The goal is to add more value to the agricultural output of Karnataka by turning locally grown pulses into ready-to-eat plant-based energy bars. This innovation is seen as crucial in a region where a significant amount of pulses are exported as raw produce. Shri Priyank Kharge, the Minister for IT, Biotechnology, and e-Governance, emphasized the importance of innovation in understanding regional agricultural products, meeting market demand, and increasing consumption.