Kanpur, Jun 17 (IANS): The National Sugar Institute (NSI) in Kanpur has come out with various bakery and confectionery products using liquid or powdered jaggery (gur), which is said to be a healthier option to sugar.

Jaggery or gur is a traditional sweetener in India which is preferred to the white sugar because of its medicinal properties.

The NSI in Kanpur, has successfully developed many varieties of products like chocolates, brownie, cakes, jaggery popcorns etc.

The sugar technology division of the institute has been working on this for the last two years and the process has now been standardised.

According to Prof. Narendra Mohan, director of the institute. "It was being considered as a challenge to produce such products maintaining their quality, shelf life and taste but the efforts made by the institute in developing superior quality liquid and powdered jaggery (gur), has paved way for production of such over-the-counter products."

He said in view of demand for such products and investment profiles, the institute is looking forward to working with the ministry of rural development and ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) for setting up units around sugar factories and areas having sugarcane availability.

The MSME sector has expressed its inclination to use this technology forward for setting up micro and small units and regional centres from Uttar Pradesh. Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha had already approached the institute for working out the process for taking forward the technologies developed by it.