Perfumery and aromatherapy workshop held in Dehradun

The Chemistry and Bioprospecting Division of Forest Research Institute (FRI) along with the Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre, Kannauj, jointly organised a five-day training-cum-workshop on essential oils, perfumery and aroma-therapy from September 5 in Dehradun.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the event, FRI’s Director Dr. Savita highlighted various benefits of aroma on human health & environment and underlined the need for exploring new sources and applications of essential oils other than the conventional ones. She stated that the aroma sector has shown impressive growth in India at an estimated rate of 10-11 per cent annually. Forest based fragrances have a key role in women empowerment through provision of livelihood and income opportunities for rural as well as urban women.

Former principal secretary of science and technology in Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Harsharan Das emphasised on the scope, potential, and opportunities of fragrance and flavour in healthcare, cosmetics, food processing and aromatherapy sectors. Under the prevailing scenario of business in aroma sector, Mr. Das stressed on the need for integration of various disciplines like bioinformatics, biotechnology, chemistry, modern processing and distillation technology to put the Indian aroma sector at the forefront of global trade.

In his address, FFDC’s Director Mr. S. V. Shukla said that the fragrance & flavour industry is largely dependent on resources from forests. In such a scenario, institutions like FRI and FFDC hold great promise in supporting and facilitating the aroma industries in the country. The training cum workshop provided detailed exposure to fundamental and applied aspects of processing, quality assessment and therapeutic benefits of essential oils. The event was aimed at upgrading knowledge of professionals working in the area of fragrance & flavour and to impart knowledge and skills to those interested in building career or establish business in the aroma sector.