NATURAL HUES: Flower dyes will colour sweets and even biryani. A Telegraph picture

Play Holi with natural abir and savour sweets ? jalebi, laddoo, et al ? sparkling in floral hues. Encouraged by the raging response to its brainchild, natural abir, last year, Jadavpur University has been piloting a project of converting floral dyes into food-grade colours that can be used in sweets, as well as other delicacies like biryani and pulao.

?The project is now at its initial stage. We have supplied the floral colours to select shops and there has been no complaint of side effects,? said Siddhartha Datta, head of the university?s chemical engineering department. ?We will wait for some time before expanding our operations.?

Sweets and dishes like biryani and pulao are prepared with a chemical colour called metanil yellow, that adds both flavour and hue to them. ?The chemical is strictly meant for industrial use. Too much intake of this carcinogenic product can cause cancer,? warned Datta.

To replace the harmful component, the department has come up with natural colours derived from flowers, including marigold, hibiscus, aparajita, palash and dopati. The colours are extracted at the university?s plant in Bagnan, Howrah.

?We have run the necessary tests to ensure that the colours are not hazardous. We are satisfied with the results,? added Datta.

With the new venture on a roll, the department has expanded its production of natural abir. Last Holi, 700 kg of natural abir was sold out in just three days. This year, the department has set an even higher target.

It has bought 3,000 kg of talcum powder for producing the abir, and more than 2,000 kg of the finished product has already been sold to vendors from across the city.

?Last year, the buyers were mostly from south Calcutta. But this time round, requests are pouring in from all parts of the city, the districts and even from outside the state,? Datta said. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have already been sent 100 kg of abir each, Burdwan 150 kg, Bolpur 100 kg, Howrah 200 kg, North and South 24-Parganas 100 kg each, and East Midnapore 150 kg.

?As it?s a no-profit-no-loss venture, the price is very reasonable. We are selling the abir to vendors at Rs 50 a kg. Customers are getting it at Rs 75,? he added.

About the abir and floral colour projects, registrar Rajat Bandyopadhyay said: ?We feel these kinds of ventures will increase our interaction with society and open up employment avenues.?