What is food technology?

In the food processing industry, food technology is associated with work related to physical, chemical or microbiological techniques and processes to convert raw ingredients into food and other forms.

Food processing involves all the tasks associated with converting raw ingredients into edible foods or food into other edible forms. BE / BTech in Food Technology is a 4-year course. Food technology includes various chemical processes that are used to make food products marketable and usable. Food processors typically produce long-lasting, attractive and marketable food products using clean, newly harvested crops or food technology on recently killed animals. The same process is applied on animal feeds. You can do MTech in Food Technology after obtaining BE / BTech degree.

Although food science, food engineering and food technology are very similar subjects, there are some subtle differences among them. By deep study of these subjects, you will get information about these differences.

Food science and technology required

Food or food is very important for all kinds of life, there is always a need for food to survive. Like any place to live, clothes, education and healthcare, food is a fundamental requirement for human beings.

Most food items are basically organic or organic. That is why all the work related to processing, harvesting, distribution, storage and preparation of food items is very difficult. Under food technology, extensive knowledge and training is required to understand the food process and to solve various problems during the whole process.

Food scientists also work with innovative packaging to make food items safe and nutritious in plenty. Therefore, food scientists make a significant contribution to at least the wasteage of these resources along with the best use of food resources.

Due to food science and food technology (read more), there has been tremendous development of the food system all over the world. Processed food items are more convenient to eat. These food items are more flavored and healthy as well.

Some good examples of food science and technology (food products) – Following are the ones which we use daily a lot:

• Frozen Food
• canned or candied food

Snacks and fast food (chips, french-fries, pizza, burgers, pasta, etc.)

Microwave meal

• Ready to eat miles
• Bottled and packaged milk (long life, skimmed, semi-skimmed etc.)
• Baby Food
• Low Fat Butter
• Chocolate
• Yogurt
• Coffee (Instant and Filter; Don’t know the difference yet? Read here)
• Serials (including serial bars)
• Packaged juice (fruit and vegetable)
• Aerated drinks (cola), energy drinks (Gatorade, Red Bull), beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages

Scope in Food Technology

Food technology has a lot of scope for career development which is given below:

• As organic chemists, food technologists provide information and advice about the methods by which raw food items are converted into processed food.
• As biochemists, these individuals work together to improve the flavor, texture, storage and quality of food items.
• As home economists, they are experts in dietetics and nutrition and they test food and their recipes according to the instructions on the containers.
• As engineers, they work in planning, designing, improving and maintaining processing systems.
• As research scientists, these people perform various experiments to improve the product, flavor, nutritional value and general acceptability of packaged food.
• As managers and accountants, these professionals supervise the work related to processing and manage administration and finance.

Core Subjects in Food Technology

Following are the specialization courses in the field of food technology:

• Serials
• dairy
• Alcohol
• Sugar
• Bakery and confectionery items
• Fruits and Vegetables
• Oil and oil seed processing
• Meat-fish

4 years B.Tech after passing 10 + 2 exam

To do B.Tech in Food Technology, the student must have passed higher secondary examination from a recognized board. The minimum age of the student should be 17 years. Students can take admission in this program only if they have passed any engineering exam like AIEEE, WBJEE, JEE, BITS etc.

List of entrance exams for BTech in Food Technology

• CFTRI: Central Food Technological Research Institute Entrance Examination: Conducted by CFTRI, Mysore for admission in MSc, Food Technology course.
• IICPT: Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology Entrance Exam.
• AIJEE: All Indian Joint Entrance Exam is organized to give students admission in B.Tech course in Food Technology and Biochemical Science. Candidates must pass the State Joint Entrance Test (JEE) or All Indian Joint Entrance Exam (AIJEE) to take admission in this course.

MTech in Food Technology

As a minimum eligibility criterion for MTech in Food Technology, students have obtained Food Science / Food Science and Technology / Food Technology and Management / Food Technology / Food Process Engineering / Food Engineering with a minimum aggregate score of 45 – 50% from a recognized institute. BE / BE in Dairy Engineering / Dairy Technology / Agriculture & Food Engineering / Dairy & Food Engineering Obtained Tech degree.

Job Options for Food Technology Graduate

• Food Technologist
• Nutritional therapist
• Product / Process Development Scientist
• Quality Manager
• Regulatory Affairs Officer
• Scientific Laboratory Technician
• Technical Brewer

Jobs where your degree will be useful:

• Production Manager
• purchasing manager
• Research Scientist (Life Sciences)
• Toxicologist

Colleges for Food Technology

• Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI)
• National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM)
• Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology (IICPT)
• National Agriculture-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI)
• Food and Drug Toxicology Science Research Center (FDTRC)
• National Institute of Nutrition (NIN)
• Indian Institute of Toxicology (IITR)
• Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI)

Department of Food Science and Technology, Pondicherry University

• International Life Sciences Institute – India (ILSI)
• IISER – Pune
• Bhabha Atomic Research Center
• IISc Bangalore
• National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI)

Department of Food Science and Nutrition, SNDT Women’s University

• Amrita University (Research Projects)
• Food Science and Technology Center, Sambalpur University
• School of Life Sciences, JNU

Department of Agriculture and Food Engineering, IIT Kharagpur

• Faculty of Food Security and Quality
• Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET)
• Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI)
• National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD)
• Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI)
• Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR)
• National Institute of Abiotic Stress Management (NIAM)
• Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE)
• CCS Haryana Agriculture University
• GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology
• School of Health Sciences, Calicut University

Department of Food Process Engineering, SRM University

Government jobs

BTech graduates in food technology can get jobs in various government organizations and laboratories etc. Many firms working under the Food Corporation of India recruit graduates in this field. Initially, these graduates are recruited as trainees. During the training period, they are given a salary of Rs. 20,000 / – per month. The duration of this training period is usually 6 months. On completion of this training, candidates are promoted to higher grades based on their ability. After the training period, his salary also increases significantly. Apart from salary, they also get many perks and benefits. Graduates in food technology can also get jobs in laboratories in which quality testing of food products is done.

Private jobs

Many private sector organizations recruit BTech graduates in food technology. Companies like Amul, Cadbury, Britannia, Nestlé provide jobs to food technology professionals. Entry level professionals are initially given 6 months training and after completion of training they are promoted to higher grades. 15,000 / – per month salary is given to the candidates during the training period. After the completion of the training period, the salary of the candidates is increased based on the job position. Btech graduates in food technology can also get jobs in home catering services of food entrepreneurs.

Recruiters

• Dabur India
• ITC Limited
• Agro Tech Foods
• Parle Products Private Limited
• Cadbury India Limited
• Nestle India Private Limited
• PepsiCo India Holdings
• Britannia Industries Limited
• Hindustan Unilever Limited

• Godrej Industries Limited