Cooking up a Career: Exploring Food Tech Courses in India

Frozen food, instant meals, and the concerns surrounding MSG are common topics among fitness enthusiasts worldwide. These subjects, however, often perpetuate misconceptions on the internet. I wondered about the origins of such a convenient lifestyle and the reasons behind complex recipes not spoiling. It turns out that the concept of food technology has been around for millennia, starting from the Stone Age when humans used drying, smoking, and salting for preservation. Mesopotamians developed techniques to prolong the shelf life of meat and built silos to preserve grains.

Over time, these preservation, storage, and cooking methods evolved to facilitate the transportation of food across the globe, adapting to different weather conditions and seasonal variations in each region. Understanding food involves knowledge, innovation, and research. This knowledge is gained through the study of food technology, which encompasses various disciplines:

• Food Chemistry: This field involves studying the composition of food, including proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. It explores the reactions and relationships between these components during processing and storage.
• Microbiology: Microorganisms present in food, such as yeasts, bacteria, viruses, and moulds, are studied in this discipline. It covers food spoilage, foodborne pathogens, and preservation methods to ensure food safety.
• Processing and Engineering: This subject teaches unit operations, process optimisation, and equipment design. It also delves into processing techniques like thermal processing, fermentation, freezing, and dehydration.
• Preservation and Storage: This area focuses on the principles and techniques used to extend the shelf life of food products. It explores methods such as freezing, drying, canning, refrigeration, and packaging.
• Quality Assurance and Control: Students learn about food safety standards, process control, control charts, acceptance sampling, and product quality control. It encompasses overall quality assurance and control measures in the food industry.
• Food Analysis and Instrumentation: This subject covers analytical techniques used in food analysis, including chromatography, spectroscopy, microbiological testing, and sensory evaluation. Students learn how to use and interpret data from various analytical instruments.
• Food Product Development: This field concentrates on developing new food products. Students learn about marketing, formulation, sensory evaluation, packaging design, and consumer acceptance of new food products.
• Food Safety and Regulations: This subject covers food safety regulations, standards, and laws in India and internationally. It includes food labelling, food hygiene, food additives, and food recall procedures.

These courses are not only exciting but also forward-looking. With the growing demands of a population characterised by hectic schedules and minimal work-life balance, the need for suitable food products will continue to rise. Consequently, there will be a greater emphasis on enhancing food production, processing, and preservation. Food technology courses cater to this demand by equipping students with skills and knowledge related to food science, technology, and innovation.

Food technology is constantly evolving, demanding innovation and solutions in agricultural practices, food processing techniques, packaging methods, and quality control systems. Initiatives like the ‘Make in India’ campaign and the establishment of food parks have actively promoted the food processing industry in India, creating a conducive environment for the growth of food technology and providing career opportunities for graduates. Simultaneously, numerous food tech startups specialising in food delivery, meal planning, online grocery, and sustainable food production have emerged, further expanding employment prospects for food tech professionals.

There is also an increased awareness of health and environmental issues, making nutritious and sustainable food practices of utmost importance. Consumers require technology experts who can develop and implement innovative solutions to address these concerns while improving food quality and production processes. Industries, therefore, seek professionals with a strong foundation in scientific knowledge and research skills, contributing to the academic field of research.

Currently, the food technology industry is not limited to domestic markets. Indian professionals with proficiency in the field and relevant qualifications are sought after by global food companies, research institutes, and international organisations working in food technology.

Overall, the future of food technology courses in India appears promising due to the growing demand and technological advancements. Students pursuing these courses can expect a wide range of career prospects in industries such as food processing, research and development, quality assurance, product development, food safety, and entrepreneurship.

Several excellent institutes across India offer BTech and MTech programs in Food Technology. Shoolini University stands out as one of India's best food tech universities. The School of Bio-Engineering and Food Technology at Shoolini University has developed a unique research-oriented BTech degree program called the Summit Research Program. This program prepares undergraduate students for global opportunities at leading institutions and corporate R&D teams. Fully integrated into the regular engineering curriculum, the course provides hands-on training in high-quality research, experience in writing technical papers, and mentorship from internationally recognised experts and practitioners.

The food tech courses offered by the university include:

• BTech Food Technology Research
• BSc (Hons) Food Technology
• MTech Food Technology
• MSc Food Technology
• MSc Nutrition and Dietetics

The food tech programs at Shoolini have an industry-oriented curriculum and follow the ‘One-Student One-Patent’ norm. The university prepares students for careers in food tech companies in India and abroad, offering research specialisations in areas such as Food Processing and Preservation, Safety and Quality Control, Food Packaging and Shelf Life, Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods. For detailed information about Food Tech courses and the admission process, visit the university website and start your journey into the world of food technology.

Note: The views expressed in this article are of Shoolini University and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha