Food Technology is a science which deals with techniques and principles involved in processing and preserving the food products. The application of food science helps in manufacturing safe and nutritious food products. The term ‘Food Technology’ has wide meaning, the study of food technology is to develop new methods and systems for keeping food products safe and resistant from natural harms such as bacteria and other micro-organisms. Food processing helps in preservation which enhances the flavor and reduces the toxins in food products which results in better distributional efficiency and easy marketing of the food product.
Now a days there is ever increasing demand for packaged, processed and ready to eat foods. This requires continuous research to preserve food stuff for long periods without losing its nutritious content. Food Technologists are involved in wide variety of activities associated with providing nutritious food and study the chemical, physical, microbiological of food.
Food Processing industries are involved in processes such as primary , secondary processing, preservation, quality management, packaging and labeling of a variety of products such as dairy products, fish products, fruit and vegetable products, meat and poultry products etc.
As we live in world of packaged foods and fast foods that has taken a first seat in priority list of consumers. The prospects in food technology industry is growing fast in India as well as overseas. Food Technology has a wide scope in different government and private sectors dealing with food products.
There are public and private sectors that provide lucrative job opportunities to Food Technologists. In public sector one can find jobs companies like the Food Corporation of India which handles the purchase, storage, transport and distribution of food grains and other food items, Modern food corporation that markets bread, fruit juices, edible oils, soft drink concentrates etc
There are many lucrative positions open to food technologists like Quality Assurance Manager, Laboratory Supervisor, Product Manager , Food packaging Manager and food technology graduates also have the option to take traditional professions such as teaching or even start up own business venture as a food consultant.
Top 10 colleges in this field are-
1. Jadavpur University , Kolkata 2. Andhra University, Visakhapatnam
3. Guru Jambeshwar University, Hissar, Haryana
4. College of Technology and Agricultural Engineering, Udaipur, Rajasthan
5. Techno India, West Bengal
6. Nagpur University, Nagpur (B.Tech after B.Sc)
7. University of Bombay, Fort, Mumbai
8. University Department of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai, Maharashtra
9. University of Calcutta, Calcutta
10. University of Madras, Madras
The compensation offered in the industry of Food Processing depends on the factors such as qualification, skills, work experience, job profile and contribution in production process.
At an entry level a professional can earn a salary ranging between Rs 8000 to 12,000 per month. Similarly , experienced person can get a salary between Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 per month.
For those at Senior Management level with years of experience can expect a much high salaries in comparison with other in this field.
There are plenty of job opportunities for food technologists in the country. Food technologists are demand in the sectors such as hotels, quality control, soft drink factories, food industries, packaging industries, hospitals, distilleries etc.
Food processing companies need food technology personnel to work for them in different sections Production, Quality Assurance and Research and Development etc. The candidate can work as a Product development Manager to devise food products according to the needs of a consumer and effectively put the product in service in a innovative way.
The major Food processing companies such as Perfetti India ltd, Amul, Parle products pvt. Ltd, ITC limited, PepsiCo India Holding, Britania Industries ltd, Nestle India pvt. Ltd., Cadbury India ltd, MTR foods ltd take up food technologists for monitoring the storage temperature, experimenting, processing and hygiene.
For admission into an undergraduate course in Food Technology, a candidate should have passed 12th standard in Science Stream from an recognized board.
For admission into a postgraduate course in food technology, a candidate must have completed his/her bachelor of Science/BTech in Food Technology from recognized board.
For admission into a diploma course in Food science, a candidate must have passed his/her 12th standard in science stream from recognized board.
