What is Food Processing?

Processed foods are convenient, fast, available in various forms, and have specific nutrient values. Food processing covers basic foods such as wheat and rice products, sugar, oil, and their conversion to secondary products such as biscuits, dairy products, which have a longer shelf life. Along with new varieties, there is a requirement for good quality and hygienic products. The basic need for food processing is a longer shelf life but the other things are no longer add-ons.

There are various areas of work in this industry, including production, preservation, processing and packaging of food. Food technologists, specialists in dietetics and nutrition, chemists and biotechnologists, are employed in this industry. Apart from this, engineers from chemical, mechanical, industrial, electrical, agricultural and civil fields are also required for system maintenance and improvement.

Production: The food technologist supervises the production of processed foods. The work involves checking for contamination and adulteration, and monitoring the nutritional value, making sure that the product is processed according to the given specifications. Food technologists are also constantly researching new and improved techniques for processing, conservation and preservation of food items. They can specialise in a particular area within their field, for example, fruit processing or dairy products, and develop new products in keeping with the market demand.

Quality Control: The quality control work is handled either by a chemist or food technologist who checks the quality of both the raw material brought in for processing as well as the finished product.

Specialists in dietetics and nutrition test products and recipes involving the products, while organic chemists give advice on the processing of raw material into food. Biochemists study the transformation that takes place in raw materials during processing and give advice on improving the flavour, texture and shelf-life of the product. Analytical chemists check the processed food as to their compliance with the quality regulations.

A postgraduation in food science and technology is required for entry into this field, which one can acquire with a degree in chemistry, or biochemistry. You can also become a food technologist with a four year B.Sc programme in Food Technology. The eligibility to apply for BSc degree in Home Science/Food Technology/Food Science, is 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics.