Food Processing is a branch of food science and it is a set of methods and techniques to transform raw ingredients into food for the consumption of humans and animals.Processing of food leads to prevention of food, enhances its flavour and reduces the toxins in the food product.
At present in india , Food Processing industry has been gaining momentum as the consumer's food industry.As per the report there are about 300 million upper and middle class consumers of processed and packaged food in country, and another 200 million were likely to be added .500 food parks are planned all over the country.This will further boost the growth and development of food processing industries and will generate huge employment opprutunities for those who have an aptitude towars this work.The food is processed , preserved packaged and stored according to the specifications by industry and government . The food processing industry is coming of age is ranked fifth among industries in india.
The food consumption of India, which handles the purchase , storage , transport and distribution of food grains and other food items , provide employment to large number of people.Private enterprises market bread , fruit juices ,edible oil and soft drink concentrates.
Food Processing companies and food reserach lboratories , Food wholesalers , Hospitals , Catering establishments , Retailers , Restaurants provide job opporutunities to candidates with degree in Home Science and specializations in food technology , nutrition or food services management. Bacteriologist , toxicologists and those trained in packaging technology ,organic chemistry , biochemistry and analytical chemistry can find openings in food technology laboratories or in qualitycontrol departments . Other jobs in this industry include bakeries , met poultry , trimmers, and fish cutters , slaughterers and meet packers , Food batch makers , food cooking machine operators and tenders , Food and tobacoo roasting , banking and drying machine operatoes and tenders.
Personal attributes required in Food Industry :
Assiduous ,meticulous , organizational abilities ,particular about cleanliness and hygiene , prudent , hard working , professional courses.There are several Food and Nutrition Extension Centers in different parts of the country providing short-term courses and training in home based preservation of bakery and confectionary items , rice milling ,oil seeding processing and so on ..
Some universitites in india offer degree courses in food technology and food science . There are also institute offering Post Graduate courses in specialized aspects of food processing. Admission for under Graduates courses in food technology , food science and home science is open for candidates with Physics Chemistry Mathematics (PCM) or Physics Chemistry Biology (PCB) at 10+2 level . Food Technologists have Graduate / Post Graduate degrees in the field , which are offered at various institutes in india.M.Sc and Ph.D courses in food and nutition , home science , food technology and biotechnology are also available in indian universities . Various programs are available in food technology courses including B.Tech,B.Sc ,M.Tech,M.Sc and Ph.D .The eligibility criteria for B.Tech , B.Sc in food technology include 10+2 or equivalent in science .It is four/three years full time course.The candidate opting for M.Sc in food technology should have the Bachelor's degree in science with chemistry which is a two year full time course .After completion of M.Sc the candidate can purchase Ph.D program in food processing engineering and technology .The candidate can also opt for M.Tech in food processing technology with a B.Tech degree and the course duration being two years.The challenge for the food technologists is to increase the variety and improve the quality and nutition value of foods that are being consumed by people , while at the same time maintaing affordability through efficient manufacturing.
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