Institute of Home Economics; NAAC grade ‘A’ accredited,now offers degree course in Food Technology
New Delhi: In recent years, Food technology has emerged as an interesting field for students aspiring to work in the food industry. This branch of science deals with gaining knowledge regarding the chemical, physical and microbiological make-up of food and how this knowledge can be applied to process and preserve various foods. Research and development in food technology has resulted in the production of safe and nutritious food. Due to increasing demand and interest for pursuing this course, Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi, has started the degree course in Food Technology.
The course, B.Sc Honours in Food Technology, is an exhaustive one which covers every aspect of food technology:food processing, food science and chemistry of food, food safety, and microbiological aspects of food, food engineering and food packaging. Along with intensive classroom teaching and laboratory based practical classes; the course also aims to provide hands-on-experience to the students through educational tours, seminars, projects and industrial trainings. The college has well-equipped food technology laboratories with instruments like hot air oven, dehydrator, soxhlet apparatus for fat extraction, kjheldal apparatus, automatic digester, deep freezer, muffle furnace, UV-VIS spectrophotometer, autoclave, incubator, centrifuge, etc. The DST-FIST grant received by the Institute will further add on to the list with modern equipments like HPLC, GC, texture analyser, Brookfield viscometer, rotary vacuum evaporator, water activity meter, spray dryer etc.
The job opportunities in the field of Food Technology are immense. There are various food processing industries such as Britannia, Haldiram’s, Nestle, Pepsico, Parle, Mother Dairy etc. where students can seek trainings and jobs after completing the graduation. Food testing laboratories such as FRAC, FARE lab, SGS lab, Sri Ram Lab etc. are also options to explore jobs related to food quality testing. Government institutions like DU, IARI, MOFPI, FSSAI also advertise project based research jobs for food technologists. Start-ups are also mushrooming in the food processing sector and create a good market for work as food technologists, sensory experts, new food developments and Research & Development. Further, many institutions offer M.Sc. Food Technology, M.Sc. Food & Nutrition for higher studies in the field of Food Technology.
The course will be undertaken by the Department of Food & Nutrition, which is the oldest and largest Department of the college. The Department was earlier offering the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (B.Tech) (FYUP) in Food Technology. A group of 42 students have successfully completed the course form the college in the academic year 2016-17.