The Course


Emerging technologies
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Food science is the applied science devoted to the study of food. The Institute of Food Technologists defines it as "the discipline in which the engineering, biological, and physical sciences are used to study the nature of foods, the causes of deterioration, the principles underlying food processing, and the improvement of foods for the consuming public."
Food Chemistry





Food Safety
Food Regulations
The internationally recognized Food Science and Technology Department makes food healthier, tastier, and safer for consumers. Students complete a rigorous scientific curriculum that prepares them well for the numerous job opportunities available in the food industry or for graduate studies in the physical, chemical, and biological sciences and medicine.

Overview

Food Microbiology
Food Processing
Activities of food scientists include the development of new food products, design of processes to produce these foods, choice of packaging materials, shelf-life studies, sensory evaluation of the product with panels or potential consumers, as well as microbiological and chemical testing. Food scientists may study more fundamental phenomena that are directly linked to the production of food products and its properties.
Food science is a highly interdisciplinary field. It incorporates concepts from many different fields including microbiology, chemical engineering, and biochemistry.
Disciplines
Some of the subdisciplines of food science include:
Food Security
  • Food safety – the causes, prevention and communication dealing with food borne illness
  • Food microbiology – the positive and negative interactions between micro-organisms and foods
  • Food preservation – the causes and prevention of quality degradation
  • Food engineering – the industrial processes used to manufacture food
  • Product development – the invention of new food products
  • Sensory analysis – the study of how food is perceived by the consumer's senses
  • Food chemistry – the molecular composition of food and the involvement of these molecules in chemical reactions
    • Food physical chemistry- the study of both physical and chemical interactions in foods in terms of physical and chemical principles applied to food systems, as well as the application of physicochemical techniques and instrumentation for the study and analysis of foods
  • Food packaging – the study of how packaging is used to preserve food after it has been processed and contain it through distribution
  • Molecular gastronomy – the scientific investigation of processes in cooking, social and artistic gastronomical phenomena
  • Food technology – the technological aspects
  • Food physics – the physical aspects of foods (such as viscosity, creaminess, and texture)
    • Food Engineering
  • Food physical chemistry- physical and chemical aspects of foods, structure-functionality relationships in foods.

Career Prospects
A student receiving ND/HND in Food Technology has the opportunity to work in the various fields mentioned below:
  • Food Manufacturing Technologist / Manager
  • Food Microbiologist  
  • Food Research Scientist    
  • New Food product Developer    
  • Food Quality assurance Technologist / Manager     
  • Flavor Technologist    
  • HACCP  Auditor etc.  
  • Regulatory Inspector     
  • Food Packaging Specialist      
  • Food Process Engineer      
  • Food Project Engineer / Manager    
  • Faculty in Food Technology Colleges after Completing the course
Make your pick in any of these sub-disciplines...
  • Food Science and Technology
  • Food Engineering
  • Food Microbiology  & Industrial Microbiology
  • Food Chemistry and Nutrition
  • Food Trade and Business Management /Entrepreneurship
  • Genetic Engineering
  • Process and Equipment Design
  • Food  Quality control & Statistics
  • Food Processing and preservation, etc...

Food Technology  is a multidisciplinary course which involves the study of various branches such as Food Science and Technology, Food Engineering, Food Chemistry and Nutrition, Food and Industrial Microbiology, Food Trade and Business Management and deals with production, preservation,development of new products, packaging, quality assurance, food laws and regulation, environmental science, engineering aspects such as mass transfer, heat transfer, food processing equipments, instrumentation and
process control, plant layout, plant design as well as different aspects of food trade and business management such as co-operation, marketing and finance, business management and international trade, enterpeneurship development and communication skills for various food products.

Dietitians are experts in food and nutrition. They advise people on what to eat in order to lead a healthy lifestyle or achieve a specific health-related goal. Dietitians work in various capacities in the field of healthcare, foodservice, corporate setting, and educational arenas.
Dietitians supervise the preparation and service of food, develop modified diets, participate in research, and educate individuals and groups on good nutritional habits.[1][2] The goals of dietitians are to provide medical nutritional intervention, and to obtain, safely prepare, serve and advise on flavorsome, attractive, and nutritious food for patients, groups and communities. Dietary modification to address medical issues involving dietary intake is a major part of dietetics (the study of nutrition as it relates to health). For example, working in consultation with physicians and other health care providers, a dietitian may provide specific artificial nutritional needs to patients unable to consume food normally. Professional dietitians may also provide specialist services such as in diabetes, obesity, oncology, osteoporosis, pediatrics, renal disease, and micronutrient research.[3][4][5][6]
Different professional terms are used in different countries and employment settings, for example, clinical dietitian, community dietitian, dietetic educator, foodservice dietitian, registered dietitian, public health dietitian, therapeutic dietitian, or research dietitian.[7] In many countries, only people who have specified educational credentials and other professional requirements can call themselves "dietitians" — the title is legally protected. The term "nutritionist" is also widely used; however, the terms "dietitian" and "nutritionist" should not be considered interchangeable — the training, regulation and scope of practice of the two professional titles can be very different across individuals and jurisdictions.
In many countries, the majority of dietitians are clinical or therapeutic dietitians, such as the case of the United States, the United Kingdom, and much of Africa. In other countries they are mostly foodservice dietitians, such as in Japan and many European countries.[2][8]

Dietitians in practice

Clinical dietitians

Clinical dietitians work in hospitals, nursing care facilities and other health care facilities to provide nutrition therapy to patients with a variety of health conditions, and provide dietary consultations to patients and their families. They confer with other health care professionals to review patients' medical charts and develop individual plans to meet nutritional requirements. Some clinical dietitians will also create or deliver outpatient or public education programs in health and nutrition.[2][6] Clinical dietitians may provide specialized services in areas of nourishment and diets, tube feedings (called enteral nutrition), and intravenous feedings (called parenteral nutrition) such as total parenteral nutrition (TPN) or peripheral parenteral nutrition (PPN). They work as a team with the physicians, physician assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, speech therapists, social workers, nurses, dietetic technicians, and other careers to provide care to patients. Some clinical dietitians have dual responsibilities with patient nutrition therapy and in foodservice or research (described below).

Community dietitians

Community dietitians work with wellness programs, public health agencies, home care agencies, and health maintenance organizations. These dietitians apply and distribute knowledge about food and nutrition to individuals and groups of specific categories, life-styles and geographic areas in order to promote health. They often focus on the needs of the elderly, children, or other individuals with special needs or limited access to healthy food. Some community dietitians conduct home visits for patients who are too physically ill to attend consultations in health facilities in order to provide care and instruction on grocery shopping and food preparation.[2][9]

Foodservice dietitians

Foodservice dietitians or managers are responsible for large-scale food planning and service. They coordinate, assess and plan foodservice processes in health care facilities, school food service programs, prisons, restaurants, and company cafeterias.[9] These dietitians may perform audits of their departments to ensure quality control and food safety standards, and launch new menus and various programs within their institution to meet health and nutritional requirements. They train and supervise other food service workers such as kitchen staff, delivery staff, and dietary assistants or aides.

Gerontological dietitians

Gerontological dietitians are specialist in nutrition and aging. They work in nursing homes, community-based aged care agencies, government agencies in aging policy, and in higher education in the field of gerontology (the study of aging).

Neonatal dietitians

Neonatal dietitians provide individualized medical nutrition therapy for critically ill premature newborns. They are considered a part of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit's medical team. The neonatal dietitian performs clinical assessment of patients, designs nutrition protocols and quality improvement initiatives with the medical team, develops enteral and parenteral regimens, helps establish and promote lactation/breastfeeding guidelines and often oversees the management of infection prevention in the handling, storage, and delivery of nutritional products.

Pediatric dietitians

Pediatric dietitians provide nutrition and health advice for infants, children, and adolescents. They focus on early nutritional needs, and often work closely with doctors, school health services, clinics, hospitals and government agencies, in developing and implementing treatment plans for children with eating disorders, food allergies, or any condition where a child’s diet factors into the equation, such as childhood obesity.[10]

Research dietitians

Research dietitians are involved with dietetics-related research conducted in hospitals, universities, government agencies, food and beverage companies, and the pharmaceutical industry. They may conduct research in clinical aspects of nutrition, for example, the effects of diet on cancer treatment. They may focus on social sciences or health services research, for example, investigate the impact of health policies or behaviour change, or evaluate program effectiveness.[9] They may survey foodservice systems management in order to guide quality improvement. Some research dietitians study the biochemical aspects of nutrient interaction within the body.[11] In universities, they also may have teaching responsibilities. Some clinical dietitians' roles involve research in addition to their patients care workload.

Administrative dietitians

Administrative or management dietitians oversee and direct all aspects of food policy and large-scale meal service operations in hospitals, government agencies, company cafeterias, prisons, and schools. They recruit, train and supervise employees of dietetics departments including dietitians and other personnel. They set department goals, policies and procedures; purchase food, equipment and supplies; maintain safety and sanitation standards in food preparation and storage; and keep records to monitor areas such as budget control and client information.[2][9]

Business dietitians

Business dietitians serve as resource people in food and nutrition through business, marketing and communications.[12] Dietitians' expertise in nutrition is often solicited in the media — for example providing expert guest opinion on television and radio news or cooking shows, columnist for a newspaper or magazine, or resource for restaurants on recipe development and critique. Business dietitians may author books or corporate newsletters on nutrition and wellness. They also work as sales representatives for food manufacturing companies that provide nutritional supplements and tube feeding supplies.

Consultant dietitians

Consultant dietitian is a term sometimes used to describe dietitians who work under contract with health care facilities or in private practice, such as used in Canada and the United States.[2][7] The term 'consultant' in this case should not be confused with the identical title reserved for certain medical doctors in countries such as the United Kingdom and Ireland. Consultant dietitians contract independently to provide nutrition services and educational programs to individuals and health care facilities as well as sports teams, fitness clubs, supermarkets, and other health and nutrition-related businesses.

Required qualifications and professional associations

In most countries, competent performance as a dietitian requires formal training at a higher educational institution in food and nutritional science, nutrition education, dietetics, or a related field.[1] Their education in health science involves scientific based knowledge in anatomy, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, and physiology.
While the specific academic and professional requirements to becoming a fully qualified dietitian differ across countries and jurisdictions, as these are adapted to the needs of the individual countries and the opportunities available,[8] common academic routes include:
In addition, dietitians may be required to undergo an internship to learn counseling skills and aspects of psychology. The internship process differs across countries and jurisdictions.
Associations for dietetics professionals exist in many countries on every continent.

Other nutrition personnel

These titles are general designations of nutrition personnel. Specific titles may vary across countries, jurisdictions and employment settings.

Dietetic technicians

Dietetic technicians are involved in planning, implementing and monitoring nutritional programs and services in facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes and schools. They assist in education and assessment of clients' dietary needs, and may specialize in nutritional care or foodservice management. Dietetic technicians usually work with, and under the supervision of, a registered dietitian
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