ABOUT FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY

Food biotechnology incorporates the advanced genetic tools required to highlight the desirable characteristics of plants, animals, and microorganisms for quality food production. Modern food biotechnology enhances traditional techniques and methods such as cross-breeding, crop rotation, fermentation, etc. Food biotechnology ensures the availability, sustainability, and safety of food for the entire world. Food biotechnology is the best way to meet food grains' quality and quantity production for the rapidly increasing population.  Food biotechnology helps address environmental-related concerns, social responsibility, and economic viability with the help of food processing techniques.

WHAT IS FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY

Engineering in food biotechnology is a four-year undergraduate program that aims to improve the production, processing, labelling, preservation, and quality management of food products. This course helps students become professional food technologists who can develop food safety management and quality modalities to produce sustainable food resources and processing techniques. Students learn to create 3D printed and lab-produced food products that can supplement the agriculture industry and solve food shortages during the course.  

This program helps students become skilful in scheming and plotting various techniques and machines to produce excellent food products.  Students are taught some fundamental subjects such as physics, chemistry, and biology that help them understand the basics of food engineering. Students explore the different areas related to food engineering such as food biochemistry, food processing engineering, food microbiology, stoichiometry & thermodynamics, fruits & vegetable processing with advanced computation methods.

Students also learn about dairy science, post-harvest physiology, food packaging technology, and bakery & confectionery. Students also explore the different techniques that can be used to reform and augment the pre-existing methods of producing food crops. With food biotechnology, food products can be made and sold at a very cost-effective price.

ELIGIBILITY AND CAREER IN FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY

As mentioned above, engineering in food biotechnology is a growing field. Its demand is rapidly increasing as new products are being rolled out in the market. To take admission in engineering in food biotechnology, candidates must have passed senior secondary (10+2) examination or equivalent exam from a recognized board with a minimum of 55% to 60% marks in aggregate maths and physics must have as main subjects in 12th with an optional issue such as biology/biochemistry/ biotechnology. Candidates who want to pursue M Tech in food biotechnology must have passed BE/BTech in biotechnology, dairy, and food technology, agricultural engineering, food processing, chemical engineering, or relevant subjects with an aggregate of 60% marks. After completion of engineering in food biotechnology, candidates can grab opportunities in the government sector and private sector. In starting, a graduate in food biotechnology can expect an annual salary of 2 to 5 lakh depending upon the designation. Candidates can get jobs in various organizations as a nutritional specialist, food processing engineer, production manager, food executive, food engineer, quality analyst etc. Some significant industries hire food engineers such as Agro Tech foods, Cadbury India Ltd., Hindustan Unilever, Britannia Industry, ITC ltd., Dabur India, etc.