Food is part of human culture. It has many opinions developed through ages of experience, over generations. Today, it is difficult to find a fruit that is not ripened using chemical treatments. This raises questions in the mind of the consumer as to which chemical is used and whether it is permitted by food regulations. There are also questions of whether the chemical applied is in excess and at inappropriate times. Then, there are views on food, describing them as heaty and cooling, thus affecting the decisions of the consumer. This leaves a variety of questions in the mind of the consumer.
In most such questions faced by families, in their day to day life, and in purchasing food and food ingredients, cooking, storing cooked and uncooked food, and also various efforts of food preservation at home, the answers lie in modern food science. Food Science is the study of physical, biological, and the chemical makeup of food, the concepts underlying food processing, and the causes of food deterioration connecting the science with healthy living. The expansion of food science into the arena of technology leads to Food Technology. It is the application of food science to the selection, preservation, processing, packaging, distribution and the consumption of safe food. It is linked to many fields of science such as, analytical chemistry, biotechnology, food engineering, nutrition, quality assurance, and management of food safety.
For whom is Food Science and Technology?
Food science and technology is our guidance to a healthy living and meeting the satisfaction of consuming a variety of safe food. All human beings need to eat, and the food industry provides this food. The food industry is one of the largest industries in the world, and it works by applying food science and technology directly or indirectly to meet the global food needs. Therefore, in a broader sense, food science and technology is applicable to all stakeholders of the food industry, and a certain level of food science is relevant for all people in general.
Food Science and young school students
Those students studying biological science subjects for their A/L examination aim at entering a Faculty of Medicine to treat ailing human beings, which is a noble deed. Much suffering of the humans could be well prevented by providing them with better food, meeting their nutritional needs. Among the sciences, Food Science and Technology provides the opportunity for the young generation to select a career that could help fellow citizens. It also provides a reliable and good source of income as the demand for food increases globally.
The challenges in designing, developing and marketing new food is exciting, and pays back heavily. It opens one to be an owner of a recognized industry meeting world food export challenges.
The food industry develops rapidly with new inventions and applications providing satisfaction to committed individuals. If you are wondering how this happens, think of the different milk products, pasteurized, sterilized, liquid milks, and then the dried powders in skimmed and full cream stages. Due to the science and technology involved, these products require different storage temperatures. Today, Food Science and Technology has become a preferred course for many young entrants to the universities. In some universities the demand for Food Science and Technology is only second to medicine.
The job market for Food Science and Technology graduates in Sri Lanka and globally
The demand for Food Science and Technology graduates in the country has increased over the years. Exporting fresh, as well as processed foods to meet the foreign currency needs of the country is a declared policy of the Sri Lankan Government, irrespective of the political parties in power. Value addition to agricultural produce within the country could earn much more than exporting raw materials. The food industry, backed by food science and technology knowledge of international standards would be the driving force of our economy for many more years. It would generate more income if these products are processed, thereby adding value to them.
It is a challenge for the food industry, which needs a highly knowledgeable pool of food scientists and technologists. Apart from local food production, Sri Lanka annually imports a large quantity of food, which are either finished goods or raw materials for food production. Certain foods are imported in bulk, which requires packaging into retail packages or containers under extremely hygienic conditions as per local regulatory requirements. In all industries that process these products, food scientists play an important role in research and development, regulatory affairs, quality assurance, nutrition information, customer service, and production operations.
Opportunities for higher education in Food Science and Technology
Food Science and Technology graduates have opportunities in seeking higher education in Sri Lanka, as well as, overseas. Postgraduate institutes are affiliated with many universities which offer Food Science and Technology courses, facilitating graduates to register for postgraduate courses. Research facilities are also available in these universities, along with qualified and capable academics to act as supervisors. The number of persons reading for postgraduate degrees in universities with well established postgraduate courses exceed 100 in each university, annually.
School science teachers promote food science
One of the prime objectives of biological science teachers is to guide their students to be successful at the A/L examinations. Apart from examination performance, the education of science, must have interest, excitement, and usefulness. Food Science is a subject that encompasses all these. In their day to day life, students come across many questions arising from their inquisitiveness to learn. A student may be interested to know how a dairy farmer gets caught if he adds water to cow’s milk, which could be explained by discussing principles of density. There is much that could be explained based on the Chemistry, Physics, and Biology that students learn at the A/Ls to show the applications of science in food science.
Sri Lanka needs a large pool of human resource to get the food industry moving towards international standards and become a major export earner to the country.
(The writer is President, Institute of Food Science & Technology, Sri Lanka