Food Technology

Overview

To fulfil its nutritional destiny, food must be safely produced and delivered to the end consumer. This requires processing technologies to convert raw materials into intermediates, ingredients and foods, together with preservation technologies to assure their stability and shelf life. Today, the sustainable production of high quality safe and nutritious foods is a key challenge.

The Interuniversity Programme in Food Technology (IUPFOOD) is an academic master of science programme that intends to equip its alumni with the scientific, technical and managerial knowledge, skills and attitudes which they require to contribute successfully to solving problems related to food security through the production of safe foods of high quality.

Two technological dimensions of crucial importance in food processing and preservation are the key objectives and programme options: 

• Postharvest and food preservation engineering, with focus on the role of postharvest and food preservation unit operations in delivering safe and nutritious foods, in particular plant based foods, to the end consumer.
• Food science and technology, with focus on the transformation (processing) of raw materials in products for human consumption or in intermediate ingredients for further use in the food industry.

IUPFOOD's objective is to offer a programme that takes the specific needs and approaches of developing countries into account. The IUPFOOD programme prepares graduates for various tasks, including teaching and research. IUPFOOD alumni are mainly active in the following sectors:

• academic institutions (as teaching and/or research staff)
• research institutes (as research staff)
• nongovernmental organisations (in different capacities)
• governmental institutes (e.g. in research programmes, quality surveillance programmes or national nutritional programmes)
• private industry (in particular jobs related to quality control)