Food Biotechnology: Courses, Benefits and Career Opportunities

What is Food Biotechnology?

Food Biotechnology encompasses the tools of modern genetics to highlight the essential and required traits of animals, plants, microorganisms etc for food production. It basically includes deletion or addition of genes in order to achieve the required traits. It is the enhancement of the old and traditional techniques used in agriculture which includes Fermentation, Cross Breeding, Crop Rotation, Cover cropping etc. It has no evidence of any harmful effects ever recorded.

Why is Food Biotechnology Important?

For a very long time, scientists have been struggling to find the ways to increase both the quality and quantity of food for rapidly growing population of the world. Food Biotechnology has proven its use and importance in the industry by making enormous improvement in the quality, nutritional content, health benefits, taste etc. in a particular food Item. Food biotechnology is aimed to make the food items cost-effective as well. It has promised to provide safer food as it reduces the amount of pesticides or chemicals used in growing specific food item. It ensures:

• Safety of food
• Sustainability of food
• To feed the entire hungry world

Courses in Food Biotechnology

There are two courses offered in Food Biotechnology:

1. B.Tech in Food Biotechnology
2. M.Tech in Food Biotechnology

Skills you gain while studying Food Biotechnology:

Food Biotechnology has proven to make an individual very successful by inculcating necessary skills like generation or invention of new products, and modification of the methods or recipes.

• Skill of scheming and plotting of different processes and machinery for enormous production of different recipes and methods
• Modifying or enhancing the pre-existing methods of cooking or growing specific food items.
• One acquires the knowledge and skill to test and examine different types of samples differently.

Scope and Career Opportunities in Food Biotechnology

The demand for food biotechnologists is rapidly increasing with the evolution of new products in the market every day. Job opportunities exist in research laboratories, processing industries, hotels, hospitals, factories of different products, rice mills, manufacturing industries, distilleries etc. 

Jobs in Food Biotechnology

There are a number of jobs available for graduates in Food Biotechnology. 

1. Food Technologist
2. Production Manager
3. Purchase Manager
4. Research Scientist
5. Quality Check Officer
6. Quality Manager
7. Product/Process Development Scientist
8. Toxicologist
9. Nutritional Therapist

Recruiter companies for Food Biotechnology graduates and post-graduates:

1. Dabur India
2. ITC Limited
3. Agro Tech Foods
4. Parle Products Pvt Ltd
5. Cadbury India Ltd
6. Nestle India Pvt Ltd
7. PepsiCo India Holdings
8. Britannia Industries Ltd
9. Hindustan Unilever Ltd
10. Lays India
11. Godrej Industries Ltd

Written By :- Dhwani Malik, student of B.Tech Biotechnology (Sem V), MRIIRS