We live in a time when we can pick up a packet of frozen vegetables and not have to stress about whether the product in our hands is safe to eat or not. There is simply no worry or concern that the food we consume will make us sick. Food safety is something we are almost guaranteed.
We don't ever stop to think why the nutritional value has clearly been outlined at the back of the packet of frozen vegetables.
Now imagine if you were living in the time before Louis Pasteur came up with the concept of pasteurisation. If we remained clueless about the fact that heating substances at low temperatures got rid of the bad enzymes that made food bad, we would probably have most of our food going off.
We have to take our hats off for techniques like salting that paved the way forward for modern food preservation techniques. If sailors did not need to store food for longer for their lengthy voyages, we probably wouldn’t have realised the strong need to do everything to make sure we preserve food while still keeping our food good enough to eat. The sailors may have consumed food that was far too salty for their tastebuds, however, with modern preservation techniques, we can ensure that our food stays good and tastes good too.
The people behind ensuring that our food is safe, outlining the nutritious value of food, and preserving food surely are our food technologists.
Surely, studying food is what you need to consider if you are keen on becoming a food technologist. The benefit of being a food technologist is that you can save so much food from spoiling. Luckily for you, you can now attend a university to study food science. However, due credit must be given to all those people who considered techniques like fermenting, drying, pickling, and salting as a way to preserve food long before food technology and food science became a recognised field of study.
Food Technology Explained
Now that you are aware of the role played by food technologists, you may be asking yourself, “What is food technology anyway?” Well, food technology is a science that includes studying everything from food production to food preservation.
Food technology is considered to be the branch of food studies whereby the food technologist works on new recipes to improve the production of a certain type of food. Part and parcel of food technology is researching consumer eating preferences and dietary preferences. Aside from doing research, stepping into the field of food technology entails considering everything from the way that food is packaged to dealing with customer complaints about the food that your company produces.
Food technology is the field of study for those souls who have taken a genuine culinary interest and those who understand the science behind cooking and cookery. When you think of food technology, hygiene and cleanliness should naturally come to mind too.
In order to be on the food technology path, you must understand the consumer market and you must be willing to problem solve at all costs.
Is this perhaps a career possibility for you? Does food hygiene and the study of cookery excite you? If not, you may also be considering taking a food science course. If food science sounds like the more appealing choice, you could surely read about the places where you can take a food science course.
You may be asking yourself, "Why study food science anyway?" Well, that's the question that Superprof is here to answer.
Is Food Science a Good Career to Have in South Africa?
Before we tackle the question of whether food science is a good career to have in South Africa, we must place emphasis on the fact that food technology and food science do have differences.
While both food technology and food science relate to food engineering, food science is believed to focus on the chemistry and the biological aspects of the study of food. Food scientists are more concerned with how it is that food deteriorates.
Food scientists use scientific knowledge to be able to improve the safety and production of food. Food technologists, on the other hand, work within a company to produce new flavour combinations and products that consumers will love.
So, if you want to be a food scientist in South Africa, you will be thrilled to know that there are many avenues available for food science graduates. These graduates can become quality assurance managers, food product developers, and nutritionists. As such, if you decide to go down the food science route, it is a rather valuable career choice for you.
Nevertheless, don't underestimate the value of a food technologist in South Africa as food scientists and food technologists usually work hand in hand to ensure that the end product that the consumer receives is packaged and designed well enough to last for a long time.
Let us drift our focus back to stepping into the role of a food technologist.
All About the Food Technology Degree
Have you ever heard the saying, "You are what you eat?" Well, food technologists take this saying very literally thinking up new ways for consumers to eat better so that consumers can be better. With issues such as climate change, food safety concerns, and the demand for food cropping up, the need for food technologists in South Africa and all over the world is clear.
The bachelor's in food technology is the undergraduate degree that you will need to pursue if you are keen on being part of the team that find themselves in livestock pens advising food growers on how best to grow food. You can also be sure that becoming a food technologist means that you will be looking at technological advancements for the production and preservation of food.
To become a food technologist, you can choose between two routes of study. You can pursue a BSC in Food Technology or you can complete the Bachelor of Technology in Food technology Degree. The BSC in Food Technology is a 3-year course that focuses mainly on food chemistry and microbiology.
The BTECH Food Technology degree tends to be 4 years long and focuses on food engineering as well as food science. If you are interested particularly in the food packaging field, you may be better off completing the BTECH Food Technology degree.
You can choose to pursue a Bachelor of Technology in Food Technology degree at a university like the Durban University of Technology. Whereas you can even pursue your Bachelor of Science Honours in Food Technology at a university in Johannesburg namely the University of Johannesburg.
You also have other options like joining the Food Science and Technology Department at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. This university's department aims to be at the heart of food science, technology and innovation in Africa.
Now that you have been informed about everything that you need to know about the food technology degree and the different places in South Africa where you can pursue food technology degrees and diplomas, you may be wondering how you are going to explain the meaning of food technology to your parents or friends. Most food technologists will tell you that they get baffled looks when they tell people that they are food technologists, so let's see how you define the term food technology to all.
"I am studying food technology," what does that actually mean?
Food Technology Meaning
The Cambridge Dictionary defines food technology as the use of science in preparing and storing food, or it's the study of its use. While the dictionary definition may still be too difficult for most to digest, we will provide you with a clear and easy to understand definition of food technology.
Basically, food technology is a combination of science and technology to ensure that the food that we eat tastes better and has far more nutritional value. The cool aspect of food technology is that technologists usually work with cutting edge machinery and advanced technological tools to ensure that packaged food is ready for distribution to the consumer.
People who do study food technology take a keen interest in food and enjoy studying food. It is for this reason; we suggest that it is never too early for you to start paving your way forward toward the food technology field. On our Superprof site, you can find many professional cooks offering in-person cooking classes as well as online cooking classes. You will find top tier cooking tutors offering cooking classes on our Superprof site for as little as R100 per hour. Cooking classes is perhaps one of the best ways to start doing research on food.
There is no harm in learning how to cook better. In fact, if you know how to cook better and you begin to understand food better, you can step into your role of a food technologist much more easily.
Start cooking. Begin studying food. Take a keen interest in what you eat and what you make. By doing this, you are already cooking your way towards food technology career success.
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