Dr. H Prathap Kumar Shetty
(head.fst@pondiuni.edu.in)
In the course of green revolution, India has stirred from food scare to food secure country. However, over the years, food security and safety is re-emerging as a predicament due to lack of focus on food processing and preservation technology sector. In the recent years, there has been amplified focus on this sector and Food technology has been identified by the Government of India as sun rise industry due to its gargantuan impact and significance in the Indian development sector. The importance of food technology lies in the verity that it has the potential to provide food to our population through scientific conservations, eliminating losses and making available more balanced and nutritious food. Further, to cater to the needs of trained manpower with necessary professional skills in food industry and to educate quality work force in the field of food science and nutrition, the department of Food Science and Technology (Formerly Food Science and Nutrition) under the School of Life Sciences was established in the year 2007 offering post graduate course in Food Science and Nutrition. From the current academic year (2009-2010), post graduate course in Food science and Technology is being offered. Food technology being interdisciplinary in nature will be utilizing the expertise and facilities available in the Department of Biotechnology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics and statistics.
Programmes of Study
M.Sc. Food Science and Nutrition
The specialists in Food Science and Nutrition have unlimited job markets including the most pioneering and challenging areas like therapeutic and sports nutrition, nutrition in critical conditions and emergencies, nutraceuticals and nutrigenomics, food processing and food quality control, food toxicology and food biotechnology. A number of elective courses are also offered with a vision to widen research aptitude and entrepreneurial skills. Some of the highlights of this course include internship in major hospitals (optional), lecture cum demonstrations by experts from reputed academic and research institutions, seminars, individual project, educational visits and dissertations. Therefore the course curricula of Food Science and Nutrition have been designed to provide a wider perceptive of the innovations and recent trends in the subject area.
Besides, invited lectures by eminent scholars, organizing National Seminars in the Department and participation in workshops and conferences etc. form the integral components of the course. Expertise from the sister departments in the University Campus such as Biotechnology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics and statistics is also made accessible to the students whenever required.
M. Sc Food Science and Technology
Food science and technology is a highly interdisciplinary course with the application of science and technology to food processing, preservation, packaging, quality control, distribution and utilization of food and food products. This course covers the following disciplines such as chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, quality control and food engineering, etc.
Food Science and Technology course attracts a large number of students because of its novelty as an educational stream and also because of the rising demand for food technologists in todays world of packaged and fast foods. In fact the future of food industries, on a global scale, is in the hand of food technologists. There is a vast base for fundamental and applied research in India for food processing and related activities. The food technology courses give adequate training and knowledge to the students regarding the quality analysis of raw materials, packaging standards and methodology, food sanitation parameters, processing techniques, storage and food value. They are also educated and trained to develop suitable methodologies for extracting value addition and recycling of agro waste. The development of processing industries to preserve the perishable agricultural produce will not only perk up economic and nutritional well being of our population but it may also facilitate in employment generation in rural as well as urban areas of the country.
On the whole the programme will mainly deliberate on the training of man - power towards the nutritional sustainability and enhanced nutritive value of processed food. This programme also aims at the development, monitoring and improvement of food quality in the food processing sector so that the products of this programme will become certifying agents/service providers for food quality analysis. Food Science and Technology offers prospective benefits to farmers, processing companies, and consumers alike, and the biotechnological revolution taking place in the research laboratory is as significant in the food sector as it is in the medical sector.
As the Pondicherry University is located in the sea shore city of Puducherry, it is known for its marine and horticultural food resources. The course will take cognizance of these two major industries of the region and will give students an opportunity to make use of the situation for real-time research and training in the processing of fish and horticultural products.
Entrance Examination
The selection of students for the M.Sc. Food Science
and Nutrition is based on entrance examination
conducted at various centres in the country. The test
consists of multiple choice questions in physiology,
microbiology, food science, nutrition, biochemistry,
dietetics and allied areas.
Infrasructure Facilities
At present the department has a floor area of 1000 sq. m. The four laboratories have already been setup in the Department for Microbiology, Physiology, Biochemistry and Nutrition practicals which are well equipped with debonair instruments and accessories. Further the department of Food Science and Technology has necessary physical facilities including four air conditioned class rooms, seminar hall , computer center, pilot plant and cold room, product development lab, food analysis lab, instrument room etc.
Research Focus
The department is emphasizing more on research component also. The following are the thrust areas of the research in the department:
- Phytochemicals
- Antioxidant nutrients
- Metabolic diseases
- Therapeutic nutrition
- Community nutrition
- Crop processing
- Meat processing
- Food Biotechnology
- Food security
- Food safety
These focus areas of research are being undertaken with basic funding from the university and faculty, attracting extramural research funding. It is vision of the department to establish and develop a globally competent research facility, which will train scientific manpower of international standing and develop products of international standard and local significance.
Placements
M.Sc. Food Science and Nutrition has scope for placements
in numerous research laboratories of
national and international repute, Food quality control
sectors, Food industries, hospitals, critical care units and
catering industries including flight catering.
| Faculty |
Qualification |
Specialization/Interest |
Phone |
| Reader |
* H Prathap Kumar Shetty
shetty.fst@pondiuni.edu.in
pkshalady@yahoo.co.in
|
M.Sc, Ph.D (National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad)
Post Doc- 2 yrs (Univ.Texas USA
Post Doc -5yrs (Copenhagen University, and Aarhus University Denmark ) |
Food safety, Food Biotechnology |
2654624 |
* S. John Don Bosco
bosco.fst@pondiuni.edu.in
sjdbosco@yahoo.com |
ME, Ph.D (TNAU, Coimbatore) |
Agricultural processing |
2654623 |
| Lecturers |
Narayanasamy Sangeetha
sang.fst@pondiuni.edu.in
praba_sangeen@yahoo.co.in |
Ph.D. Food Science and Nutrition (Avinashilingam University for Women, Coimbatore) |
Therapeutic Nutrition |
2654622 |
* S. Haripriya
priya.fst@pondiuni.edu.in
shprieya@gmail.com |
Ph.D. Food Science and Nutrition (Avinashilingam University for Women, Coimbatore) |
Metabolic diseases, antioxidant nutrients and phytochemicals, Food security. |
2654621 |
K.V. Sunooj
sunooj.fst@pondiuni.edu.in
sunooj4u@gmail.com |
M.Sc Food Science and Technology (University of Calicut) |
Meat processing, Thermal analysis of foods. |
|
* Recognised as Supervisor for guiding scholars
leading to M.Phil. and Ph.D.
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