Food Technology Degree At Massey

Press, Volume C, Issue 29673, 17 November 1961, Page 14

Food Technology Degree At Massey

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, Nov. 16. The establishment of a food technology department at Massey College will result in the replacement of the present bachelor of agricultural science (dairy technology) by a completely new degree, that of bachelor of food technology. The course is designed to

give specialist training to be applied in the dairy industry, meat industry and fruit and vegetable industry, as well as other fields. These include milling. baking, brewing, sea foods, poultry and stock food industries. Major fields of study for the degree will comprise chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology and some biology, plus mathematics, statistics, physics and engineering. The new degree requires a four-year course, and is in line with the traditional university approach to the teaching of technology, with training in science and applied science, with final emphasis on the special features of a chosen technology. The course is designed to give training in food analysis, quality control, research and development of foods and food processing, and promotion and marketing of food products. This year will see the termination of the dairy technology degree, and, in future, dairy manufacturing and processing would be treated as part of the wider national food industry. This is a natural development in line with dairy technology teaching policies in many overseas universities. The objective is to train graduates who have mastered the fundamentals and principles of the science and technology of food processing, and who can apply effectively this basic training in any of the many branches of the food industry. In this respect the training is similar to the training of scientists employed in many diverse fields, or to that of engineers who applied their basic training in a wide range of industries. Some specialisation will be applied at the end of the course to lead into special fields of the food industry.