Department of Processing and Food Engineering. (PFE)

About the department

The Department of Post-Harvest Technology in Agricultural Processing was formed during the year 1985 as one of the departments of KCAET and renamed as Department of Processing & Food Engineering in 2018. This department supports the college in its activities viz., teaching, research and extension in the discipline of Food and Agricultural Process Engineering.

Vision

To provide excellent food engineering professionals to catalyse the food processing sector of our country

Mission

· To mould competitive, efficient and capable farmers, entrepreneurs, managers and Agricultural and Food Technologists

· To promote research activities which may lead to new product / process development designs and development of improved agricultural/food processing machineries, food microbiology and safety, quality control and assurance, nutrition and healthy, marketing and management etc

· To transfer the technologies to the stakeholders, through demonstration and training

Courses offered

· B.Tech (Food Technology)

· B.Tech (Agricultural Engineering)

· M.Tech (Agricultural Engineering) –Processing and Food Engineering

· Ph.D (Agricultural Engineering) –Processing and Food Engineering

Laboratories

The department is well equipped with

sufficient laboratories to carry out academic and research activities. Various labs under the department are: Agricultural Processing Machinery Lab, Food Engineering Lab, Instrumentation Lab, Product Analysis Lab, Engineering Properties Lab, Food Microbiology Lab, Heat and Mass transfer and Refrigeration Lab, Food Packaging Lab, Advanced Food Analysis Instrumentation Lab, Advanced Food Engineering Lab

Department Library

The Department Library has a collection of about 500 major reference books in the field of Agricultural Processing, Food Engineering, Food Microbiology, Food Chemistry, Food Safety etc. The library also has a stock of PG/PhD thesis of the department.

Research Activities

The Department of Processing and Food Engineering has given prime importance for developing primary and secondary level processing machineries and also for developing various process technologies to minimize the post-harvest losses of the agricultural produce. Some of the technologies developed in the department included in Package of Practices are:

· Pineapple peeler cum Slicer

· Potato/Banana/Fruit Slicer

· Process protocol for Garcinia powder

· Ashgourd/Cucumber seed extractor

· Cocoa pod breaker

· Black pepper decorticator

· HACCP protocol for pepper products

· Process protocol for canning of tender jackfruit

Patented technologies

Various value added products/processes were developed for safe commercial level food manufacturing

· Techniques for preservation of banana

· Development of Ready To Cook jackfruit

· Process protocol for banana flour based ethnic mix

· Process protocol for dried jackfruit flakes

· Retort pouch packaged tender jackfruit

Ongoing externally aided projects

All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Post-Harvest Technology (AICRP)

All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Post-Harvest Technology, funded by ICAR started functioning from 2004 onwards. The major objectives of this project are to study the prevailing Post- Harvest practices and to develop simple processes and equipment for better economic utilization of agricultural commodities.

Centre of Excellence in Post-Harvest Technology

The department runs a sub centre of the state network project on Centre of Excellence in Post-Harvest Technology. The centre aims at creating an effective system by enabling start-ups and growth of innovative research for developing cost-attractive post-harvest technologies for agricultural commodities, particularly fruits and vegetables, spices and rice.

Agri-Business Incubator

The Agri-business Incubator (ABI) facility, under the department encompasses an agri-market-oriented development plan that seeks to improve farmers livelihoods through agri-business incubation. ABI has   provided entrepreneur   support to five processing ventures and conducted many outreach training programmes to potential entrepreneurs. The centre has developed   processing machineries and standardized process protocol for many innovative and healthy food products.

Agro Processing Centre

An Agro Processing Centre has been established under AICRP on PHET (ICAR). The centre has facility for coconut oil expelling, filtering, rice and spice pulverisation and roasting, value chain for jack fruit slicing for frying and jack fruit chips production.

Fruit processing pilot plant

The department posses a fruit processing pilot plant established with the financial assistance from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries with an aim to impart on-hand practical exposure.

Training and Extension

The department is also actively engaged in various training and extension programs. Some of the activities carried out as a part of training and extension are:

· Retort pouch technology for tender jackfruit, Osmo-convective dried intermediate moisture foods, dried jackfruit flakes, canned jackfruit and jackfruit halwa, dehydrated flakes  etc

· Various machineries and products developed under AICRP on PHET/ CE-PHT of this centre were exhibited in various Tech Fest and exhibitions.

· AICRP on PHET of this centre also conducted different training programmes on food processing for different farmers, entrepreneurs etc.