StudyQA — Master: Food Technology

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Description Contents Requirements Funding

The InterUniversity Programme Master of Food Technology (IUPFOOD) is jointly organized byKU Leuven and UGent in the context of the VLIR-UOS supported International Course Programmes (ICP’s).

IUPFOOD is a 120 credit (ECTS) academic programme leading to an MSc degree ‘Master of Science in Food Technology’.

The overall objective of IUPFOOD is to provide multi-disciplinary and specialized professional training in food technology, with the emphasis on postharvest and food preservation engineering on the one hand and food science and technology on the other hand, to equip future personnel with the technical and managerial knowledge, skills and attitudes which they require to contribute successfully to solving problems related to food security through the production of safe foods of high quality. Although oriented towards international students in general, the IUPFOOD programme recruits students from the South in particular (typically countries in Africa, Asia and South America) where food/nutrient security (delivering enough nutritious, high-quality safe food) is a current and future major concern and key challenge.

Foods can be divided into three groups based on how long they can be stored and maintained in edible condition: (i) highly perishable (e.g. many fruits and vegetables, milk, meat, poultry, fish, etc.) with a shelf life of several hours to maximum one week, (ii) perishable foods (e.g. different fruits, root vegetables, etc.) with a shelf life of one week to several months, and (iii) stable foods (e.g. cereal grains, sugar, nuts, etc.) with a shelf life of several months to years. To bring foods to the consumer in an acceptable form, on the one hand processing technologies are used to convert edible raw materials into foods very often with decreased inherent stability, and on the other hand preservation technologies are required to increase the stability and shelf life of foods (both fresh and processed).

Based on these considerations two technological dimensions of prime and crucial importance in food processing and preservation are the key objectives and programme options in IUPFOOD:

the role of postharvest and food preservation unit operations in delivering safe and nutritious foods to the end consumer;
the transformation of raw materials in products suitable for human consumption or in intermediate ingredients for further use in the food industry.

These two concerns are directly translated in the focus points of the IUPFOOD programme.

Biochemistry and physiology of perishable crops
Food chemistry and analysis
Food marketing and consumer behaviour
Food microbiology and analysis Nutrition and Dietetics
Applied statistics
Engineering properties and principles of food machinery
Food processing
Thermal processing of foods
Transport phenomena and engineering kinetics
Design and management of storage and distribution structures
Low temperature processing of foods
Mathematical planning and advanced statistics
Food packaging and transportation
HACCP-concepts and quality assurance: workshop
Postharvest pest management and disease control
Food colloids
Functional foods
Statistical topics in food technology
Technology of fishery products
Meat and meat products
Milk and dairy technology
Plant based food products and ingredients
Cereal science and technology
Food fermentations
Food regulation: workshop
Food safety
Fruit and vegetable technology
Workshop food technology
Advanced marketing and agribusiness management
Thesis research

Requirements

International applicants must have obtained an academic Bachelor of Science degree (in countries in the South typically a 4-year programme) in a discipline related to the content of the programme from a recognized University, College or Institute. Candidates are expected to have basic science training (demonstrable in the transcripts) in at least 3 out of 4 of the following fields: (i) mathematics, statistics and physics, (ii) chemistry and biochemistry, (iii) biology and microbiology and (iv) engineering. They must have obtained their degree with an end result of at least second class upper or equivalent. Each application is evaluated by the Educational Committee (delegated to the Daily Organization Committee) for admission.
Applicants are fluent in English (written and oral). All applicants who have not obtained a previous diploma in a programme taught in English in Australia, English-speaking Canada, the Caribbean Islands, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States of America must submit a certificate proving their proficiency in English. Applicants need to have obtained a score of at least 550 on the paper-based TOEFL test (or a score of at least 79 on the internet-based TOEFL test) (sent by ETS) or a score of at least 6.5 on the IELTS test (sent by the official IELTS centre administered by The British Council or IDP Education) or provide proof of an equivalent test.
Direct access is given to students who are, based on the specific entrance requirements of those programmes, directly admitted to the Master of Science in Bioscience Engineering: Food Science and Technology (Master of Science in de bio-ingenieurswetenschappen: levensmiddelentechnologie) at KU Leuven or to the Master of Science in Bioscience Engineering: Food Science and Nutrition (Master of Science in de bio-ingenieurswetenschappen: levensmiddelenwetenschappen en voeding) at UGent.
Access is given to students who, based on the specific entrance requirements of those programmes, have successfully completed a preparatory programme (15 to 60 credits) or transitional programme (45 to 90 credits) that allow entrance to the Master of Science in Bioscience Engineering: Food Science and Technology (Master of Science in de Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen: levensmiddelentechnologie) at KU Leuven or to the Master of Science in Bioscience Engineering: Food Science and Nutrition (Master of Science in de bio-ingenieurswetenschappen: levensmiddelenwetenschappen en voeding) at UGent.