Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Research Departments  » Food and Post-Harvest Tech.

The department comprises of two research divisions namely:

-   Food Industry Engineering

-   Post-Harvesting Technologies Engineering

The main objectives and tasks of this department include:

By using various sciences and technologies related to agricultural products and foodstuffs, the Food Industry Engineering and Post-Harvesting Technologies Department provides the possibility of maintaining and improving the quality of food and agricultural products and reducing their wastes and losses. One of the main research tasks of this department is to identify and achieve the most appropriate processing methods, as well as optimizing the post-harvest technologies of agricultural products. Department's new research programs include the application of new sciences and technologies, including the use of nucleic radiations, biotechnology, and nanotechnology in the food science and engineering industries.

The followings are some major research policies and priorities of the department:

  • Recognize and achieve to the appropriate post-harvest technologies to reduce quantitative and qualitative wastes and losses of agricultural products and raw and processed foods, 
  • Introducing appropriate technologies for optimal use of wastes and losses in the production of valuable products in agriculture and industry,
  • Reduction of toxins and production of healthy food products,
  • Modification of processing methods and conversion of agricultural products,
  • Using of new technologies in the food industry and post-harvest technologies for agricultural products,
  • Use of renewable energy in processing and post-harvest technologies for food and agricultural products (with emphasis on solar energy),
  • Achieving optimal energy consumption in the processing industries of the agricultural sector,
  • Survey and planning of agricultural food processing industries (capacity assessment, prioritization and location of agricultural processing industries in different provinces of the country),
  • Standardization of research findings in various fields of food industry and post-harvest technologies of agricultural products,
  • Efforts to attract private sector participation and investment in applied research,
  • Demanding research-based, needs assessment and determining research priorities based on the country's development plans and current and future needs of the agricultural sector,
  • Commercialization of research achievements and technological capabilities of the sector,
  • Transfer of existing technical knowledge and technologies,
  •  Measuring, monitoring and reducing wastes and losses of strategic agricultural products in the post-harvest stages,
  • Optimization of processing methods and conversion of agricultural products,
  • Food security issues,
  • Development of agricultural processing industries,
  • Measuring the exact amount of wastes and losses in different stages of the production, chain,
  • Providing appropriate technologies to reduce wastes and losses during the harvest and post-harvest stages,
  • Providing technical knowledge/technologies for the use wastes and losses of agricultural products that can be promoted in production or commercial areas and have an applicant from the private or public sector,
  • Implementation of research projects in order to develop small rural processing industries,
  • Implementation of research projects with the aim of producing new food products / new food formulations that can be implemented in villages, agro-industries and workshop or industrial units,
  • Implementing research projects in order to optimize processing methods and conversion of agricultural products,
  • Implementing research projects in order to localize new technologies in the food industry,
  • Implementation of research projects in order to use renewable energy in processing and post-harvest technologies of agricultural products.

The department has the specialized laboratories and workshops namely as follow:

  • Chemistry and Food Analysis Laboratory
  • Food Biophysics Laboratory,
  • Food Microbiology Laboratory
  • Post-harvest technology workshop for agricultural products
  • Food industry pilot-plant
 

 

Faculty Members