Food Processing and Technology

Study food processing and technology online. Learn how to plan and manage the processing of food on or off farm, to produce marketable food products.

Course Code: BSS301
Fee Code: S2
Duration (approx) Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification Statement of Attainment
Get started!

Discover how food products are created, from concept through to deployment.

  • Learn how sensory analysis, food trends, and D values affect the development of a new food product.
  • Understand the five stages of food product creation, and how they affect marketing efforts
  • Explore policy, legalities, and the importance of health claims, warnings, and advisory statements
  • Apply your knowledge as you design your own food product with our problem-based learning project

 

 

Lesson Structure

There are 9 lessons in this course:

  1. Overview -Scope and Nature of Food Processing Industry
    • Introduction
    • Understanding Food Spoilage
    • How Food can be Preserved
  2. The Role of Nutrition in New Product Development
    • Health, Food Development, and Processing
    • Essential Nutrients and Nutrition
    • Other Natural Additives
    • Nutrient Potential Assessment
  3. Chemical Processing, Preservatives, and Additives
    • Defining Processed Foods
    • Additives for Appearance
    • Additives for Taste
    • Food Contact Materials
  4. Thermal Food Processing, Pasteurisation and Microwave Cooking
    • Understanding Microbial Destruction
    • Types of Heating
    • Pasteurisation
    • Reheating Food
    • Heating For Serving
  5. Managing Health Claims and Other Statements
    • Health Claims vs. Nutrition Content Claims
    • Health Claims and Development
    • Warning and Advisory Statements
    • Genetically Modified Foods
  6. Developing New Food Products (including Marketing)
    • Developing the Marketing Concept
    • Consumer Buying Behaviour
    • Stages of Developing a New Food Product
  7. Packaging, Labelling and Storage
    • Choosing Packaging Materials
    • Types of Packing Materials
    • Design Considerations in Packaging
    • Labelling
    • Storage
  8. Legal, Policy and Management
    • How Legal Requirements Impact Food Processing
    • Food Production Management
    • Differences Between Manufacturing and Production
    • Entry of Products into Foreign Markets
  9. Developing a New Product - Problem Based Learning (PBL) Project
    • Working through food product development stages to design your own product

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

  • Understand where food comes from.
  • Explain spoilage and the effect of microbes on food.
  • Explain the basics of preserving food.
  • Explain the meaning of nutrition density and essential nutrients.
  • Explain the role nutrition has in the development of a new food product.
  • Explain the meaning of processed foods.
  • Explain types of preservatives and their role.
  • Explain the use of common food additives.
  • Explain different ways to process food using heat.
  • Explain different types of health claims and their purpose.
  • Explain warning and advisory statements and their purpose.
  • Understand the effect of health and other claims on the development and marketing of food products.
  • Explain how concepts are determined in conjunction with consumer needs, wants, and trends.
  • Explain the process of developing a new food product from concept to end-product.
  • Explain the options in packaging materials, and the decisions affecting packaging on a food and chemical level.
  • Discuss the importance of labelling, including nutrition labels, warning statements, and allergen statements.
  • Explain the importance of storage in the success of a food product.
  • Explore the legal, policy making and management considerations that impact food processing.

What You Will Do

  • Distinguish between unprocessed, minimally processed, and processed food products
  • Explain the difference between a natural preservative and a chemical preservative.
  • Explain how food spoilage by enzymes works.
  • Discuss the importance of essential nutrients.
  • Explain recommended dietary intakes (RDIs).
  • Explain nutrition density and how it affects food product development.
  • Explain the differences between chemical and physical processing.
  • Define pastuerisation and explain why it is important.
  • Explain Z values and their importance.
  • Construct a case study for using a specific health claim for a food product.
  • Explain the difference between warning and advisory statements in your area.
  • Discuss why some localities regulate the use of the word diet and slimming/weight loss claims.
  • Explain how studying consumer behaviour influences development of a new food product.
  • Perform a sensory analysis on a product of your choice.
  • Discuss factors contributing to the shelf life of a product.
  • Explain the difference between manufacturing and production.
  • Design your own food product.

 

The food industry is a vital part of the world’s economy. Food products are necessary to life, and advancements in food technology can improve nutrient density and delivery, lower cost, and provide nourishment to communities all over the world.

Food is generally divided into two categories – processed or preserved, and fresh. While there development processes for fresh food, such as the development of new fruit strains, a significant amount of new food development is in the processed and packaged space. Sometimes, this is as simple as repackaging a fresh food, such as offering green beans in a ready-to-cook format. More often, though, it’s developing a more complex processed or packaged product that meets a consumer need. 
New product development is an important part of any food business, from a small family business through to large corporations.
Without products – and new products – to bring to market, business growth is more likely to stagnate. Most companies use a staged approach to product development. 

Being informed and knowledgeable about how to produce new products is just as crucial as is creating products that have market value. This course provides a foundation for developing those new products better, and minimising all types of risks along the way from product quality risks to health and business risks.

Developing new food products is a complex process: it spans a variety of areas, including scientific research, marketing and design, and policy. This course will help:
  • people considering a new product, from a corporate or farm-fresh perspective
  • those wanting to improve their knowledge of where food comes from, and how it is made, to make better wellness decisions
  • people working at the cross-section of hospitality and food

 

WHY DO YOU WANT TO STUDY FOOD TECHNOLOGY?

This is a course that can benefit anyone who works in the production, processing, marketing or preparation of food; for example:

  • farmers who wish to value add to their produce through initiatives such as on-farm production of preserves, innovative branding and packaging, etc.
  • start up entrepreneurs producing food products on a small scale, perhaps selling through markets, local retailers or online mail order.
  • developing small enterprises, expanding their product range and business reach
  • students of agriculture, crop production, aquaculture, human nutrition, cooking, hospitality or related disciplines; as part of a certificate
  • food coaches, nutrition and health professionals
  • employees of factories, distribution companies, food retailers, catering services, restaurants, cafe's or any other businesses involved in producing and supplying food for human consumption.
ACS Distance Education holds an Educational Membership with the ATA.
ACS Distance Education holds an Educational Membership with the ATA.
ACS is a Member of the Complementary Medicine Association.
ACS is a Member of the Complementary Medicine Association.
Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
Member of Study Gold Coast Education Network.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
ACS Global Partner - Affiliated with colleges in seven countries around the world.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.
ACS is a Member of the Permaculture Association (membership number 14088).
ACS is a Member of the Permaculture Association (membership number 14088).
Long-term member since 1986.
Long-term member since 1986.
UK Register of Learning Providers, UK PRN10000112
UK Register of Learning Providers, UK PRN10000112

How can I start this course?

You can enrol at anytime and start the course when you are ready. Enrolments are accepted all year - students can commence study at any time. All study is self paced and ACS does not set assignment deadlines.

Please note that if a student is being assisted by someone else (e.g. an employer or government subsidy), the body offering the assistance may set deadlines. Students in such situations are advised to check with their sponsor prior to enrolling. The nominal duration of a course is approximately how long a course takes to complete. A course with a nominal duration of 100 hours is expected to take roughly 100 hours of study time to complete. However, this will vary from student to student. Short courses (eg. 100 hrs duration) should be completed within 12 months of enrolment. Certificates, Advanced Certificates and Awards (eg. over 500 hours duration) would normally be completed within 3 -5 years of enrolment. Additional fees may apply if a student requires an extended period to complete.
If a student cannot submit their assignments for 6 months to ACS, they should advise the school to avoid cancellation of their student
registration. Recommencement fees may apply.

Simply click on the ENROL OPTIONS button at the top of this screen and follow the prompts.

You can see the course price at the top of this page. Click 'enrolment options' to see any payment options available.

You can pay by Credit Card, PayPal, Afterpay or bank transfer.

Yes! We have payment plans for most courses. Click 'enrolment options' to see the available payment plans.
We also have Afterpay that will allow you to pay for your course or payment plans in four instalments (if you are in Australia).


What do I need to know before I enrol?

There are no entry requirements that you need to meet to enrol in our courses, our courses are for everyone.
If you are under 18, we need written permission from your parent/ guardian for your enrolment to continue, we can arrange that after you have enrolled.

You don’t need to purchase any additional resources to complete our courses.

We aim to teach you the essentials without you having to purchase any specific computer program.
We recommend that you have access to a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, so that you can easily complete and submit your assignments.

You sure can. We are here to help you learn whatever your abilities.

Yes, if you are enrolling in a Certificate or Advanced Certificate, you might be eligible for credits if you have evidence of your previous studies or relevant experience. More information is here.

We recommend that you are able to browse websites, send emails and conduct online research. You will need to be able to type and submit your assignments.
If you have limited computer skills, we can make special arrangements for you.

This is possible, it depends on the institution. We recommend that if you would like to use our courses that you contact the institution first. Our Course Handbook is a good resource for this.

Our courses are written in English and we only have English speaking academic staff. If you can read and complete your assignments in English, our courses are ideal for you.

Our courses are designed to build knowledge, hands on skills and industry connections to help prepare you to work in the area, running your own business, professional development or as a base for further study.

This course has been designed to cover the fundamentals of the topic. It will take around 100 hours to complete, which includes your course reading, assignment work, research, practical tasks, watching videos and anything else that is contained in the course. Our short courses are a great way to do some professional development or to learn a new skill.

It’s up to you. The study hours listed in the course are a rough guide, however if you were to study a short course (100 hours) at 10 hours per week, you could finish the course in 10 weeks (just an example). Our courses are self-paced, so you can work through the courses in your own time. We recommend that you wait for your tutor to mark and return your assignment before your start your next one, so you get the benefits of their feedback.

The course consists of course notes, videos, set tasks for your practical work, online quizzes, an assignment for each lesson (that you receive feedback from your tutor from) and ends in an exam (which is optional, if would like to receive the formal award at the end), using our custom built Learning Management System - Login.Training.

Our courses are designed for adults to gain professional development and skills to further their careers and start businesses.

Our custom online learning portal allows you to conduct your learning online. There may be practical tasks that you can do offline. You have the option of downloading your course notes or print them to read later.

There is also the option to pay an additional fee for printed course notes and or USB (availability limited to location and deliverability).

Yes, if you don’t have access to the internet, you can receive the course as paper notes or on a USB stick for an additional fee. We can also make alternative arrangements for you to send your assignments to us.

We offer printed notes for an additional fee. Also, you can request your course notes on a USB stick for an additional fee.

Yes, your tutor is here to help you. Simply post any questions you have in your login.training portal or contact the office and we can pass on a message to your tutor.

We are more learning focussed, rather than assessment focussed. You have online quizzes to test your learning, written assignments and can complete an exam at the end of the course (if you want to receive your certificate). You will not receive a pass/ fail on your course work. If you need to add more details on your assignment, we will ask you to resubmit and direct you where you need to focus. If you need help, you can ask your tutor for advice in the student room.

Each module (short course) is completed with one exam.

Exams are optional, however you must sit an exam if you would like to receive a formal award. You will need to find someone who can supervise that you are sitting the exams under exams conditions. There is an additional cost of $60 incl. GST for each exam.
More information is here

There are practical components built into the course that have been designed to be achieved by anyone, anywhere. If you are unable to complete a task for any reason, you can ask your tutor for an alternative.

When you complete the course work and the exam and you will be able receive your course certificate- a Statement of Attainment. Otherwise, you can receive a Letter of Completion.

You can bundle the short courses to create your own customised learning bundle, Certificates or Advanced Certificates. More information is on this page.

Yes, our courses are built to be applicable for people living anywhere in any situation. We provide the fundamentals, and each student can apply their own unique flair for their own interests, region and circumstances with the one-on-one guidance of a tutor. There is also a bit of student directed research involved.

Employers value candidates with industry skills, knowledge, practical skills and formal learning. Our courses arm you with all of these things to help prepare you for a job or start your own business. The longer you study the more you will learn.

ACS has an arrangement with OAMPS (formerly AMP) who can arrange Professional Indemnity from Australian and New Zealand graduates across all disciplines. Ph: 1800 222 012 or email acs@oamps.com.au.


Who are ACS Distance Education?

ACS Distance Education have been educating people for over 40 years.

We are established and safe- we have been in education for over 40 years.
We are focused on developing innovative courses that are relevant to you now and what you will need to know in the future.
We are focused on helping you learn and make the most of your experience.
You can enrol at any time, you can work on your course when it suits you and at your own pace.
We are connected to many industry bodies and our staff participate in continuous improvement and learning activities to ensure that we are ahead of what learning is needed for the future.

Our courses are not accredited by the Australian Government. However many of our courses are recognised and held in high regard by many industry bodies.

Our courses are written by our staff, who all have many years experience and have qualifications in their speciality area. We have lots of academic staff who write and update our courses regularly.


How do I enrol my staff/ sponsored students?

Yes, you can do a request for a bulk enrolment and request an invoice on our Invoice Request Form

We can prepare an invoice, quote or proforma invoice. Simply complete your details on our Invoice Request form

We can arrange bulk discounts for your course enrolment, please get in touch with us to discuss your needs.

Yes, we have many students who are in locked facilities, such as prisons or hospitals. We can cater by also offering paper notes at an additional cost.


What if I have any more questions or need more information?

We can assist you to find the right course for your needs. Get in touch with us via email (admin@acs.edu.au) call on +61 7 5562 1088 or complete our course advice form.


What if I change my mind?

Please get in touch with studentservices@acs.edu.au if you would like to be removed from our mail list.

If you would like ACS Distance Education to delete your information at any time (whether you are a customer or a prospective customer), please contact our privacy officer and we will process this ( admin@acs.edu.au ).

If students require a reproduction of their certificate, an electronic copy can be provided at a cost of AUD$35 incl GST. Printed copies are not available.




Course Contributors

The following academics were involved in the development and/or updating of this course.

Melissa Leistra

B.Ed. M. Human Nutrition

Lyn Quirk

M.Prof.Ed.; Adv.Dip.Compl.Med (Naturopathy); Adv.Dip.Sports Therapy
Over 30 years as Health Club Manager, Fitness Professional, Teacher, Coach and Business manager in health, fitness and leisure industries. As business owner and former department head for TAFE, she brings a wealth of skills and experience to her role as a tutor for ACS.

Karen Lee

Nutritional Scientist, Dietician, Teacher and Author.
BSc. Hons. (Biological Sciences), Postgraduate Diploma Nutrition and Dietetics.
Registered dietitian in the UK, with over 15 years working in the NHS. Karen has undertaken a number of research projects and has lectured to undergraduate university students. Has co authored two books on nutrition and several other books in health sciences.





Tutors

Meet some of the tutors that guide the students through this course.

Rosemary Davies

Originally from Melbourne, Rosemary trained in Horticultural Applied Science at Burnley, a campus of Melbourne University. Initially she worked with Agriculture Victoria as an extension officer, taught horticulture students, worked on radio with ABC radio (clocking up over 24 years as a presenter of garden talkback programs, initially the only woman presenter on gardening in Victoria) and she simultaneously developed a career as a writer.

She then studied Education and Training, teaching TAFE apprentices and developing curriculum for TAFE, before taking up an offer as a full time columnist with the Herald and Weekly Times and its magazine department after a number of years as columnist with the Age. She has worked for a number of companies in writing and publications, PR community education and management and has led several tours to Europe.

Lyn Quirk

Lyn has 35 years of experience in the Fitness, Health and Leisure Industries. She has a string of qualifications that are far too long to list here; being qualified and registered to teach, coach or instruct a wide range of different sports and other skills.

Lyn established and managed Health clubs at three major five star resorts on Australia's Gold Coast, including The Marriott. She was a department head for a large government vocational college (TAFE), and has conducted her own aquafitness business for many years. Lyn has among her other commitments worked as a tutor for ACS for almost 10 years, and over that time, participated in the development or upgrading of most courses in her fields of expertise.

Julia Mayo-Ramsay

Dr Julia Mayo-Ramsay is a practicing environmental and agricultural lawyer. She holds a PhD in International Environmental Law, LLM, BLJS, GDLP, LLM (Environmental Law) and a Master of Applied Science (Agriculture).
Julia started out in agriculture working on various dairy farms in the 1980s before working as dairy manager / tutor at Hawkesbury Agricultural College Richmond NSW. Julia then went on to work at Riverina Artificial Breeders at Tabletop (Albury) NSW as an embryo transfer technician assisting vets with artificial breeding and embryo transfer in cattle, sheep and deer. This was followed by two years as a herd manager for a very large commercial dairy herd milking 3,000 cows over three dairies on the outskirts of Sydney before heading overseas. In 1994 Julia accepted a position in NE Thailand at the Sakhon Nakhon Institute of Technology (now a University) training farmers and students in cattle breeding and dairy farm management. On returning to Australia in late 1996 Julia completed a Master of Applied Science in Agriculture at Hawkesbury Agricultural College (UWS) as well as law degrees and maritime studies. Julia now works as a Lawyer in the area of environmental and rural law.
Currently Julia teaches a variety of maritime subjects for Marine Rescue NSW.
As well as teaching Julia is working on a number of environmental research projects.

Need Help?

Take advantage of our personalised, expert course counselling service to ensure you're making the best course choices for your situation.


I agree for ACS Distance Education to contact me and store my information until I revoke my approval. For more info, view our privacy policy.

>