Biggest Trends in Culinary Science & Technology Making It Your Preferred Career Choice!
Emerging food & culinary science technology trends have signalled a shift toward more sustainable and personalised food options recently. Alternative protein sources, local foods, nutraceuticals, and personalised nutrition are examples of these.
Concerns about the environment are prompting food startups and brands to implement waste reduction practices and zero-waste workflows. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies throughout the food value chain.
Robotics, e-commerce, and digital food-management tools are helping food producers digitise their production floors. Restaurants are also incorporating robots into their hospitality and cooking operations, as well as promoting e-commerce. The food industry is addressing the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 situation by employing all of the aforementioned tools to ensure efficient, transparent, and long-term operations.
Trends that are Acing the Culinary Science & Technology Charts!
Nutraceuticals
There is growing concern about the impact of eating habits on health and a growing need for essential nutrients for a healthy lifestyle. With the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers emphasise eating healthfully, making nutraceuticals a top emerging trend in the food industry. This is an essential factor in driving the demand for nutraceuticals.
According to scientific research on nutraceuticals, various nutraceuticals provide health benefits against oxidative stress-related disorders such as allergy, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and immune diseases.
Food Waste Reduction
A significant portion of the food produced in the world is lost or wasted. As a result, reducing food waste is critical to addressing food insecurity. Food entrepreneurs and large corporations are now focusing on reducing food waste to reduce their environmental impact and save money.
Food monitoring solutions assist food producers, restaurants, and smart cities in reducing food waste. In addition, there is a paradigm shift in food manufacturing from food waste reduction to zero waste approaches.
Food brands are upcycling and reusing food waste to add value and reach out to consumers who care about sustainability. 3D food printing solutions, for example, that uses food waste to print edible food products reduce food waste.
Digital Food Management
Big data analytics and artificial intelligence enable digital food management combined with real-time monitoring.
By using real-time information on food products and consumers, restaurateurs are now being able to analyze customer behavior and forecast demand. These solutions help food producers understand market demands and forecast disruptions, reducing losses and managing surplus food.
Furthermore, customer and market intelligence is allowing brands to optimise their marketing strategies and effectively reach the relevant audience, thus increasing sales.
Personalised Nutrition
Consumers’ increased nutrition awareness is driving the demand for expertise in personalised nutrition. Personalised nutrition is a crucial component of culinary science and technology trends, as consumers want to understand how their dietary habits affect their health.
Among these are nutrigenomics-based diets, sugar-free diets, vegan diets, and clean label foods. Also, food manufacturers can now provide nutrition personalisation on a large scale – all thanks to advancements in 3D printing and robotics in assembly lines.
Furthermore, at-home blood and urine testing kits allow consumers to determine the best food habits suited to their genetic profiles. Furthermore, various tracking devices enable users to track their diet and health conditions to optimise their diet.
Startup companies help food producers better cater to the dietary preferences of their customers, thus improving their convenience and sales.
Food Safety & Transparency
Food safety has become a significant concern as customers have become more concerned about the quality of their purchased products. Customers can make informed decisions when purchasing food items thanks to intelligent labels and standalone food grading devices.
Furthermore, advances in blockchain technology and real-time food monitoring using Internet of Things (IoT) devices enable food brands to provide end-to-end traceability. By developing low-cost, scalable monitoring solutions, startups are advancing towards food product traceability and transparency.
This builds trust between food producers and consumers, which boosts brand credibility and sales.
The Bottom Line
With rapid advancements in Industry 4.0, it is now impossible to avoid improvements in efficiency, consistency, and scale in the food industry.
Aside from the major trends, advancements in artificial intelligence and big data analytics is helping optimise food industry operations. Overall, the food and beverage industry is moving toward sustainability while improving overall operational efficiency.
This evolution calls for becoming adept in the skills required to ace the industry which can only be achieved via enrolling in the best culinary science courses.
