SOTECH dairy project team holds training on food safety, spray drying tech

Collaborative research and development (R&D) activities are one of the forms of industry and academe linkages.

Universities and partner industries form this agreement to benefit one another through cooperation in conducting research and development projects.

The academe, with its knowledge and expertise in science-based processes, aids the industry to thrive and develop income-generating products. The industry, with its funding and capability to develop and enhance products, collaborates with the academe for R&D projects.

This collaboration is enhanced by the funding support from the government through the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) under its Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (CRADLE) program.

DOST-CRADLE enables the academe and the industry to collaborate and resolve problems through research and development projects. It is in this context that the partnership between the School of Technology (SOTECH) of the University of the Philippines Visayas and Waffle Time Incorporated was formed with the implementation of the project entitled, “Valorization of Carabao’s Milk Produced in Western Visayas for the New Normal.”

One of the target outputs of the project is to provide manpower training and enhance the knowledge and skills of the personnel. The dairy project team of SOTECH, composed of Mr. Jan Roland Molina, Ms. Wendee Marbebe, Mr. Roi Sirach Lagon, Ms. Charnie Nieles, and Dr. Jihan Santanina S. Alumbro, conducted training on food safety and spray drying technology for the personnel of Waffle Time Incorporated.

The one-day training was held at The Avenue Function Room located at Smallville Iloilo Complex last April 7, 2022.

Twenty participants from the Quality Assurance Department, Research and Development Department, and Milk Processing line attended the said event. Ms. Jaira Marie Jegonia, R&D-QA Head of Waffle Time Incorporated, delivered welcome remarks and introduced the participants.

The participants’ knowledge about food safety was enhanced through the informative lecture of Dr. S.R. Luzette T. Teruel, a retired Food Technology professor of SOTECH. Dr. Teruel shared her knowledge and expertise on food safety, focusing on the different hazards that can contaminate the milk during handling and processing.

In the afternoon, the participants gained insights about spray drying technology from the lecture of project leader, Dr. Jihan Santanina S. Alumbro.

Dr. Alumbro provided an overview of the history, significance, current use, and future trend. After the talk, the participants enjoyed the group activity in which they shared the products that they would like to process through spray-drying and the benefits that it could give to the consumers. The speakers equipped the participants with new and additional knowledge about the topics.

The event concluded with the closing remarks of Mr. Jan Roland Molina, the project staff. The event was successfully conducted following health protocols, such as proper ventilation of the venue, wearing of face masks, and physical distancing. (Wendee E. Marbebe)