Training on Baking science and technology conducted

TechnoServe Ethiopia has facilitated a three day practical oriented training (March 17-19, 2014) here in Bahir Dar to 62 bakers from Bahir Dar, Gondar and Mekelle. The training has focused on the products of bread, biscuit and cookies. Knowledge about ingredient types, composition, functionality, quality control and new product development has been obtained in addition to key steps in bread and biscuit processing associated with detailed discussion about process and ingredient related problems, troubleshooting and process control parameters. The trainers were highly experienced scientists and volunteers from Partners for Food Solutions (PFS) and General Mills of USA. Bahir Dar University has played its part in the training by two instructors from Food Technology and Process Engineering Program in order to assist the experienced trainers in making sure that no knowledge and skill flow from the trainers and experience sharing and questions from trainee sides were hampered due to language barriers. The food process laboratory of Bahir Dar University was used for hands on sessions. A similar training was held a week before (March 10-12) at Harmony Hotel of Addis for bakers from Addis Ababa and nearby cities and towns to benefit 68 trainees. The trainees have expressed their appreciation to all who participated in organizing such an important and problem solving training stating that they acquired a lot of knowledge that surely change the way they do business in order to profit more from baking. It is remembered that TechnoServe Ethiopia has made an agreement with Bahir Dar University to conduct five trainings each to be conducted in Addis Ababa and Bahir Dar (Hawassa). The first two trainings, “Mycotoxin Prevention and Control” and “Food Safety Management system” have been carried out in Bahir Dar and Addis by Bahir Dar University experts. The rest three trainings namely, Milling Science and Technology Bakery Science and Technology and Flour Fortification (to be conducted in June 2014) were planned to be conducted by highly experienced professionals from USA. The Bahir Dar university staffs have, in addition to filling the gap of language barrier between the trainee and trainer, benefitted from the knowledge transfer themselves and became more practical and able to sustain the knowledge and skill through teaching their students and training the community engaged in milling and baking businesses.