Rationale

The Food Innovation Center (FIC) in ISU Cauayan Campus, is a food processing center with common service facilities for product development and packaging. It will serve as a one-stop-shop for food research and development and technology transfer for would be adopters and beneficiaries.

It aims to add value to food products to become competitive and to transform the agriculture-based Cagayan Valley into a food processing haven to improve the region’s local food products to reach a sizeable share of the local, national and international markets.

Vision

The Food Innovation Center (FIC) will be a leading research and development center of standards and excellence in food innovation and technology serves producing quality and safe food products in the country and in the ASEAN region.

Mission

The Food Innovation Center (FIC) is committed to produce technologies and innovative quality food products satisfying customer’s needs and services for sustainable development of the food industry.

  1. Product Quality and Process Improvement
    Product quality and process improvement will be provided to customers/firms who have already developed food products which are being or to be commercialized.
    Product quality will be improved in terms of sensory properties, nutritional value, shelf-life, and packaging and labeling.
    The center will also improve the existing process by optimizing operating parameters such as time, temperature, pressure, etc.
  2. Product Development
  3. product development which includes line extensions, innovative products, and creative products will be conducted by the Center for customers/firms who are interested in commercializing new products. The developed technology will be transfered to adaptors guided by the Technology Transfer Law.
  4. Packaging and Labeling
  5. Assistance on the design and determination of appropriate packaging materials to enhance marketability and improve shelf-life of products will be provided including the design of labels compliant with market and regulatory requirements.
  6. The Technology Innovation and Packaging Development Center of DOSTR02, Packaging Technology Division (PTD) of the ITDI-DOST will be tapped to assist in the development of functional design for packages, and to identify and develop suitable or alternative packaging design for packages, and to identify and develop suitable or alternative packaging materials using available sources.

4. Technology Transfer
The ISU-DOST Food Innovation Center has developed several food technologies that are open for adoption and commercialization by interested clients. The Adoption and
commercialization by interested clients. Adoptor of technology may use the facility for market testing of the prototype.

5. Equipment/Facility Utilization
Locally designed and fabricated, such as the High Impact Technology Solutions (HITS) Equipment, and other available equipment for food processing and packaging will be made available
for use by a cooperator/beneficiary firm(s) on agreed terms and conditions based on the following scheme: Shared-use: the faculty and students, MSME food processors and other food establishment use equipment alternately or jointly for specified schedule
Toll processing/packaging: the use of the facility or equipment is on “as required/need” basis and for specific period.

6. Technical Trainings
1. Food Innovation and Product Development
2. Packaging and Labeling
3. Food Safety, Basis GMP and SSOP

Vacuum Fryer
used to deep-fry food under reduced pressure and temperature

Cabinet Dryer
used to preserve fruits and vegetables by lowering the moisture content by means of convection heating. Used in the processing of dried fruits and vegetables.

Single Screw Extruder
used for creating a product (an extrudate) by forcing a material through a die or an orifice to form a shape, or alternatively an extruder is used to produce semi-finished or finished products.

Impulse sealer
is a tool used to seal all different types of packaging, from polyethylene and polypropylene bags to thermoplastic packages

Induction Sealer
used for bonding thermoplastic materials by induction heating.

Vacuum Packaging Machine
for meat products, for weaning products complementary food and dehydrated products

  • Soil Media for Production of Cacao Seedlings
  • Size of Polybags for Cacao Seedlings
  • Appropriate distance of planting
  • Appropriate Time and Amount of Fertilizer (Before planting and During fruiting Stage)
  • Appropriate Method and Time of Pruning
  • Appropriate Method of Harvesting
  • Appropriate Cacao Pod Breaking
  • Appropriate Days and Temperature of Fermentation Cacao Beans
  • Drying (appropriate MC%)
  • Roasting (appropriate time and temperature)
  • Tablea making
  • 80% & 90% dark chocolates
  • Choconut Crispy Cookies
  • DA – Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR)
  • DA – Agricultural Training Institute (ATI)
  • Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
  • Phil. Cocoa Foundation
  • Dela Salle University
  • DA Region 02
  • DTI Region 02
  • LGUs
  • NGOs (Cacao Growers Association & Cooperatives)