The Bakery Technology Section was established in 1997 together with three other departments making up UIRI’s Food Processing Division.

The section’s purpose is to steer and conduct applied industrial research into the bakery industry and also address the needs of the local bakery industry specifically the micro and medium scale enterprises by generating appropriate bakery processing technologies.

Services Offered by the Bakery Department

• Conducting applied research programmes relevant to the needs of the bakery industry and resulting into benefits like value addition, cost reduction, quality up-grading, new product and process development.
• Conducting practical training for SME prospective entrepreneurs and students from higher institutions of learning in the field of bakery, quality assurance and bakery plant management.
• Upgrading and developing processing technologies that promote the production of high quality bakery products.
• Identifying, adopting and diffusing knowledge and technologies to prospective end-users.
• Providing technical advice as well as consultancy services to start-ups in the bakery industry and those already in business.
• Promoting the adoption of modern quality management systems to micro and medium scale enterprises for example Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Good Hygiene Practices (GHP), Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).

Planned activities

• Equipping the Bakery Pilot Plant by acquiring new equipment.
• Carrying out Research and Development to lead to results on how to best utilize available agricultural raw material stem & root tubers.
• Training more micro and medium scale entrepreneurs (MSMEs) about the bakery industry.
• Continued assistance to the existing incubatees by supervising their activities and training them in product and market strategy development.