On December 22nd, 40 sophomores from the Biotechnology and Food Engineering program of GTIIT visited the Guangdong leading confectionery and health supplement company - Guangdong Fuwei Fruits & Nuts Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Yichao Biological Co., Ltd.

In the confectionery workshop, students were “armed” by sterile work clothes and were disinfected for several times before entering the workshop. Chen Binhan, Director of the workshop, showed students the sorting process of candies. The quality of candies produced by the automatic production line is uneven. Some soft candies will have bubbles in the middle, and some of which do not meet the production requirements. These unqualified products are what workers need to deal with. The students visited the manual sorting process with great interests and tried the candies.

In the R&D Room, Manager Lin Ruitong introduced Agilent gas chromatography and liquid chromatography and explained in detail how the instruments work. By asking questions, students consolidated the knowledge they have learned from books and gained better understanding about high-tech instruments.

GTIIT Research Scientist Markus Walkling-Ribeiro said, “As part of the Food Technology course in the Biotechnology and Food Engineering program, this visit provided an excellent opportunity for our students to combine what they have learned with industrial applications in real working life.”

"Our students are only in their second year. They may not have started thinking about their future study or career path yet. Activities like these will make them think about it ahead of time."

Guangdong Fuwei Factory Co., Ltd. has been established for more than 20 years. It has GMP workshops, more than 30 trademark patents, nearly 40 invention patents, and has obtained many management system certifications. It is a well-known enterprise in the food industry of Guangdong Province. "Fuwei" brand has won the "Famous Trademark of Guangdong Province". Guangdong Yichao Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is younger than Fuwei. At present, 80% of Yichao's products are exported to the EU, the America and other countries of the world.

This visit enabled students to experience the culture and management of modern enterprises and the similarities and differences between university education and enterprise training. Zhang Kanglei, a student from the Biotechnology and Food Engineering program said that, “After this visit, we have a deeper understanding of the strict requirements of food production. We also have a better understanding of enterprise architecture.”

Chen Yousheng, who is also from the same program, said that he did not expect that there were such a long process of research and development, testing and production behind a small candy.

Text by Wang Heji

Edited by GTIIT News & Public Affairs