Professor Jacob K. Agbenorhevi, Head of Department
The Department of Food Science and Technology (FST) at KNUST continues to advance food innovation, research, and professional training toward a sustainable food future. Through excellence in teaching, cutting-edge research, and strong collaborations with industry and research partners, the department contributes to food security, nutrition improvement, food safety, and value addition to Ghana’s agricultural resources.
Faculty in the News
Prof (Mrs.) Ibok N. Oduro delivers Inaugural lecture at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences on the topic "Hidden Harvest: Reclaiming Africa's Plate".
Prof. (Mrs.) Ibok N. Oduro, a professor of Postharvest Technology from the Department of Food Science and Technology, KNUST, delivered an Inaugural lecture at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences on the topic "Hidden harvest: Reclaiming Africa's Plate". She argued that Africa's abundant indigenous food resources remain overlooked despite their potential to address food system challenges. She called for greater investment in indigenous crops in Africa and reduced dependence on imported foods.
EFAC Project Research Dissemination Highlights Local Innovation for Improving Child Health and Nutrition
Dr. Abena Boakye of the Department of Food Science and Technology helped lead an interdisciplinary KNUST project that developed a locally sourced, nutrient-fortified complementary food shown to significantly improve child growth, cognition, vision, and micronutrient status. Working alongside Dr. Mary Amoako (Biochemistry and Biotechnology) and Dr. Kwadwo Owusu Akuffo (Optometry and Vision Science), the team tackled childhood undernutrition in Northern Ghana, where stunting rates are more than double the national average, validating the food's benefits through an eight-week trial with 100 children in Savelugu Municipality. Dr. Boakye emphasized that the product's success rested on sound food science, ensuring the food was not only nutritionally complete but also palatable and culturally acceptable, a testament to the discipline's central role in turning nutrition science into food that children will actually eat.
Dr. Abena Boakye Highlights Role of Indigenous Crops in Sustainable Development at KNUST ScienceFriday Lecture
Dr. Abena Achiaa Boakye, Senior Lecturer and Consultant in the Department of Food Science and Technology, KNUST, called for greater attention to indigenous crops as a sustainable solution to hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity in Ghana and across Africa during a ScienceFriday lecture hosted by the KNUST Library. She emphasized that these crops offer high nutritional value, environmental resilience, and cultural significance and can help advance SDGs1-3 as well as Africa's Agenda 2063, while urging attendees to move from discussion to actionable research and innovation.
GhAFoST and FST-KNUST Host International Webinar on Academic Careers, Human Health, and Food Innovation
The Ghana Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (GhAFoST) in collaboration with the Department of Food Science and Technology (FST), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), successfully hosted the maiden edition of the International Webinar on Wednesday,1st July 2026.
University of Liberia Delegation Visits KNUST Food Science and Technology Department to Explore Academic Collaboration
The Department of Food Science and Technology (FST) at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) hosted a delegation from the University of Liberia and the Liberian Food Safety Initiative as part of a two-day visit aimed at strengthening academic partnerships and advancing food science education and capacity building in West Africa.
KNUST Hosts Third Cohort of Food Hygiene and Sanitation Training
The Department of Food Science and Technology at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), in collaboration with the NKABOM Collaborative and with support from the Mastercard Foundation, completed the third cohort of its Short Course on Food Hygiene and Sanitation which was held at the RosaPearl Hotel in Kumasi from May 11 to 15, 2026, the one-week intensive training attracted participants from across Ghana as well as other African countries including Zimbabwe and Tanzania.
The KNUST College of Science unveils its Wall of Fame to Honour Distinguished Faculty
The KNUST College of Science unveiled its prestigious Wall of Fame to honour past and present faculty members whose academic excellence, leadership, and groundbreaking contributions have significantly shaped the College's development. Among the distinguished members recognized are Prof. Benjamin Kofi Simpson, Prof.(Mrs.) Ibok N. Oduro and Prof. William Otoo Ellis, prominent members whose contributions in the space of Food Science and Technology have had a lasting impact on the University and the broader scientific community.
From KNUST to Hungary: Team NYANSAPO - KNUST Advances to Global Finals of Anthropocene Case Competition
The Department of Food Science and Technology at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) proudly celebrated the remarkable achievement of Team NYANSAPO – KNUST, who advanced to the final round of the prestigious Anthropocene Case Competition.
Food Science Alumni Win International Social Impact Enterprise Award at McGill University
Justina Achiaa Bonsu, an alumna of the Department of Food Science and Technology at KNUST, has led her team to win first place in the National Bank Award for the Social Impact Enterprise Track during a 12-week bootcamp and cup competition held at McGill University in Canada for her team's venture, BeaCoPure.
Eric Arthur, a 2014 graduate of the Department of Food Science and Technology, is the Founder and CEO of Sweet Life Group Ghana Ltd, a Ghanaian agribusiness focused on the cultivation, processing, and commercialization of value-added agricultural products.
Founded in 2015, the company has specialized in developing innovative products from miracle berry (Synsepalum dulcificum), including freeze-dried miracle fruit powder, whole and seedless freeze-dried fruits, tablets, and cubes. Through its WondaTaste brand, the company has also diversified into products such as freeze-dried mango chips, fufu powder, and abunuabunu powder.
Sweet Life Group operates an FDA-certified processing facility in Osino, Eastern Region, and manages approximately 30 acres of farmland dedicated to cultivating miracle berry and other crops. By integrating farming with food processing and product development, the company demonstrates the potential of local agricultural resources to create innovative, market-ready food products for consumers in Ghana and beyond.
Lab Corner
A new Era of Innovation: Inside KNUST Multipurpose Laboratory
The KNUST Multipurpose Laboratory, commissioned in November 2025, provides an improved platform for practical learning among students as part of KNUST's efforts to strengthen teaching, learning and innovation. The Department of Food Science and Technology has started using the facility for laboratory practicals, giving students more hands-on scientific training.
KNUST Food Science Laboratories Successfully Re-Accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017
The Department of Food Science and Technology at KNUST has completed re-accreditation to the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 international standard for testing laboratories after an external ANAB assessment.
Quantifying the Hidden Cancer Burden of Aflatoxins in West Africa
A new study led by Prof. Isaac Williams Ofosu and his research team shed light on one of West Africa’s most pressing but often overlooked food safety challenges: the long-term health burden of aflatoxin exposure. Published in the journal Food Safety and Risk, the study provided one of the most comprehensive quantitative assessments to date of aflatoxin-induced liver cancer risks in Ghana and Nigeria.
Professor Jacob Agbenorhevi Showcases Okra-to-Chocolate and Tamarind Research at International Hydrocolloids Conference in Japan
Professor Jacob Agbenorhevi, a lecturer and Head of the Department of Food Science and Technology, KNUST, presented innovative studies on okra-to-chocolate production and tamarind processing at the 18th International Hydrocolloids Conference in Tokyo, Japan, drawing global attention to the untapped potential of indigenous crops in sustainable food innovation.
From Okra to Chocolate: A Quiet Research Breakthrough at KNUST
At the Department of Food Science and Technology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, researchers led by Prof. Jacob K. Agbenorhevi have made steady progress on an ambitious project that could reshape how chocolate is formulated, using pectin extracted from okra as an alternative to lecithin.
