Thailand is a tropical country with various kinds of fruits and vegetables available all year round and in substantial amounts. As most agricultural products are limited by their perishability, postharvest technologies are necessary for either prolonging the shelf life of fresh produce or processing agricultural goods into value-added products. Food science and technology can be used to solve problems in these areas. Fundamental food processing such as dehydration, fermentation and preservation are widely practiced. Based on this type of basic processing, many food products are produced either by trial-and-error or through knowledge passed down through the generations. Farmers' housewife groups and small scale-food producers are examples of those who use such knowledge. In addition, government organizations, universities and research institutes now offer many technology-transfer programs to expand knowledge and improve product quality.
The Institute of Food Research and Product Development (IFRPD) is directly involved in the goal of adding value to agricultural products, and undertaking research and technology-transfer programs, as well as offer training courses and various other services-e.g. related to R&D, food quality assurance, and food processing equipment-to empower small food entrepreneurs. Besides that, IFRPD's researchers also act as consultants for medium-size food companies.
In the food market, if there is plenty of processed food available, but with limited variety, the volume of sales for food producers selling the same product will be affected. In this case, research can strengthen the food industry by introducing a wider array of value-added products. In addition, as health concerns of consumers continue to increase, in both developed and developing countries, identifying foods with particular health functions or medicinal properties, or using such properties to add value to foods, can increase sales. This implies that functional foods will have a bright future.