By Olasunkanmi Olajide & Femi Dansu
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde today, September 3, 2024, commissioned a Food Processing Facility on Egg Drying Technology on campus.
Speaking at the commissioning of the facility, the Vice-Chancellor reaffirmed the University’s unwavering support for groundbreaking research projects, highlighting their potential to transform Nigeria’s agricultural landscape.
The project, sponsored by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund
(TETFund) National Research Fund (NRF) 2022, titled “Diversification of Egg Marketing and Pilot Scale Assessment of a Novel Egg Drying Technology in Nigeria (DEMEPP),” Prof. Kehinde described the initiative as an outstanding breakthrough in the agricultural sector.
“This project is a testament to the efficiency and dedication of our researchers,” Prof. Kehinde noted, emphasising the potential impact on both local and international stages.
In his speech, the Principal Investigator of the Project, Prof. Taofeek Shittu of the Department of Food Science and Technology (FST), College of Food Science and Human Ecology (COLFHEC), stated that the innovative project was aimed at revolutionising the Nigerian poultry industry.
He stated further that with Nigeria being the largest producer of poultry eggs in Africa, contributing 25% to the agricultural sector’s GDP (6.8% of the nation’s real GDP), the project sought to harness the potential by exploring alternative egg marketing strategies and introducing a pilot-scale egg drying technology.
Commenting on the objectives of the project, Prof. Shittu explained that the research aimed to enhance the contribution of the poultry subsector to Nigeria’s GDP by generating socio-economic and technological data.
According to him, the data would support the development of new marketing strategies and the creation of dried egg products, such as whole eggs, egg whites, and yolk powders.
Acknowledging the support received, Prof. Shittu expressed gratitude to TETFund for the provision of funds and to FUNAAB for offering space, logistics, and personnel time to facilitate the project’s success.
The Research Team included distinguished members such as Prof. Kola Adebayo (DVC, Development), Prof. Idris Ayinde, Prof. Ganiyat Olatunde, Prof. Mark Sogunle, Prof. Ibukun Ola, Prof. Peter Ayodeji from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Dr. Adeniyi Afolabi, Dr. Kola Adegoke, and Dr. Bukola Omidiran.
