View source for Food science

{{Short description|Applied science devoted to the study of food}}
{{refimprove article|date=April 2014}}
[[File:CSIRO ScienceImage 1319 Food Science Australia.jpg|thumb|Food [[scientist]]s working in Australia]]
[[File:Food Science and Technology.jpg|thumb|A food science laboratory]]
'''Food science''' is the [[basic research|basic science]] and [[applied science]] of [[food]]; its scope starts at overlap with [[agricultural science]] and [[nutritional science]] and leads through the scientific aspects of [[food safety]] and [[food processing]], informing the development of [[food technology]].

Food science brings together multiple scientific disciplines.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Principles of Food Science|date=21 May 2013|isbn=978-1619604360|last1=Ward|first1=Janet D.|last2=Ward|first2=Larry T.}}</ref> It incorporates concepts from fields such as [[chemistry]], [[physics]], [[physiology]], [[microbiology]], and [[biochemistry]]. [[Food technology]] incorporates concepts from [[chemical engineering]], for example.

Activities of food scientists include the development of new food products, design of processes to produce these foods, choice of packaging materials, [[shelf-life]] studies, sensory evaluation of products using [[survey panel]]s or potential consumers, as well as microbiological and chemical testing.<ref name="ift.org Food Science Activity Guides">{{cite web | url=http://www.ift.org/knowledge-center/learn-about-food-science/k12-outreach/activity-guides.aspx | title=Food Science Activity Guides | access-date=February 2, 2015 | website=IFT.org | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150327153718/http://www.ift.org/knowledge-center/learn-about-food-science/k12-outreach/activity-guides.aspx | archive-date=March 27, 2015 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Food scientists may study more fundamental phenomena that are directly linked to the production of food products and its properties.

== Definition ==
The [[Institute of Food Technologists]] defines food science as "the discipline in which the engineering, [[biological]], and physical sciences are used to study the [[Nature of food preparation|nature of foods]], the causes of [[Food deteriotration|deterioration]], the principles underlying [[food processing]], and the improvement of foods for the consuming public".<ref>Heldman, Dennis R. "IFT and the Food Science Profession." ''Food Technology.'' October 2006. p. 11.</ref> The textbook ''Food Science'' defines food science in simpler terms as "the application of sciences and engineering to study the physical, chemical, and biochemical nature of foods and the principles of food processing".<ref>{{cite book| title = Food Science| series = Food science texts series|edition =5th| first1 = Norman N. |last1 = Potter| first2= Joseph H.| last2= Hotchkiss| publisher= Springer| year =1998| isbn= 9780834212657| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ERoAm13YF8IC&q=Food+science}}</ref>

==Disciplines==
Some of the subdisciplines of food science are described below.

===Food chemistry===
{{Main|Food chemistry}}
Food chemistry is the study of [[chemical]] processes and interactions of all biological and non-biological components of foods.<ref>John M. de Man.1999. ''Principles of Food Chemistry'' (Food Science Text Series), Springer Science, Third Edition</ref><ref>John M. de Man. 2009. Food process engineering and technology, Academic Press, Elsevier: London and New York, 1st edn.</ref> The biological substances include such items as [[meat]], [[poultry]], [[lettuce]], [[beer]], and [[milk]].
It is similar to [[biochemistry]] in its main components such as [[carbohydrate]]s, [[lipid]]s, and [[protein]], but it also includes areas such as water, [[vitamin]]s, [[Dietary mineral|minerals]], [[enzyme]]s, [[food additive]]s, [[Flavoring|flavor]]s, and [[Food coloring|colors]]. This discipline also encompasses how products change under certain [[food processing]] techniques and ways either to enhance or to prevent them from happening.

====Food physical chemistry====
{{Main|Food physical chemistry}}
Food physical chemistry is the study of both physical and chemical interactions in foods in terms of physical and chemical principles applied to food systems, as well as the application of physicochemical techniques and instrumentation for the study and analysis of foods.

=== Food engineering ===
{{Main|Food engineering}}Food engineering is the industrial processes used to [[Food manufacture|manufacture food]]. It involves coming up with novel approaches for manufacturing, packaging, delivering, ensuring quality, ensuring safety, and devising techniques to transform raw ingredients into wholesome food options.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Expert |first=E. R. P. |date=2023-03-21 |title=Food Engineering (Goals, Processes, Practices, and Technologies) |url=https://www.erp-information.com/food-engineering |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=www.erp-information.com |language=en-us}}</ref>[[File:Factory Automation Robotics Palettizing Bread.jpg|thumb|A pizza factory in Germany, an example of [[food engineering]]]]
===Food microbiology===
[[File:LUA, Faculty of Food Technology Food microbiology laboratory.jpg|thumbnail|[[Food microbiology]] laboratory at the [[Faculty of Food Technology, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies|Faculty of Food Technology]], [[Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies]].]]
{{Main|Food microbiology}}
Food microbiology is the study of the [[microorganism]]s that inhabit, create, or [[Food contaminant|contaminate]] [[food]], including the study of microorganisms causing food spoilage.<ref name=FratamicoBayles>{{cite book | author = Fratamico PM | editor = Bayles DO | title = Foodborne Pathogens: Microbiology and Molecular Biology | publisher = Caister Academic Press | year = 2005 |  isbn = 978-1-904455-00-4}}</ref>  "Good" bacteria, however, such as [[probiotics]], are becoming increasingly important in food science.<ref name=Tannockpro3>{{cite book | editor = Tannock GW | title = Probiotics and Prebiotics: Scientific Aspects | publisher = Caister Academic Press | year = 2005 | isbn =  978-1-904455-01-1}}</ref><ref name= LjunghWadstrom>{{cite book |veditors= Ljungh A, Wadstrom T| year=2009 |title=Lactobacillus Molecular Biology: From Genomics to Probiotics | publisher=Caister Academic Press | isbn= 978-1-904455-41-7}}</ref><ref name= MayoB>{{cite book |author= Mayo, B |editor=van Sinderen, D | year=2010 |title=Bifidobacteria: Genomics and Molecular Aspects | publisher=[[Caister Academic Press]] | isbn= 978-1-904455-68-4}}</ref> In addition, microorganisms are essential for the production of foods such as [[cheese]], [[yogurt]], [[bread]], [[beer]], [[wine]] and, other [[Fermentation in food processing|fermented foods]].

===Food technology===
{{Main|Food technology}}
Food technology is the technological aspect. Early scientific research into food technology concentrated on food preservation. Nicolas Appert's development in 1810 of the canning process was a decisive event. The process was not called canning then and Appert did not really know the principle on which his process worked, but canning has had a major impact on food preservation techniques.

===Foodomics===
{{Main|Foodomics}}
In 2009, Foodomics was defined as "a discipline that studies the Food and Nutrition domains through the application and integration of advanced [[-omics]] technologies to improve consumer's well-being, health, and knowledge".<ref>{{cite journal|last=Cifuentes|first=Alejandro|date=23 October 2009|title=Food analysis and Foodomics|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021967309013545|journal=J. Chromatogr. A|volume=1216|issue=43|page=7109|doi=10.1016/j.chroma.2009.09.018|pmid=19765718|hdl-access=free|hdl=10261/154212}}</ref> Foodomics requires the combination of food chemistry, biological sciences, and data analysis.

Foodomics greatly helps scientists in the area of food science and nutrition to gain better access to data, which is used to analyze the effects of food on human health, etc. It is believed to be another step towards a better understanding of the development and application of technology and food. Moreover, the study of foodomics leads to other omics sub-disciplines, including nutrigenomics which is the integration of the study of nutrition, genes, and omics.

===Molecular gastronomy===
{{Main|Molecular gastronomy}}

Molecular gastronomy is a subdiscipline of food science that seeks to investigate the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur in cooking. Its program includes three axes, as cooking was recognized to have three components, which are social, artistic, and technical.

===Quality control===
{{Main|Quality control}}Quality control involves the causes, prevention, and communication dealing with [[food-borne illness]]. Quality control also ensures that the product meets specs to ensure the customer receives what they expect from the packaging to the physical properties of the product itself.[[File:FoodScience-ex3.png|thumbnail|A technician performing [[quality control]]]]

===Sensory analysis===
{{Main|Sensory analysis}}
Sensory analysis is the study of how consumer's senses perceive food.

===Careers in Food Science===
The five most common college degrees leading to a career in food science are: Food science/technology (66%), biological sciences (12%), business/marketing (10%), nutrition (9%) and chemistry (8%).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=IFT 2019 salary Survey|url=https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2020/may/columns/2019-ift-employment-and-salary-survey-facts-and-figures}}</ref> 

Careers available to food scientists include food technologists, research and development (R&D),quality control, flavor chemistry, laboratory director, food analytical chemist and technical sales.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sfs.wsu.edu/food-science-careers/|title= What kind of careers do Food Scientists have?|publisher=Washington State University |access-date=1 September 2021}}</ref>

The five most common positions for food scientists are food scientist/technologist (19%), product developer (12%), quality assurance/control director (8%), other R&D/scientific/technical (7%), and director of research (5%).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=IFT 2019 salary Survey|url=https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2020/may/columns/2019-ift-employment-and-salary-survey-facts-and-figures}}</ref>

==By country==

===Australia===
{{Main|Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation}}
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is the federal government agency for scientific research in [[Australia]]. CSIRO maintains more than 50 sites across Australia and biological control research stations in France and Mexico. It has nearly 6,500 employees.

===South Korea===
The Korean Society of Food Science and Technology, or KoSFoST, claims to be the first society in South Korea for food science.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kosfost.or.kr/eng/|title=Korean Society of Food Science and Technology (KoSFoST)|publisher=KoSFoST |access-date=11 December 2016}}</ref>{{primary source inline|date=February 2015}}

===United States===
In the United States, food science is typically studied at [[land-grant universities]]. Some of the country's pioneering food scientists were women who attended chemistry programs at land-grant universities which were state-run and largely under state mandates to allow for sex-blind admission. Although after graduation, they had difficulty finding jobs due to widespread sexism in the chemistry industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Finding conventional career paths blocked, they found alternative employment as instructors in the [[home economics]] departments and used that as a base to launch the foundation of many modern food science programs.

The main US organization regarding food science and [[food technology]] is the [[Institute of Food Technologists]] (IFT), headquartered in [[Chicago, Illinois]], which is the US member organisation of the [[International Union of Food Science and Technology]] (IUFoST).

==See also==
{{Portal|Food|Science|Technology|Biology}}
{{Columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[Aseptic processing]]
* [[Cooking]]
* [[Dietary supplement]]
* [[Food fortification]]
* [[Food grading]]
* [[Food rheology]]
* [[Food storage]]
* [[Foodpairing]]
* [[Ingredient-flavor network]]
* [[Nutraceutical]]
* [[Space food]]
}}

==Publications==
===Books===
Food Science is an academic topic so most Food Science books are textbooks.

===Journals===
{{Columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* ''[[Chemical Senses]]''
* ''[[Food and Bioprocess Technology]]''
* ''[[Food Chemistry]]''
* ''[[Food Research International]]''
* ''[[Food Quality and Preference]]''
* ''[[Journal of Dairy Science]]''
* ''[[Journal of Food Science]]''
* ''[[Journal of Sensory Studies]]''
* ''[[Journal of Texture Studies]]''
* ''[[LWT – Food Science and Technology]]''
* ''[[Trends in Food Science & Technology]]''
}}

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* Wanucha, Genevieve (February 24, 2009). [https://www.technologyreview.com/2009/02/24/215536/two-happy-clams/ "Two Happy Clams: The Friendship that Forged Food Science"]. ''MIT Technology Review''.

==External links==
{{Sister project links|food}}
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{curlie|Science/Technology/Food_Science|Food science}}
* Learn about [http://www.ift.org/knowledge-center/learn-about-food-science.aspx Food Science]

{{Food science}}
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[[Category:Food science| ]]
[[Category:Applied sciences]]