What is Food Science

Food Science, by its very nature, is an interdisciplinary field of study that spans the entire spectrum of fundamental and applied science, making it one of the most rigorous undergraduate degrees to obtain. To become competent in the science of food, one must comprehend the vernacular of microbiology, genetics, chemistry, physics, nutrition, engineering, and biology. These fields taught in isolation, are often challenging to integrate and apply to complex food systems. For example, to produce canned soup, the microbial population present, and its kinetics of inactivation (microbial death) are essential to formulate a safe product. Unfortintunalty, that understanding is predicated on the understanding that the chemical composition of the soup, for example, the sugar and salt concentrations and pH alter the populations of microorganisms that survive.  Engineering principles are required to understand the kinetics of heat transfer, ensuring the coldest part is at sterilization temperature while not over-processing the surface. At elevated temperatures, some chemical reactions (Maillard, caramelization, isomerization, hydrolysis, etc.) deteriorate food quality and consumer acceptance. Concurrent with microbial death, degradation of micronutrients diminishes the nutritional aspects of the soup.  Someone well versed in food science will understand how these aspects interplay, and will be able to design complex formulations (foods) and processes (pasteurization, homogenization, and milling, etc.) minimizing deteriorative chemical reaction and nutrient loss while ensuring no pathogenic microorganisms survive the thermal process so it can remain on a shelf for the next year. When people think of food science, they often do not associate it with fields of study such as: artificial intelligence, computational informatics, genomics, virology, politics, psychology, or economics, but with the exception of almost no disciples, their principles and applications exist across the food industry.