Career Details :: Food Scientists and Technologists
Description
Use chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and other sciences to study the principles underlying the processing and deterioration of foods; analyze food content to determine levels of vitamins, fat, sugar, and protein; discover new food sources; research ways to make processed foods safe, palatable, and healthful; and apply food science knowledge to determine best ways to process, package, preserve, store, and distribute food.
Experience
A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Tasks
- Conducts research on new products and development of foods, applying scientific and engineering principles.
- Studies methods to improve physical, chemical, and microbiological composition of foods.
- Develops food standards, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste-management and water-supply specifications.
- Confers with process engineers, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.
- Tests new products in test kitchen.
- Studies methods to improve quality of foods, such as flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
- Develops new and improved methods and systems for food processing, production, quality control, packaging, and distribution.
Related Careers
- Agricultural Inspectors
- Farmers and Ranchers
- First-Line Supervisors and Manager/Supervisors of Animal Husbandry Workers
- First-Line Supervisors and Manager/Supervisors of Fishery Workers
- First-Line Supervisors and Manager/Supervisors of Horticultural Workers
- Food Science Technicians
- Nursery and Greenhouse Managers
- Purchasing Agents and Buyers, Farm Products
Important Abilities
General Work Activities
- Analyzing Data or Information
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Getting Information Needed to Do the Job
- Judging Qualities of Things, Service, People
Important Skills
Frequent Work Context
- Indoors
- Consequence of Error
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Job-Required Social Interaction
- Sitting
Related Majors
| Major | Add to XapPack |
|---|---|
| Agricultural Biology |  [ add ] |
| Agricultural Engineering Technology | [ add ] |
| Agricultural Science | [ add ] |
| Agricultural Sciences | [ add ] |
| Agriculture | [ add ] |
| Agriculture General Sciences | [ add ] |
| Agriculture/Environment | [ add ] |
| Agriculture/Natural Resources | [ add ] |
| Applied Nutrition | [ add ] |
| Cooperative Agriculture | [ add ] |
| Food Science | [ add ] |
| Food Science/Management | [ add ] |
| Food Science/Nutrition | [ add ] |
| Food Science/Technology | [ add ] |
| Food Studies | [ add ] |
| Food/Nutrition | [ add ] |
| Food/Nutrition Science | [ add ] |
| Food/Nutritional Sciences | [ add ] |
| Foods/Nutrition | [ add ] |
| Foods/Nutrition Science | [ add ] |
| Foods/Nutrition/Dietetics | [ add ] |
| General Agriculture | [ add ] |
| Health/Nutrition Sciences | [ add ] |
| Nutrition | [ add ] |
| Nutrition Science | [ add ] |
| Nutrition/Dietetics | [ add ] |
| Nutrition/Exercise Science | [ add ] |
| Nutrition/Food Science | [ add ] |
| Nutrition/Food Studies | [ add ] |
| Nutrition/Food/Agriculture | [ add ] |
| Nutritional Science | [ add ] |
| Nutritional Sciences | [ add ] |
| Public Health/Nutrition | [ add ] |
Institutions Offering Related Majors
No institutions found.