FOOD SCIENTIST 13 12 RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT Food Scientist Food science. It’s an all-encompassing science that relates to many fields of research. It’s an interdisciplinary approach that uses physics, chemistry, and other disciplines to study the nature of foods and the principles of food processing. By understanding the fundamentals of food, we can better understand and solve real-world problems. People who study food science are called Food Scientists, Food scientists work to feed a growing population by developing safer, more nutritious food. 1. Food Scientists Perform Research Food scientists use scientific principles and engineering methods to examine food’s fundamental physical, chemical, and biochemical properties. They investigate every step of the food supply chain, including: • Selection • Preservation • Processing • Packaging • Distribution With these topics in mind food scientists develop scientific studies and research hypotheses to investigate the different aspects of food. Food scientists delve into a wide range of areas, including food composition, flavour chemistry, processing methods, sustainability, and safety. To initiate their research, scientists must secure funding by crafting research proposals based on extensive scientific literature reviews. They identify gaps in existing research to explore uncharted territory. Their work involves conducting experiments using various scientific equipment and in some cases even carrying out human trials! They will analyze the collected data using statistical methods and computer software. Through analysis, food scientists can see if their research hypothesis was valid. If the research is inconclusive, they will need to return to the lab and perform more studies. 2. Food Scientists Follow The Scientific Method The scientific method is an evidence-based organizational process scientists use to acquire knowledge about the world. The first step is to make observations and ask questions. For example, a food scientist might ask, “Does sugar melt differently depending on the speed at which you mix it when baking cookies?” Following this example, the food scientist would create a null hypothesis stating that “no changes are made to the sugar depending on the speed at which you mix it.” The researcher would then design and conduct experiments to test their hypothesis. They examine past studies that have already been done by reviewing published research. Reviewing literature ensures that their research is novel. A food scientist may develop a study where sugar is mixed at different speeds and characterized using different laboratory equipment. The researcher will then analyze their data to see if the hypothesis is valid. After multiple experiments, the researcher can then offer a conclusion or theory. In this case, whether or not mixing affects the shape of sugar crystals. Much of the research used in product development is based on fundamental research performed by food scientists. Food is very complex, and much still needs to be explored. 3. Food Scientists Have Post-Graduate Degrees Food scientists come from a diverse range of educational backgrounds, each bringing their Food Scientist Conducting research and testing to better understand food Ali Ubeyitogullari Lab Photo by Ark Agricultural Experiment Station/ flickr.com Learn what it is like working as a Food Scientist at the Warrell Corporation with Elizabeth Hagerman. Her ‘sweet’ job is formulating and trouble-shooting chocolate recipes.
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