Food science

Study of the characteristics of foods — including chemical, biochemical, physical, physicochemical and biological properties — and the effects of these on product quality. It also covers application of this knowledge to the developing new products and efficient food processing techniques, underpinning the modern food industry. Its subdisciplines — food chemistry (composition and reactions), food microbiology (spoilage and pathogens), food engineering (heat, mass and momentum transfer) and sensory science — converge in product development. University food-science programmes train the technologists who design processes, assure safety and innovate the products filling supermarket shelves.