Food scientists make new products, analyze the contents of food and sort
out its nutritional value. Their work ranges from creating foods to making
sure products are safe to eat.
Food scientists look for ways to improve the nutritional value of food.
This area of food science, which deals with nutraceuticals and phytochemicals,
is beginning to blossom. These two substances reputedly add health benefits
to common foods.
Professor Bob Bates says food science is undergoing rapid change. "It's
never been changing faster than it is now. The biggest thing on the horizon
is nutraceuticals [and] phytochemicals. These are substances in food that
have value above and beyond the nutritional value of food," says Bates.
This area is so new that the terminology is not firmly established. "Phytochemical
is usually the word they use," says Bates. "These seem to have some benefit
to prevent disease by normal inclusion in the diet, even to the extent that
they may heal existing diseased states and even benefit the mental state.
"It's a whole new paradigm. It's still a highly evolving field. For example,
soybean recently has been found to be helpful against cancer [and] heart disease
-- just soybean, plain old common soybean. Up until recently, the main use
of soybean in [North America] was animal feeding!"
While some food scientists can be credited with developing new products
and improving old ones, most spend the bulk of their time on quality assurance.
They may check breakfast cereal as it's made to make sure the nutritional
breakdown printed on the side of the box is actually what's in the product.
Another aspect of food science involves production. In this area, scientists
try to find better ways to make the same product, improve nutrition or reduce
cost. For instance, a food may be cooked on a higher temperature for a shorter
period of time, or flash-frozen to retain nutrients.
As that new product moves toward production, it goes through a series of
tests. Food scientists oversee and analyze the results from trial runs based
on smell, taste and appearance, which may be done by professional tasters
or through focus groups.
Food scientists may work as researchers for the government or private companies.
Many are university professors.