Food and Flavor Chemistry

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Food and Flavor Chemistry

• By Robert Wiese

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Overview

• Food and Flavor chemists create and improve food
  products
• Analyzing foods to detect harmful substances such
  as nitrates
• Work to find better ways of packaging and better
  storage methods
• Food scientists often describe their industry as
  art

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Description

• Mainly deal with the chemistry of food products
• Analyze how ingredients act together
• Solve food processing problems
• People will always need to eat, so this industry
  is more stable then other industries

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Employment

• Mainly employed by industry in food processing
  and ingredient companies
• Some work for the Government, FDA and the USDA
• Academia, where most of the basic research is done

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Job Outlook

• Recent downsizing in the industry however, job
  growth in this industry is expected to be around
  10
• Trends in processed foods should keep demand for
  food chemists steady
• Job growth will be driven by the demand of new
  food products
• Food ingredient supply companies are going to
  have more jobs available then the processed food
  industry due to shifting of research to the
  suppliers

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Requirements

• The Institute of Food Technologies have approved
  50 schools with food science programs, Flavor
  chemistry requires much more rigorous courses.
• Most start with a undergraduate degree in
  chemistry or biology and enter a food science
  program at a masters level
• Must have a better then average sense of smell
  and taste and a good memory of odors.
• A PhD is required for those looking to teach and
  for advanced studies

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Places For Further Information

• ACS Page on Food and Flavor Chemists
• Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Food Chemistry
• The Society of Flavor Chemists
• Institute of Food Technologists