FOOD SCIENCE and FOOD TECHNOLOGY

Food science is the discipline in which biology, physical sciences, and engineering are used to study the nature of foods, the causes of their deterioration, and the principles underlying food processing.

Food technology is the application of food science to the selection, preservation, processing, packaging, distribution, and use of safe, nutritious, and wholesome food.

A food scientist studies the physical, microbiological, and chemical makeup of food. Depending on their area of specialization, food scientists may develop ways to process, preserve, package, or store food, according to industry and government specifications and regulations. Consumers seldom think of the vast array of foods and the research and development that has resulted in tasty, nutritious, safe, and convenient foods.

Food research is the careful, systematic study, investigation, and compilation of information about foods and their components.

Food manufacturing is the mass production of food products from raw animal and plant materials using principles of food technology.

Food industry: In terms of value of shipments, food processing is the largest manufacturing industry in the United States.

For more, see the IFT/Discovery Education video: What is Food Science Anyway?

HISTORIC FOOD TECHNOLOGY PUBLICATIONS 

IFT's 50th Anniversary issue of Food Technology
Complete September 1989 issue with a variety of food technology review and history articles (Warning: Large File)

Food Technology 50th Anniversary 
Article on the 50th anniversary of Food Technology magazine 

A Century of Food Science
Booklet published in 2000 covering developments in food technology and the food industry