Food Science Courses

Get a taste of success with Food Science course!

Food science can encompass many different things. The one thing that all food science courses have in common, however, is that they help successful graduates to create food that is safe, delicious and of the highest quality.

Graduates can work in business, manufacturing or even in catering. If you’d like to be a restaurateur, a food QA controller or a biologist, all of these career paths are open to you with a qualification in food science.

So what is food science?

As stupid as it sounds, food science is the science of food. It’s about the taste, the smell, the nutritional value and the biology of food.

Some people will use a food science degree to research the effects of nutrition on the human body. It is important to understand how what we eat affects us, especially in an age where so much food with a terrible value is commonplace.

For other people, a food science qualification will be about learning to assess the quality of food in the manufacturing process. Quality Control in major food producers is important, as it forms part of a long chain, from farm to table.

Some people will use a qualification in food science to work in a kitchen. The best chefs have a fundamental knowledge of food, and how it affects us. If gaining Michelin stars is not what you are looking for in life, then many catering companies also highly value food science graduates, as it demonstrates they understand the fundamentals of delivering safe, healthy food to customers.

What will I learn of a food science course?

The exact details of your food science course will depend entirely on the options that you choose to study, but most courses contain core modules that cover the following elements of food science:

• Food Chemistry
  o This is how your food works on a scientific level. It is the science of looking at how different ingredients react with each other, and what each individual ingredient is made up of.
• Food Processing
  o Looking at how food is prepared and preserved is important, as it allows us to better understand the healthiest ways to prepare food for the market.
• Micro-biology
  o Learning about the bacteria that grows on food is part of understanding how best to preserve it, and prevent it from becoming dangerous to eat.
• Laboratory Techniques
  o To be a food scientist, you need to be familiar with the process of working in a lab. Courses will provide students with the basics of lab work, and how to familiarise themselves with the different elements of it.
• Some courses may also offer work experience elements to allow students to gain relevant experience doing the job before their graduation.

What can I expect to do when I finish?

Obviously, exactly what you will be able to do depends on the level to which you have studied, but a qualification like food science has many practical applications in the working world.

If you have studied food science and enjoyed it, then working in a laboratory setting is entirely possible. You can study the effects of food at a research level (especially if you choose to go on and study further at a graduate or post-graduate level). Agricultural firms also look to recruit food scientists, as their in-depth knowledge of the food processes can help them to gain an edge in the competitive food supply business.

Whatever you choose to do with your qualification, there are a range of different courses that will allow you to combine you love of food and science into a satisfying and rewarding career.