Use chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and other sciences to study the principles underlying the processing and deterioration of foods; analyze food content to determine levels of vitamins, fat, sugar, and protein; discover new food sources; research ways to make processed foods safe, palatable, and healthful; and apply food science knowledge to determine best ways to process, package, preserve, store, and distribute food.
<ul><li>Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.</li><li>Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.</li><li>Evaluate food processing and storage operations and assist in the development of quality assurance programs for such operations.</li><li>Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.</li><li>Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.</li><li>Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards.</li><li>Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.</li><li>Develop new or improved ways of preserving, processing, packaging, storing, and delivering foods, using knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, and other sciences.</li><li>Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.</li><li>Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing.</li><li>Demonstrate products to clients.</li><li>Develop new food items for production, based on consumer feedback.</li><li>Seek substitutes for harmful or undesirable additives, such as nitrites.</li></ul>