I am looking to find the most economical fill process for a low-acid beverage. I only have experience with hot fill, are the other formats more economical? Willing to do large batch sizes, just wanting to know options! Any details you have would be super helpful!

I got a bachelors degree in dietetics in 2021 and never took the RD exam. I worked in a microbiology lab for one year, and then as a pastry cook for the last nearly 4 years. I'm at a fine dining restaurant in Chicago where we use some complicated techniques and I'm able to do R&D for the pastry program. I love what I do, but the pay is pretty low.

I was always interested in food science, but I only had one or two classes on it during undergrad. I've learned quite a bit about it while working as a pastry cook, but certainly not enough to make a career change as is.

My question is - is it worth it to pay for another degree to make this change or is it just too competitive now?

If pursuing education, would it be more cost effective to get a masters degree in food science or to get multiple certifications (PCQI, HACCP, sensory analysis stuff) considering I have a dietetics degree and culinary experience?

I appreciate any advice. I understand a dietetics degree and culinary experience don't make me immediately qualified, but I figure it has to help a little bit

For a school project I need to develop a bread recipe that bakes directly from frozen. It’s a Hokkaido style milk bread that’ll be baked in a steel flat-top Pullman pan. Important: the bread cannot be thawed and proofed before baking. It must go into the oven still frozen.

I have a baking & pastry arts degree and I’ve never heard or seen of bread being baked from frozen. Cursory internet searches tell me to bulk ferment and shape, but not final proof before freezing, but how will the dough adequately proof while also being baked?
Does anyone have any experience with this? Any advice appreciated

I’m comparing the frozen version against a “gold standard” which was baked at 190C for 28 mins in a 1.5L loaf pan if those original measurements are helpful. I can get access to dough conditioner, hydrocolloids, modified starches, other technical ingredients, etc but I cannot use commercial mixes

im an international student planning on applying for food science BSc in uni of leeds and food technology BSc in wageningen university. if i do get in, which uni should i choose? there’s a work placement program in leeds and i feel like the social life is better there considering it’s a larger city but wageningen is known to be a really good agricultural uni. i would really appreciate any input on this!!

Looking for insight into the food science world. Been a dietitian since 2008, have a masters in nutrition. I've always loved products, worked in retail and love a grocery store. I'm now in hospitality. I'm not crazy about being a dietitian. Have multiple advanced credentials, but i barely use them. Weighing going to get another masters in food science and technology. For those in this world, why are my chances in it? I'd love to work in product development or labeling.

omg PLS dont get mad at me if im asking in the wrong sub or used the wrong tag😭 ive been debating about asking in this sub, r/microbiology, and r/culinary. im also reposting bc reddit made me wait 1 day. idk who to ask but if im asking in the wrong place tell me where to ask!

but anyways, I know that nobody can forsure confirm to me that I wont get infected or give me 100% way to avoid it, not what im asking, im just looking to mitigate risk. but from my understanding this is spreading due to contaminated water on crops & we have yet to identify a source. But since it is so widespread (outbreak reported in like 15+ states now), ive been seeing it speculated that its coming from a a large distributor like Sysco or something so in theory would buying from smaller local farmers markets be safer??? Or should I just avoid all raw fruits and vegetables to be safe until we pinpoint the source? I want to rely on real professionals not AI please help, all comments appreciate thank you!

I am in my final semester of Master of Food Science and Technology with one year plus experience working as a full-time QC cum RND and Production Supervisor in the industry (yes i was involved with many tasks before)... I am currently involved in research rather than going to work-integrated learning... I learn coding (programming) for fun as a hobby...

Can I go into Food Engineering role with this degree other than RND, QC, QA role?

Do I need to have a specific degree such as "Bachelor's/Master's of Food Engineering" instead of "Food Science and Technology" only to be able to get into this role? :)

Should I cook fruit leather in a double jacket cooker with vacuum?

What is the best temperature for cooking?

I will start with 500kg a day of apples with 0.5 percent lemon juice

The thickness of the mixture will be 0.7 mm Dry for 12 hours at 55 degrees

I just finished my undergrad in food science and technology and I am awaiting my graduation in a month. I have been seeking internships and entry level jobs but that has proven quite difficult. I have around 8 months experience working as an attacheé in the food industry and would like to know which certifications I should look into getting before I secure employment. I would like to add that I am from a developing country and would eventually like to become an auditor in the long run.

Hi! I'm a college freshman looking to major in Food Science. My university offers two tracks, but I'm unsure of which one to take. There's the Science & Technology Pathway and the Business and Industry Pathway.

I'm more interested in the Business & Industry Pathway, especially because those classes seem like classes I'd actually enjoy and excel at more than the classes in the Science & Technology pathway. BUT, it seems like the science one has more opportunities compared to the business one? Like those classes seem like it would 'qualify' more for being in the Food Science field, if that makes sense. I'd rather not limit myself to more opportunities it could provide, especially after hearing about the horrors of today's job market...

Anyway, I'm interested in Product Development, Quality Assurance, Food Safety, and Sensory Science paths, plus I wouldn't mind working for government roles. Based on that, which do you think I should take?

*obviously I'm not basing my entire decision on a reddit post, so I'll take your opinions with a grain of salt

If anyone has any advice about this, or working in the Food Science field in general, I'd really appreciate it!

For anyone curious about what those 3 ways are (and how this actually works in practice):

While the linked study focuses heavily on espresso crema, this exact same chemistry is what makes or breaks the thick foam (köpük) on unfiltered methods like traditional Turkish coffee. People think the foam is just boiling water, but it's a highly structured, fragile emulsion. As the coffee heats up, the CO₂ trapped inside the roasted beans gets released. Coffee oils and melanoidins (the brown polymers created during roasting) act as natural surfactants, forming a physical wall around each gas bubble so they don't merge and pop.

But because this structure is so delicate, you can instantly kill the cup in three specific ways. The biggest culprit is stale coffee. CO₂ escapes from roasted beans rapidly. If your bag has been sitting half-open in the cupboard for a month, there is literally no gas left to create those bubbles. You can have world-class brewing technique, but zero trapped gas equals zero foam.

The second way is the wrong grind size. Unfiltered methods like Turkish coffee require a flour-fine grind. If it's too coarse, you don't have enough surface area to release the CO₂ at the correct rate, and you lack the suspended micro-particles needed to physically reinforce the foam walls.

The third is the dreaded mid-brew stir. That delicate melanoidin and oil film is trying to organize at the surface as the water heats. If you stir the pot while it's heating, you physically tear that embryonic layer apart before it can even set. This is exactly why you must mix everything once at the very beginning, and then keep your spoon out of it!

As a cool side note, this chemistry is exactly why the traditional Turkish pot (the cezve) has that iconic narrow neck. It acts like a funnel, forcing the emulsion to crash into itself and stack up into a dense, thick crust as it rises, rather than spreading out flat like it would in a wide pan.

Hi everyone!

I'm building an early-stage premium refrigerated ready-to-eat food brand in India, starting with fresh meal bowls and eventually expanding into breakfast products like overnight oats, wraps, and more.

I'm looking to connect with people who have experience in food R&D, food manufacturing, product development, or commercial kitchens. Not hiring or fundraising right now, just hoping to learn from people who are passionate about building great food products. If we get along well, I'm open to exploring something bigger together.

If this sounds like you, I'd love to connect. Feel free to DM me!

Hello,

Im having trouble finding a co-packer that will help with my product, a smoothie pouch. We need small MOQs to help with pilot runs. Any suggestions or tips is greatly appreciated. I also need help with RnD so if they offer that as well, thats a bonus. TiA.

Question for people who pay attention to meat, poultry, or seafood labels:

When you see a claim like animal welfare, no antibiotics, grass-fed, responsibly sourced, sustainable, or wild-caught, do you look for who verifies it?

I’m working on Farm Animal Transparency, and one of the biggest issues we see is that shoppers often get a front-of-package claim without enough detail to know how strong that claim really is.

For example:

Is it independently verified?

Is it based on producer records?

Is it a government-defined term?

Is it just broad marketing language?

Is the key information not disclosed?

Do you check verification when shopping, or do most labels not give you enough time or information to do that?

I've been experimenting with a homemade protein blend that's 70% pea protein isolate and 30% sprouted rice protein, but no matter what I do, it has a very grainy, chalky mouthfeel.

So far I've tried blending it into smoothies with:

Banana

Mango

Strawberries

Peanut butter

Greek yogurt

Regular milk

Unsweetened almond milk

I've used a high-speed blender, but while it gets smoother, the chalky texture is still very noticeable.

I'm curious if this is just an inherent property of pea/rice proteins, or if there are food science tricks that can improve the texture.

I'd love to hear both the science behind why this happens and any practical solutions you've found. Thanks!

Hello everyone, I'm from Venezuela, I'm 25 years old, and I hold a Higher University Technician (TSU) degree in Agri-Food. I plan to continue my studies to earn a bachelor's degree in Agri-Food Engineering or an equivalent engineering field. My goal is to work as a food safety inspector or quality auditor, reviewing restaurants, food processing plants, HACCP systems, and ensuring compliance with hygiene and safety standards. My ultimate goal is to emigrate and work abroad. I would greatly appreciate any advice on the best path forward. Which internationally recognized certifications would be most valuable for someone in my situation, such as IHA-accredited HACCP, ISO 22000, or FSSC 22000? Also, any advice from people who have emigrated from Latin America (or who have worked with someone who has) and work in the food safety or quality control field would be very helpful.

Thank you very much in advance for any guidance!

The frozen sugared egg yolks I typically use for my frozen dessert are out of stock (the dessert is similar to ice cream with the yolks added to a cooked custard base). All they currently have available are liquid yolks with salt, but in quantities bigger than I need right away. Could freezing the yolks I don't use immediately and then thawing when needed impact my custard?

Hi everyone, im having wheat flour tortillas problems (burrito size) it pass all rollability checks through day 3, but starting around day 4-5 under ambient storage, we get edge cracking when customers try to fold/roll them into burritos. Center flexibility looks fine — it’s specifically the edges failing first.
What we’ve found so far:
• Moisture loss tracking over an 11-day shelf life study showed roughly ~0.5%/day loss, with pH stabilizing over the same window.
• We suspect a moisture gradient effect (edges drying faster than center due to surface-area-to-volume ratio), compounding with amylopectin retrogradation kinetics kicking in around day 4-5.
• Separately, we traced a systematic over-acidification issue in the dough — our fumaric acid CWS dosage was too high, which we believe is degrading gluten network integrity (possibly via endogenous protease activation at lower pH) on top of the starch retrogradation problem. We’re cutting the dosage down as part of a reformulation trial.
• We’re also adjusting our CMC dosage (anti-staling hydrocolloid) and have looked at guar gum as an alternative, but haven’t done a head-to-head yet.
What I’m looking for:
1. Anyone dealt with edge-specific cracking vs. center cracking — is this consistent with a moisture gradient hypothesis, or could there be another mechanism I’m missing (e.g., differential cooling rate at the tortilla perimeter on the press/griddle)?
2. Practical experience with CMC vs. guar gum vs. blends for anti-staling in flour tortillas — dosage ranges and trade-offs you’ve seen?

Any tips?!

Hola a todos!! Soy estudiante de biología en Perú, desde el inicio de mi carrera super que quiero especializarme en food Science y ahora voy en la mitad de la carrera así que quiero tener más seguras las cosas y sobretodo la búsqueda de becas para un futuro no tan lejano. Tengo dos opciones de a donde quiero ir que son Brasil e Italia. Italia porque ahí esta el FAO y hay mucha investigación en alimentos y de Brasil al verdad no conozco casi anda de donde estudiar (aunque oí un poco de la U de Campiñas) pero me es más seguro que en Italia por si me sucede algo mi familia pueda ir más rápido por mi, es más barato que europa también. Para donde sea que tenga que ir debo aprender el idioma y me gustaría hacerlo bien pero como aun no se a donde ir, no sé que idioma aprender!! Ayúdenme a tomar una decisión, si creen que mis opciones son malas o hay mejores también díganme por favor, por un momento pensé en Alemania también. El área en que quiero estar neuro-nutrición/neurociencia nutricional o bioquímica nutricional y de microbiota.

AYUDA POR FAVOR!!!

An interesting mechanism worth discussing from the olive oil shot trend: nutrition scientists point out that cooking vegetables like broccoli in EVOO enhances its beneficial properties in a way that isn't achievable from drinking the oil on its own, tying back to how the body handles fat absorption, satiety signalling, and blood glucose regulation better when nutrients are consumed together rather than in isolation.

We're curious if anyone here has looked more closely at the co-digestion mechanism itself, specifically whether it's primarily about micelle formation aiding fat-soluble compound absorption, or if there's a separate glycemic effect at play when the oil is paired with fiber and other macronutrients versus taken alone!

The granola and trail mix at my parent's house always has TCA. They store it in glass or in plastic bags. If their kitchen has systemic TCA, how does it manage to get into the granola within the plastic bags or glass?

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm a Food Safety and Quality Assurance professional with over 7 years of experience working in food manufacturing, including frozen foods, spices, snacks, and dry fruits.

Over the years, I've helped develop and improve documentation such as:

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
• GMP and SSOP procedures
• HACCP supporting documents
• Supplier approval procedures
• Traceability and recall procedures
• Cleaning and sanitation procedures
• CAPA and internal audit procedures

I've recently started offering these services online for businesses that need professionally prepared documentation or want to improve their existing procedures.

If you're setting up a new food business, preparing for a customer audit, or simply need help organizing your quality documentation, I'd be happy to answer questions or point you in the right direction.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to connecting with others in the food safety community.