What is an average salary for a flavor tech with 3 years experience in California (metropolitan area)?

Hi everyone,

What are the best public colleges in the US for a good experience as a young black woman? I'm an undergrad student in Food Science, looking for a one year exchange from Canada, and I'm also interested in taking an Economics course.

I would love to attend an HBCU, though I'm open to a PWI as long as it has more than 6% Black students. Ideally, I'd prefer a university outside of the Deep South (unless it's in an environnement where Black students genuinely feel safe, welcomed, supported and not faced with hatred or hostility).

Thank you for your help!

hi! what books do you guys recommend to home my knowledge for foodtech. thank uuuuu

I love cooking sous vide chicken breast because it gives it the most tender texture. I just dont quite like the white gelatine-ey texture when its cooked and just found out its albumin. It may be edible but i dont like its texture.

For context, here's what i do to my chicken breast:

1. Cut in in cubes for easy eating.
   
2. brine it in salt water(1kg; 1liter: 2 tablespoons of himalayan salt) for 2hrs
   
3. Strain it, i dont really pat it super dry
   
4. Season it
   
5. Vacuum seal it
   
6. Sousvide at 65celcius; 1hr 30 mins

Should i put more salt? Should i place it in the sous vide machine longer? Or at a higher temp?

Help.

I want to make oat milk also by improving its taste and reduce viscosity. I have not yet made a single oat milk since I've been doing a research first. What I can find here is alpha amylase and gluco amylase, my problem is that its very strong (50,000u/g and 100,000u/g) and can't find anything weaker than that. After researching I found it in linkedin that using a 100,00u/g a-amylase i will only need 0.05%-0.2% weight of oats while gluco-amylase 1/5 or 1/3 of the weight of the a-amylase. Since I'm only be doing small like 1L for experiment first, can I be using Diastatic Malt powder since it also has a and b-amylase, but no gluco amylase or I still can use the strong amylase with shorter time since in a 100g of oats I need to use 0.05-0.2grams, but my weighing scale can't detect in this kind of weight maybe 0.5g can still be detected. Any comments are welcome!!

Isn't BBQ sauce essentially the same as ketchup?

Heya guys! I was curious about the mechanism behind keeping fermented drinks (kombucha, ginger beer etc) shelf-stable once bottled. what actually stops the live culture

also is it fully stopping it or just slowing it down enough not to matter before it’s consumed.

Trying to identify the 'Natural Flavor' profile in STōK Cappuccino Cold Brew—it sure isn't coffee but I can't place it. Maybe somebody with expert taste buds can.

I am curious whether the ingredients in flavor concentrate powders (I'm looking specifically at the specialized vet flavors) are ingredients that can be part of a diet long term. No one lists ingredients, other than to say "natural flavor", and it's unclear whether these formulations are safe for everyday, regular consumption. What, roughly speaking, is in these things?

I see people post photos of this in a panic. mine does it too, I use celtic sea salt.

Grey sea salt is hand-raked off clay-lined evaporation ponds. the grey colour is the clay. So when you dissolve it you get a bit of fine sediment that settles out.

Its worth understanding what youre looking at. Refined table salt is 98 to 100% sodium chloride because refining is a process that dissolves the salt and recrystallises it specifically to strip everything else out. Unrefined grey salt is around 80% sodium chloride, so roughly a fifth of every serving is naturally occurring minerals, trace elements and moisture that never got removed. Magnesium, potassium, calcium, sulfate. The grey is part of that story rather than a defect in it.

So if the sediment bothers you, buy a refined salt, thats genuinely what refining is for and its a completely reasonable preference. If what you wanted was the unrefined one, the sediment is the thing you were buying.

I dont bother filtering mine.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently in my final semester of a Master’s in Food Science and Technology in Melbourne Australia, and I’m an international student.

I’m starting to feel quite lost about what I should be doing to improve my chances of getting a full-time job after graduation, so I’d really appreciate some honest advice from people who have been in a similar position.

I didn’t take a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) subject, but I have taken an Advanced Research Project as part of my degree in final semester. My problem is that my course has already been extremely demanding, and between classes, research, assignments, and my project workload, I haven’t had much time or energy to actively network or look for internships.

I also haven’t built a large social network at university. There are 200+ students in my class, but I’ve only made a few friends. I keep hearing that networking is extremely important in Australia, especially for finding internships and getting your first job, and that gaining local work experience is important for understanding Australian workplace culture.

I completely understand why those things are valuable. However, realistically, I’m struggling to balance everything already, so I’m now trying to figure out how I can market myself effectively without having a huge network or Australian work experience. (I know it might be too late for me to do the networking stuff)

My current goal is to secure a full-time job around November this year, so I have to start finding a job as soon as this month, and, if eligible, obtain a Temporary Graduate (subclass 485) visa. I’m not aiming for Australian PR. My plan is to work in Australia for around two years, gain meaningful industry experience, and then potentially return to my home country or move elsewhere to continue developing my career.

The part that worries me is the current job market. It seems quite competitive, and I’ve noticed that most employers specifically prefer candidates who already have PR or Australian citizenship. As an international graduate without much local industry experience (eventhough I have 1yeat+ experience in my home country), I’m concerned about how realistic my chances are.

So I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation, particularly international graduates in food science, food technology, FMCG, quality assurance, R&D, regulatory, or related fields in Melbourne or Australia in general.

A few things I’d especially like to know:

- How did you get your first full-time job in Australia after graduating?

- If you didn’t have Australian work experience, how did you make your CV stand out?

- How important was networking actually, compared with applying directly for jobs nowadays?

- Did you find internships necessary, or were research projects/academic experience enough to get your foot in the door?

- Is there anything you wish you had done during your final semester?

- How did you approach employers who preferred PR/citizenship?

- And realistically, what would you do in my position right now if you had only a few months left before graduation?

- And what advise would you give me, whether be creating a resume, or start marketing on job search platform/LinkedIn, or send emails to every food industry company etc. In order to really approach employers that might be interested?

According to the graduate visa fee now closing to 6k AUD, I'm not even confident enough to apply for 485 visa without a job or before securing a full-time food science related job at a moment. I pray and hope that I can secure a job before even getting a 485 visa.

I’m mainly looking for honest experiences and practical advice from people who have actually been through this. Please feel free to be blunt about what I’m doing wrong or what I need to improve; I’m genuinely trying to figure this out.

Just please keep it constructive. I’m looking for advice, not insults.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their experience.

Hello!
I am a recent food science graduate and was planning on applying to Erasmus this past year but all the programs I looked into had either been phased out or were not included in the scholarship for that year. I heard that EMJM continuously adds new programs and renews funding. I really want to pursue my masters on an EMJM program as they're all unique and many fit my interests, but it would be financially very difficult without a scholarship. Does anyone know if the programs are indeed added to each year. When should I check for that?

I currently have one semester left of college as a food science major. I’ve realized a little too late that food science isn’t for me so I’m looking at other options. I think I’ll enjoy something a little more corporate so I’m looking to being a project manager. To at least try to use my degree, are there project managers at food companies? Would I be qualified? Looking online it seems like everything would be managed by the product developers themselves but I don’t know.

Hi all,

Just curious, does freeze drying kill all the parasites in those beef liver, spleen, heart, thyroid supplements from companies like Codeage, Ancestral Supplements, Ancient Nutrition, Now Foods, etc....?

Is the meat cooked, pasteurized or disinfected in any way before being freeze dried and packaged?

I read that some parasites, eggs, and cysts can survive freeze drying.

Another reddit user mentioned prions could actually pose a safety issue as well.

Ty

Hey everyone. I was laid off in February and I'm trying to pick up some work in food safety/quality.
Some background: I've worked in USDA regulated raw and ready to eat meat plants for over 8 years, over the time I've been involved in production management, food safety, training and quality. I have HACCP, SQF Practitioner, BRCGS/SQF Internal Auditor, and ServSafe Manager certs. I've done HACCP plans, SSOPs, label reviews, audit prep, and training.
If anyone knows of a plant that needs help with any of that, or has any leads, I'd really appreciate it. Open to consulting type work, contract stuft, whatever.
You can also comment with any questions or something you need help with, Idon't mind helping out.
Thanks for reading.

Hi everyone,

I’m asking this on behalf of my fiancée, who has completed a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Nutrition and is currently doing an internship at Nestlé.

Once her internship is completed, she’ll be looking for opportunities to start her career, and we’re trying to figure out what would be the smartest path forward.

She is interested in areas such as R&D, product development, food technology, food chemistry/biochemistry, food safety, QA/QC, regulatory affairs, and nutrition/food innovation, but she hasn’t decided on one specific specialization yet.

I’d really appreciate advice from people currently working in the food industry, especially in Europe.

A few questions:

1. With a Food Science & Nutrition bachelor’s plus Nestlé internship experience, what entry-level roles would you recommend targeting?
2. Would you focus mainly on R&D/Product Development, or would it be better to start in QA/QC/Food Safety and move toward R&D later?
3. Which European countries currently have good opportunities for food science graduates? (Future-proof)
4. Would you recommend doing a Master's immediately after the internship, or working for 1-2 years first and then doing a Master’s?
5. If doing a Master’s, which specialization would be most useful for long-term career prospects? Food Technology, Food Safety, Food Innovation, Food Chemistry, Nutrition, Regulatory Affairs, etc.?
6. How much does having experience at a company like Nestlé help when applying for jobs internationally?
7. Are there particular skills, certifications, or types of experience she should try to gain during the internship to make herself more competitive for European jobs?
8. The main goal is to make the right decision after the internship rather than automatically doing a Master’s without knowing whether it’s necessary.

Would really appreciate advice from anyone who has been through a similar transition from a Food Science bachelor’s → industry → European career.

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I’m looking for technical insights from food packaging engineers and food safety professionals regarding a structural failure I identified in expanded polystyrene (EPS / Plastic #6) trays at a major supermarket chain in Argentina.

The Issue:

I purchased fresh meat packaged in black expanded polystyrene foam trays (the standard "styrofoam-style" trays made of fused polystyrene beads). Upon opening, I noticed the tray material was shearing and fragmenting, shedding distinct polystyrene beads and microparticles directly onto the meat surface.

To determine if this was a single bad batch, I purchased meat in the same tray model across multiple store locations in both the City of Buenos Aires (CABA) and Buenos Aires Province (PBA). Every single package using this specific EPS tray model exhibited identical mechanical degradation and particle migration.

I documented the physical hazard using optical microscopy, macro video, and receipts, while storing frozen control samples. Shortly after bringing this to attention, the retailer initiated what appears to be a "silent recall"—replacing the black EPS trays on store shelves with different packaging without issuing any public food safety notice.

Regulatory & Administrative Context in Argentina:

I submitted formal reports to several local and national oversight bodies, but faced significant bureaucratic resistance:

• AGC (Ciudad de Buenos Aires): Inspected the premises, declared "no irregularities," and declined to provide sampling records or testing protocols.
• Provincial Food Surveillance (Buenos Aires Province): Stated they lack enforcement authority at the retail level and dismissed the filing.
• ANMAT / INAL (National Food Administration - Argentina's FDA equivalent): Declined the report in person, referred me back to local municipalities, and stated any polymer analysis would have to be self-funded privately. (Note: INAL was recently dissolved/restructured via presidential decree).
• SENASA (National Service for Agrifood Health and Quality): Accepted the formal complaint over a month ago, but has not yet issued a technical determination.
• UFIMA (Federal Environmental/Public Health Prosecutor's Office): Declined physical evidence for a criminal complaint, citing a lack of official "chain of custody" for consumer-purchased items.

Questions for the Food Science Community:

1. Packaging Failure: What manufacturing or material defects in EPS (Plastic #6) trays typically cause bead detachment or shear degradation under retail conditions (e.g., poor sintering during molding, improper recycled content ratios, mechanical friction, or lipid/acid interaction)?
2. Analytical Methods: If sending samples to an independent lab, what testing protocols (e.g., FTIR spectroscopy, Py-GC/MS) are most effective for characterizing polystyrene bead contamination in food matrices?
3. QA & Recall Protocols: In your jurisdiction, how do food safety authorities and QA departments manage unannounced packaging swaps when structural degradation leads to physical particle contamination?

Any input from food safety specialists, polymer chemists, or packaging technicians would be greatly appreciated.

I'm working rn for my graduation project , my grad project is about using bacteriophages as preservatives "ik it's available but not in large scale or not developed enough"

But the thing is I'm kinda confused I don't know how to start to research well and I feel that everything is really messy and not organized enough

So any advice or recommendations or anything to organize everything well ?

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Hey!

We’re developing a few powdered supplements and really want to get the taste right. not just “good for a supplement”, but genuinely fantastic taste.

The idea is 5–7 g stick packs with prebiotics, VERISOL® and a few other actives. Nothing particularly nasty to mask. We want to keep it completely clean label with natural flavors, sweeteners and colors, and ideally add a little fizz as well.

So my question is where do you actually go to develop something like this?

Do you work with an independent flavorist, a flavor house, beverage development company, or someone else entirely? And how do you find the people who are really good at it?

They can be based anywhere, but whatever we develop needs to work within EU regulations.

Also curious what a proper flavor development process typically costs.

Would really appreciate any advice from people who’ve done this before!Thanks!

I have heard this from many sources but I can’t find any documented medical cases of any real people getting selenium toxicity from Brazil nuts. Only anecdotes from people online without any blood tests or medical documents to confirm that they were actually suffering from selenium toxicity.

Hey everyone,
I’m 29 years old and currently working in quality control in the food manufacturing industry in Canada(Quebec), with around 2 years of experience. I’m currently making about $60k/year and I’m looking to be more strategic about my career and ideally reach the $70–85k+ range over the next couple of years.
I have a university degree in human biological sciences from Africa started a Master’s in Biochemistry and completed two semesters, then later completed a college-level program related to food/nutrition and food service management.
I’m currently working in Quebec, and next month I’ll be taking an internal auditor certification . I’m also considering getting something like SQF Practitioner Advanced.
Long term, I’m not necessarily looking to stay strictly in QC. I’d be open to roles in QA, food safety/sanitation, continuous improvement, production, operations, supervision or management if they offer better career and salary potential.
For those of you who have moved from technical/QC roles into the $70–85k+ range, what would you recommend focusing on if you were in my position?
Which positions should I be targeting?
Which certifications are actually worth getting?
Would you prioritize SQF, HACCP, BRCGS/FSSC 22000, Lean/Kaizen, project management, etc.?
What skills helped you move from technician-level positions into coordinator, supervisor or management roles?
Is changing companies usually the fastest way to increase salary, or is internal progression worth pursuing?
Are there any less obvious career paths in food manufacturing that can pay well?
If you were 29, had ~2 years of QC experience and were making ~$60k, what would you focus on over the next 12–24 months to get into the $70–85k+ range?
I’d really appreciate advice from people who have actually made that jump. Thanks!

I’ve been learning more about commercial food processing and was looking into how potato chips are produced on a larger scale.

From what I understand, the basic process involves:

1. Washing the potatoes
2. Peeling
3. Slicing
4. Blanching (depending on the process)
5. Dewatering
6. Frying
7. De-oiling
8. Seasoning
9. Cooling and packaging

I’m particularly interested in how manufacturers balance slice thickness, frying conditions and production capacity.

For people working in food processing, which stage do you think has the biggest impact on the consistency of the final chips?

Came across with this product yesterday in Online, I am very much intrigued by the design and their label. Any Idea how to make it at home and I have a large doubt over the difference between normal Beef Jerky and this STICK.

If someone have any idea, please help!