Food scientists investigate the chemical, microbiological, physical and sensory nature of food, and apply their knowledge in the development, processing, preserving, packaging, distributing and storing of foodstuffs. Food scientists may work in research, processing and product development or management. Their job titles often reflect their area of specialization (for example, food chemist, food microbiologist, food engineer). In general, food scientists work in five areas: 1) basic research - studying the structure and composition of food, or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing. 2) applied research and development - developing new processing methods and new or improved foods to create healthier and safer food products with a longer shelf life. 3) quality assurance - checking raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality and nutritional value. 4) processing - developing production specifications, scheduling processing operations, evaluating processing and storage operations in processing plants, and working with engineers and plant operators. 5) regulatory - inspecting food processing operations, investigating food borne illness outbreaks and co-ordinating recalls. More... Occupation description courtesy of the Alberta Learning Information Service www.alis.alberta.ca