As a result, much of the scientific research work has shifted from food processors to ingredient suppliers such as Hercules. But as our industry was forced to downsize, we've been putting a lot of that on the food ingredient people. While there is less basic research being conducted on food, there is more focus on applications research. Tieleman believes that newer trends in food products, such as the effort to reduce fat content, will keep industry job growth steady. Career ladders in the food industry mirror most other research and product-based industries.
Individuals trined in science can advance on a research track or can go into management.
Food science lends itself well to making these moves. In basic research, they look at the properties of proteins, starches, fat, and carbohydrates to determine how each works in a food system such as processed foods. In applications research, chemists often come up with new ways that ingredients can be used, or with wholly new ingredients altogether such as fat or sugar replacements. Flavor chemists develop flavors that contribute to the overall food system. They do this using a combination of natural and artificial ingredients.