Carol Shanklin, Ph.D., University of Tennessee. J. Scott Smith, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University. X. Susan Sun, Ph.D., University of Illinois. Katherine A. Tilley, Ph.D., Kansas State University. The food science graduate program involves the interrelationships among 37 professionals from 11 departments.
Graduate students conduct their research in one of the participating departments.
The food science faculty are involved in research on the chemical, microbiological, sensory, and nutritional aspects, functional characteristics, and processing of foods. Faculty with expertise in chemical analysis, instrumental analysis, sensory analysis, systems analysis, biochemistry, dietetics, statistics, microbiology, thermodynamics, rheology, biochemical engineering, and food engineering participate in the food science program. Research facilities for cereals include a complete pilot plant for milling grain into flour, complete baking research facilities, equipment for extrusion research, well-equipped laboratories for cereal chemistry, a specialized cereal science library, and other supporting facilities. Flavor and sensory evaluation laboratories and instrumentation for physical, histological, and biochemical analysis of food products are also available. Laboratory facilities for food engineering research include ultrafiltration cells, instrumental fermentors, gas and liquid chromatography, an elemental analyzer, and an environmental chamber with temperature and humidity control.