Food Science Education, Research, and Professional Development

In the Neolithic Age (10 000–3000 BC) humans transitioned from hunter–gatherer to cultivation of crops and domestication of animals for food. As they entered the Bronze Age, humans learned from practical experience about food preparation and shifted some of their plant and animal exploitations to make a variety of foods some of which could be stored for long periods. Although there was little in-depth understanding, food preparation including food fermentations and other practices would continue to improve and be refined through the 1600s primarily through artisanal practices. But by the 1800s the value of the science of food was demonstrated through the early systematic controlled studies which led to discoveries of canning by Nicolas Appert and subsequent advancement of our scientific knowledge of the role of microorganisms in food (wine) spoilage by Pasteur in the 1860s (Potter and Hotchkiss, 1986). These early scientific advances that led to improvements in food safety, quality, productivity, and shelf life solidified food science as a discipline and the modern food industry we employ today. Despite these advances, foodborne outbreaks were not uncommon in the late 1800s (Hardy, 1999). Meanwhile industrialization of the food system demanded trained professionals to run food plants and conduct the necessary product and process research and development. As a result, developments in food science education, research, and professional development occurred rapidly in the twentieth century. This article introduces the hierarchy of reference works that provide useful perspectives on the practice of discovery, transfer, and implementation that forms the body of our knowledge shaping food science.