What is the difference between the Nutrition and Food Science Graduate Programs?
The study of nutrition focuses on the function of nutrients within animals. Thus, it is primarily a biological science. Food science focuses more on chemistry, engineering, and food microbiology. Food science studies the chemical reactions that occur in food during manufacture and storage, food safety, and the sensory attributes of food. There is a significant overlap between these two disciplines. At the University of Minnesota, faculty in Nutrition and Food Science interact in many ways, including co-advising graduate students and collaborating on research projects.
The study of nutrition focuses on the function of nutrients within animals. Thus, it is primarily a biological science. Food science, in contrast, studies the chemical reactions that occur in food during manufacture and storage, food safety, and the sensory attributes of food. Food science consequently focuses more on chemistry, engineering, and food microbiology. However, there is, at times, significant overlap between these two disciplines. At the University of Minnesota, faculty in Nutrition and Food Science interact in many ways, including co-advising graduate students and collaborating on research projects.
