MSc in Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering in Ithaca United States | Cornell University

Food engineering utilizes engineering concepts to design and optimize food processing systems. As engineering relies on quantitative analysis, mathematics serves as the primary tool for food engineers. Chemistry and microbiology play crucial roles since food engineering processes often involve chemical transformations and microbial activity. Students in this field develop expertise in thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, and transport phenomena specific to food systems. The curriculum emphasizes computer programming, microprocessor applications, statistical methods, and engineering economics. Course offerings cover thermal processing, unit operations, food material properties, rheology, and packaging technologies. Food engineering students are advised to complement their studies with relevant engineering department courses and to include an engineering faculty member on their advisory committee. Research opportunities span diverse areas such as heat/mass transfer in food matrices, fluid food rheology during processing, biomaterial extraction using supercritical fluids, extrusion technology, computer-controlled process automation, energy-efficient process redesign, and characterization of food material properties.