PhD in Food Science - Fruit and Vegetable Postharvest Physiology and Processing in Stillwater United States | Oklahoma State University

The graduate program in food science offers multiple specialization areas within this interdisciplinary field. Obtaining a PhD in food science creates pathways to rewarding careers in the dynamic, fast-expanding food sector. This program aims to support Oklahoma's horticultural producers and processors in delivering wholesome, flavorful, and accessible food products to global markets.

Research focus areas:

Examining nutritional compounds in novel crop varieties such as peppers, sage, and oregano while creating comprehensive systems for production, harvest, post-harvest management, and processing
Extraction of capsaicinoids from pepper varieties
Isolation and applications of thujone/camphor from sage and thymol/carvacrol from oregano
Understanding pecan opalescence causes and developing prevention methods
Advancing x-ray technology for non-invasive pecan quality assessment
Automated watermelon harvesting for lycopene extraction
Lycopene extraction techniques from watermelon flesh
Connections between watermelon cellular structure and antioxidant yield