The former Food Science & Technology Building aka Cruess Hall, which is located next to the Campus Co-ops garden and accessible from the bike path on the south. The building contained offices and labs for the department before the move to the new food science complex near the Mondavi Center.The UC Davis Food Science & Technology Program is one of the largest in the U.S. and the only program of its kind within the University of California. There are over 20 faculty in the department, many of whom are world leaders in their respective fields. Housed in the Robert Mondavi Institute (RMI), the department offers Bachelors, Masters, and Ph.D programs.

Food science describes the application of science to develop, produce, and process foods and takes into consideration harvesting, processing, distribution, storage, and preparation. It includes the development of dried, frozen, and canned foods, microwave meals and T.V. dinners, aseptic food packaging, snack food development, fruit cocktails, and the processing of produce including nuts, vegetables, and fruit. Food science requires broad knowledge of the various processes through which food travels from field to table. To be a food scientist, one most be knowledgeable about the efficient use of resources and must be able to consider sensory appeal of the final product.

The new food science complex, completed circa 2009Possibly one of the best things about having a food science department on campus is the many opportunities Davisites have to taste test new food items! Sure, you'll have to taste some bad stuff, but there's usually something good as well. Keep an eye out next time you're near RMI for signs announcing food tastings.

The Food Championship is an annual tournament hosted by the department and its Graduate Student Association wherein teams compete in various food-related events.

Professor Carl Winter entertains fellow foodies with his songs about food safety.

Programs

The department is affiliated with the Institute of Food Technologists, supports the student Food Tech Club, and provides the following programs to the general public:

Courses

Food Science & Technology classes are designated FST. FST 1 and 10 are popular GE courses.

Lower Division

1 - Principles of Food Science (3 Units, Fall) This is a basic intro course touching on many different aspects of food science. Taught by E. Garcia. 3 - Introduction to Beer and Brewing (3 Units, Fall) Taught by Charles Bamforth, this is one of the best classes to take at UCD. It's not an easy A, unless you go to class, pay attention and do the reading. 10 - Food Science, Folklore and Health (3 Units) Similar to FST 1, but focuses on social aspects rather than scientific ones. 50 - Introduction to Food Preservation (3 Units, Spring) Covers a variety of food preservation and processing methods as well as a number of food properties related to preservation. Will be boring for anyone who's already taken a number of upper division classes.

Upper Division

100A - Food Chemistry 100B - Food Properties 101A - Food Chemistry Lab 101B - Food Properties Lab 102A - Malting and Brewing 102B - Practical Malting and Brewing' 103 - Physical and Chemical Methods for Food Analysis 104 - Food Microbiology 104L - Food Microbiology Lab 107 - Food Sensory Science 109 - Principles of Food Quality Assurance 117 - Statistics for Sensory Science (3 Units, Fall) Application of statistics as it pertain to consumer data from sensory testing. 127 - Sensory Evaluation of Foods 128 - Food Toxicology Same as ETX 128. Taught by Dr. Mitchell, it explores the sources, and mechanism of action, of various toxins found in foods. 160 - Food Product Development

Graduate

201 - Food Chemistry and Biochemistry (3) 202 - Chemical and Physical Changes in Food (4) 203 - Food Processing (3) 204 - Advanced Food Microbiology (3) 205 - Industrial Microbiology (3) 207 - Advanced Sensory-Instrumental Analysis (3) 211 - Lipids: Chemistry and Nutrition (3) 213 - Flavor Chemistry 217 - Advanced Food Sensory Science (2) 227 - Food Perception and the Chemical Senses (2) 290 - Seminar (1) 290C - Advanced Research Conference (1) 291 - Advanced Food Science Seminar (1) 298 - Group Study (1-5) 299 - Research (1-12) 396 - Teaching Assistant Training Practicum

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