Research Centers

The Department of Food Science is dedicated to the education of undergraduate, graduate and nontraditional students in the field of Food Science and the study and application of science and technology to further basic knowledge, add value, foster economic development and provide a safe, healthful and high quality food supply.  We have a unique combination of teaching and research laboratories and a large pilot plant. The Department is the major academic center for food science in New England and the only research- oriented department of its kind in Massachusetts. Our research emphases since 1998, until now, are in the five broad areas of Food and Environmental Biotechnology, Physical-Chemical Properties of Food, Food Safety, and Health and Wellness and Food Science Policy

Food and Environmental Biotechnology

Food Biotechnology encompasses biological systems for modification and/or separation of whole organisms, tissues, cells, proteins and biological molecules, including DNA of plants, animals and microorganisms. We have been working in several internationally recognized areas including development of novel plant tissue cultures, with a unique plant cell culture facility, and whole plant systems to study the synthesis of bioactive phenolic metabolites. These may be used for improving health, for disease prevention, or for pathogen control when they have bacteriostatic or bactericidal activity.

Our program in Food Biotechnology forms a natural linkage with the University’s initiative in genomics and the gene-enabled sciences. Clearly biotechnology provides a valuable continuum towards an end use for many aspects of genomics. The program has teaching and research linkages with University-wide interdisciplinary programs. A graduate course in Food Biotechnology has been developed and we have a University service course in Food Biology which will cover biotechnology in some detail. Currently several faculty are directly involved in Biotechnology/Bioprocessing research and teaching, while others offer support in areas such as enzymology and process engineering.

The research and teaching provide impetus for development of excellent outreach and economic development programs of distinction at both the national and international levels. The improvement of the nutritional and physiological benefits of food along with increasing yields is essential to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Core Faculty: Dr. Shetty

Contributing Faculty: Drs. Decker, Hultin, Labbe, Levin, Mahoney, McLandsborough and Park

Physical-Chemical Properties of Food

This research group employs the basic principles and instrumental techniques of the physical and chemical sciences to improve our understanding of complex food systems, thus enabling the production of longer lasting, higher quality, and safer foods. The faculty within this group have research and teaching programs in the areas of: molecular-structural basis of food properties; mechanical testing of foods, nanotechnology and development of functional, bioactive, food ingredients to improve the texture, appearance, taste and healthfulness of foods. This research group is particularly well suited to create a stable, safe and acceptable food which contain a chemically active physiological component which may reduce the risk of disease. The faculty within this group use their expertise to educate students in the applications of the basic sciences to food systems, and to gain the necessary problem-solving skills required by the modern food industry. In addition, we continue to promote the development of an improved food supply by transferring their knowledge and skills to local, national and international food companies through outreach programs utilizing our pilot plant, when appropriate.

Because the basic chemical and physical sciences are at the foundation of this group, the group intends to build on its strong links with the Departments of Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Exercise Science, Nutrition, Mathematics and Statistics, and Polymer Science and Engineering.

Each faculty member in this group has established an internationally recognized research program and expertise not available elsewhere in the U.S. The continued success of our research programs in the physical-chemical properties of foods has resulted from Departmental state-of-the-art instrumentation that can characterize complex food materials. \

Core Faculty: Drs. Clydesdale, Decker, Hultin, Mahoney, McClements, Peleg and Weiss

Contributing Faculty: Drs. McLandsborough, Park and Shetty

The Safety of Food

The area of food safety encompasses microbiological and toxicological problems related to the processing, handling, and consumption of food. The importance of microbial food safety issues was emphasized with the passage of the National Food Safety Initiative, one of the few high priority public health spending areas in the Federal budget. The Food Safety Group in the Food Science Department has the expertise to address and solve the problems associated with food processing and distribution and to teach graduate and undergraduate students the skills needed to solve persistent and future microbiological problems in the food industry. Its research has focused on the growth and detection of food borne pathogens and their toxins. Areas of emphasis will continue to include the development of sensitive and rapid detection methods, mathematical models to assess and predict microbiological hazards, use of natural products as bacteriostats or bactericides and seafood safety.

This group has both national and international collaborations. On a local level, our faculty participate in the University's interdisciplinary programs. In addition to departmental courses, the faculty have offered off-campus courses in Food Microbiology to industry and have lectured on food safety issues at other universities. The Food Safety group is extensively involved with outreach and economic development activities, providing service to government agencies and the food industry.

Core Faculty: Drs. Labbe, Levin, McLandsborough and Shetty

Contributing Faculty: Drs. Clydesdale, Park, Peleg and Weiss

Health and Wellness

Although there is no official definition of functional foods, it is generally considered that they are a group of foods which provide physiological benefits beyond those traditionally expected from food. Functional foods now represent a major portion of the U.S industry.

Therefore, Health and Wellness has become an important internationally recognized, federally funded, basic research program in the Department.  Research in functional foods includes: a) Utilization of biological models, including proteomics, to assess the molecular mechanisms and physiological effects of bioactive food components: b) Development of bioprocessing techniques to isolate bioactive compounds or produce novel health promoting foods that maintain desirable quality and safety over an extended shelf-life; c) characterize the molecular properties of novel food ingredients with health promoting activities; d) evaluate policy issues involving functional foods.

Every food company, large or small, is interested in making a health claim for one of its existing products or discovering a new product or ingredient for which a claim can be made. Obviously this creates confusion at the least, and fraud at the worst, with the possibility of great health risk to the consumer. Therefore an active and viable program in outreach has been developed.

Core Faculty: Drs. Clydesdale, Decker, Mahoney, Park and Shetty

Contributing Faculty: Drs. Hultin, McClements, McLandsborough and Weiss

Food Science Policy Alliance

The Food Science Policy Alliance provides a scholarly venue for the objective evaluation of science-based food policies and regulatory issues for students, consumers, government and industry. It is built on a scholarly foundation offering a Master of Public Policy and Administration degree with a concentration in Food Science Policy. The degree is administered by the Center for Public Policy and Administration and Scholarships are available from the alliance for qualified students with a degree in food science or a related field. The program offers a course taught by internationally recognized guest lecturers from government, industry and consumer groups that is required for students pursuing the advanced degree providing for the education of well-trained graduates capable of developing and evaluating recommendations concerning national and international food policy.

Core Faculty: Drs. Clydesdale, Decker

For more information about the food policy program and the alliance, pls. click here to download the PDF info sheet