Research in Food Science and Food Technology: A Status Report

Abstract

This chapter presents a status report on research in food science and food technology. In the past two decades, considerable progress has been made in the knowledge of the chemistry of biologically important tissue constituents and of the metabolic processes which they undergo. The success of team work in this field is well illustrated in the recent elucidation of the composition and structure of limonin. The chapter also discusses developments in methodology. As the introduction of advances in food research, considerable progress has been made in the development of scientific knowledge of the field and in the application of scientific discoveries to the food industries. Improved methods for separating rapidly, selectively, and quantitatively even minute amounts of materials by filter paper chromatography and the development of other methods of separation, such as paper and column electrophoresis, electroosmosis, ion exchange resin chromatography, vapor phase chromatography, etc., have played an important role. Spectrophotometers for measurement absorption in the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared regions of the spectrum, emission and flame photometry, molecular fluorescence, and mass spectroscopy have been improved, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been introduced. The physiological, psychological, and genetic factors influencing sensory perception of differences in taste, feel, color, etc. have been investigated. The results of these investigations are basic to better planning of sensory difference tests and to the serious investigation of the consumer acceptance of foods. The investigation of interrelationship between soil, plant, animal, and humans has been emphasized. Some of the important industrial developments made have been emphasized because of trends that they indicate, such as improvement in the quality of fresh and processed meats and fruits, and development of improved puff-dried juice products.