To meet the needs of the growing coffee industry, Texas A&M is offering a new stand-alone certification available to all students. The Coffee Processing and Quality Certificate is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to become competent professionals in that industry.

Come join us at the IFT FIRST Annual Event and Expo, July 14-17 in Chicago, Illinois. To learn more about the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Food Science and Technology's involvement in the event, click here.

Pillai honored as IFT Fellow and appointed to Texas Radiation Advisory Board

Suresh Pillai, Ph.D., professor and director of the National Center for Electron Beam Research, has been named a 2024 Fellow by the Institute of Food Technologists. Gov. Greg Abbott also appointed Pillai to the Texas Radiation Advisory Board, which reviews and evaluates the rules, policies and programs of state agencies that regulate radiation.

The IFT College Bowl Competition tests the knowledge of student teams from across the U.S. in the following areas: food science and technology, the history of foods and food processing, food law, and IFT/food trivia. Our College Bowl team, with Diego Gonzalez, James Jeffrey, Janice Leung, Maddie Pike and Maddie Shults, was the only team comprised fully of undergraduate students.

IFANCA's Food Diversity Innovation Program recently awarded a grant to Seockmo Ku, Ph.D., for his proposal titled "Empowering Texas Agriculture: Leveraging Agricultural Prowess for Global Impact and Local Prosperity," and Reza Ovissipour, Ph.D., for his proposal titled "Natural Flavor Development from Grasshopper Insect through Koji-Based Fermentation."

When the Department of Food Science and Technology was looking for an expert in fermentation and brewing science, as well as someone knowledgeable about the microbiome and probiotics, they knew they had found the right person in scientist and registered dietician Seockmo Ku, Ph.D.

Former student Laura Lozano ’81, who earned a food science and technology degree with a nutrition specialty, has had a long and varied career. She has traveled globally, worked for Fortune 100 companies and startups, and has served as a consultant, influencing food choices and innovation on a large scale.

Originally from Pakistan, graduate student Fariha Irshad ’24 in the Department of Food Science and Technology had a lot of motivation in coming to the U.S. to expand her studies.

Irshad said her interest in pursuing food science and technology at Texas A&M University started with her earlier studies in food and nutrition, where she learned about how food affects our health.

James Jeffrey ’24, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree from the Department of Food Science and Technology on the industry track, found food science “purely out of circumstance” — but has never questioned his ultimate decision to make it his field of study.

Jeffrey said that while all his professors have shown him an open door, Matthew Taylor, Ph.D., and Rebecca Creasy, Ph.D., were the most influential during his time at Texas A&M.

Join us for an enlightening exploration of the future of protein at the IFANCA-FDIP Symposium on “Alternative Proteins.” Hosted by The Food Science and Technology Department in collaboration with IFANCA’s Food Diversity and Innovation Program, FDIP, this symposium promises to be a thought-provoking event.

The TAMU Food Science Club meets Wednesdays at 6 p.m. The club is open to all majors and features meetings with industry professionals as well as opportunities to network, socialize and volunteer.

The department offers many gifting opportunities that will have a lasting impact on our department.

Learn about the many scholarship opportunities available in the department.

Established in 2020, the Department of Food Science and Technology aspires to develop a world-class training, research and outreach program that leads the nation in shaping the future direction of the food science profession, while innovatively meeting the current and emerging needs of stakeholders. The department is invested on unique high-impact education and research programs that apply contemporary and novel technologies in food processing, food safety and quality, and sustainability.

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