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Food Scientists and Technologists

Use chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and other sciences to study the principles underlying the processing and deterioration of foods; analyze food content to determine levels of vitamins, fat, sugar, and protein; discover new food sources; research ways to make processed foods safe, palatable, and healthful; and apply food science knowledge to determine best ways to process, package, preserve, store, and distribute food.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Develop new or improved ways of preserving, processing, packaging, storing, and delivering foods, using knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, and other sciences.
    • Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.
    • Evaluate food processing and storage operations and assist in the development of quality assurance programs for such operations.
    • Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.
    • Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing.
    • Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
    • Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.
    • Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards.
    • Seek substitutes for harmful or undesirable additives, such as nitrites.
    • Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
    • Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.
    • Develop new food items for production, based on consumer feedback.
    • Demonstrate products to clients.

    Skills

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    5
    Workplace Documents
    4
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    Knowledge

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    Career Video

    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 77550/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 37.28/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 870
    • Yearly Projected Openings 90

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Integrity
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cooperation
    • Achievement/Effort
    • Dependability

    Tools

    • Air samplers or collectors
    • Amino acid analyzers
    • Anaerobic chamber
    • Analytical balances
    • Atomic absorption AA spectrometers
    • Autosamplers
    • Bench refractometers or polarimeters
    • Blanching machinery
    • Blast freezers
    • Calorimeters
    • Color sensors
    • Colorimeters
    • Commercial use deep fryers
    • Commercial use food choppers or cubers or dicers
    • Commercial use food grinders
    • Commercial use food slicers
    • Commercial use griddles
    • Commercial use grills
    • Commercial use microwave ovens
    • Commercial use mixers
    • Commercial use ranges
    • Commercial use steamers
    • Conductivity meters
    • Cooking machinery
    • Crushing machinery
    • Cutting machinery
    • Darkfield microscopes
    • Dehydrating machinery
    • Dehydrators
    • Desktop computers
    • Dry wall single chamber carbon dioxide incubators
    • Electronic counters
    • Electrophoresis system accessories
    • Extracting equipment for laboratories
    • Fat extractors
    • Filling machinery
    • Flask or retort units
    • Fluorescent microscopes
    • Forced air or mechanical convection general purpose incubators
    • Freeze dryers or lyopholizers
    • Gas chromatographs
    • Gel documentation systems
    • High pressure liquid chromatograph chromatography
    • Homogenizers
    • Ice cream machines
    • Infrared spectrometers
    • Ion chromatographs
    • Juicing machinery
    • Kjeldahl nitrogen determination apparatus
    • Laboratory balances
    • Laboratory blenders or emulsifiers
    • Laboratory box furnaces
    • Laboratory diluters
    • Laboratory heat exchange condensers
    • Laboratory mechanical convection ovens
    • Laboratory membrane filters
    • Laboratory mills
    • Lasers
    • Light scattering equipment
    • Manual or electronic hematology differential cell counters
    • Mass spectrometers
    • Melting point recorders
    • Microbiological aircontrol equipment
    • Microbiology analyzers
    • Microcentrifuges
    • Microplate readers
    • Nephelometers
    • Nitrogen or nitrate or nitrite analyzer
    • Notebook computers
    • Orbital shaking water baths
    • Oscilloscopes
    • Oxygen gas analyzers
    • Packaging vacuum
    • Personal computers
    • Refrigerated benchtop centrifuges
    • Rheometers
    • Roasting machinery
    • Scanning electron microscopes
    • Solution strength estimation apparatus
    • Spectrofluorimeters or fluorimeters
    • Spectrometers
    • Standard fermentation units
    • Steam autoclaves or sterilizers
    • Sterilization cabinets
    • Stomachers
    • Strain gauges
    • Sugar analyzers
    • Temperature cycling chambers or thermal cyclers
    • Thermal differential analyzers
    • Thermo gravimetry analyzers
    • Tissue culture incubators
    • Vacuum or rotary evaporators
    • Viscosimeters
    • Water analysis systems
    • Water baths
    • X ray diffraction equipment
    • pH meters

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software
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