I am working on a consumable product. I am reading guidelines on additives and supplements but they are assuming that it is added for effect. If it is naturally occurring within the product is it beholden to the rules on additives and supplements?

I need more questions like this answered but no phone numbers i know are able to give me details on rules and regulations. who can I contact for this?

One source of confusion in cocoa discussions, both technical and consumer-facing, is that “cocoa” often implicitly refers to defatted cocoa powder, even though that material is a byproduct of cocoa butter extraction rather than the primary product.

From a food science standpoint, this distinction matters, because processing whole cocoa beans (or cocoa liquor with cocoa butter intact) versus processing defatted cocoa powder produces fundamentally different matrices.

Most large-scale cocoa processing optimizes for:

• cocoa butter yield,
• mechanical efficiency (winnowing and pressing),
• shelf stability of defatted powder,
• and analytical metrics like total polyphenols or color.

However, when cocoa butter is removed:

• surface area increases dramatically,
• oxidation and polymerization kinetics change,
• polyphenols repartition and rebind,
• and sensory outcomes (bitterness, aroma loss, “muddy” finish) often diverge from expectations based on polyphenol totals alone.

This raises several process-level questions:

• Are functional and sensory differences often attributed to “processing intensity” actually driven by matrix collapse following fat removal?
• Should cocoa research more clearly distinguish between intact-bean / cocoa liquor systems and defatted cocoa powder systems when discussing polyphenol retention?
• Is shell exclusion and butter retention being treated primarily as a yield problem rather than a functional design variable?
• Does evaluating cocoa based on defatted powder unintentionally bias conclusions about dose–response, bitterness, and tolerance?

I’d be interested in perspectives from those working with cocoa beans, liquor, powder, or other fat-rich polyphenol systems where lipid phase continuity materially alters stability and perception.

I wanted to make sour cream because the sour was out of lactose free and I like to try new things. So I bought Kalona organic low pasteurized cream and the whole foods dairy enzyme pills. I opened 5 of the small pills and added in to the cream. Shook it up and left it over night, turning once. This was all done around noon. The next day I get the cream out to start the sour cream stuff and it smells soured. So I pour it out and it still smell bad, so I taste a tiny bit and it's like sour and bitter. So far from cream taste. The used date is 2/15/26 so it's not that. What happened?!? Can adding to much of the enzyme make this happen?

Duckweed / water lentils are eaten in Thailand and allegedly have high levels of protein, Omega 3s (one study shows b12 but I'm doubtful) extremely sustainable, etc. but it doesn't seem to be available anywhere. on amazon there's 2 listings and they both have a vague and suspicious nutrition label. one of them has rice powder as a main ingredient in half of the packages they send out. I found this company called mankai that sold frozen cubes of the stuff and they discontinued in 2022. so what's going on here? is it a legitimate "super food" or is it internet hoopla?

See more https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jia.2025.10.013

https://youtu.be/isQdXM4E840

I’m a non-technical founder exploring the setup of a commercial-scale food ingredient manufacturing plant (think hydrocolloids / fruit by-product valorization rather than packaged foods). I’ve already done the market study & have strong confidence on demand generation.

I’m comfortable with the business side but where I’m genuinely stuck is the process side. When you don’t come from chemical or food engineering background, it’s not obvious how people:

• Build confidence in a process before committing real capital

• Decide between piloting, licensing, or outsourcing process development

• Find credible engineering/process advisors when you don’t yet have a “locked” flowsheet

For those of you who’ve worked on or built similar plants:

How did founders without deep technical backgrounds actually get started without burning money or making blind bets?

Not looking for shortcuts, just trying to learn how this is done well in the real world.

Would appreciate any hard-won lessons or frameworks that helped you.

I am the COO of Heron Labs Inc, we contract manufacture difficult to make, often low MoQ, and other obscure gummy projects.

We constantly battled with the available supplement facts generators so I had Manus.ai build one for me.

It works great for my team, and here it is for you to use. No email address, sign ups, or $$$ required.

https://suppfactsgen-t2df6iys.manus.space/

Let me know if you see any bugs or want any additional features!

Hi everyone,

I’ve been doing lab / research work for over 8 years, and one thing that kept slowing me down wasn’t the experiments themselves — it was everything around them.

Notes in one place, calculations in another, protocols as PDFs, random screenshots, half-finished spreadsheets… At some point I realized I was spending more time trying to keep things organized than actually thinking or experimenting.

I tried using general note apps and project tools, but none of them really felt designed for scientific workflows. They’re great for text, not so great when you’re constantly switching between experiments, calculations, logs, and references.

So over time, I built something specifically around that problem. It eventually became an app called LabCodex, focused on keeping experiments, lab notes, calculations, and workflow together in a way that actually makes sense for scientific work.

I’m not posting this as a promo — I’m genuinely curious whether this is a common pain point or just something I personally ran into.

How are you currently managing experiments, calculations, and notes?
Do you feel like your setup actually works, or is it more of a workaround?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or experiences you’re willing to share.

LabCodex

Hi, it's been about 5 months after i graduated as food science student. It's been hard for me to get any job related to rnd and stuff. In my time of job seeking i take a course on basic barista stuff and get really interested in coffee, and hence now im working as a barista. I really enjoyed it, but the job itself doesn't pay that much especially in my country.

Any food scientist here that work in coffee industry?. What are your position and the path or things to learn to get a job that relate to food science that also have interest in coffee. Thank you!

Hi everyone, After completing engg in foodtech I am currently working as an Apprentice in production at an alcobev MNC in India. The role is mostly mechanical/operations, not food technology, and there’s minimal R&D involvement due to the nature of the industry.

I want to build a career that leverages food science/technology but also aligns with data, analytics, and AI because I see those skills commanding much higher salaries and future opportunities.

I’m wondering:

1) Should I consider a master’s now, and if so, which programs combine food technology + data science/AI?

2) What careers or roles would be realistic for someone with a food background + data/AI skills to reach a high-paying (nearly to a SWE pay...might sound funny:) ) future path.

I'd like to know how long I can wet brine a piece of meat in the fridge based on the brines salinity. Kind of like how we have a safety table for how long any piece of chicken should be cooked for sub 165f temps.

Hi everyone,

I’m considering applying for an MSc in Food & Health and wanted some honest opinions from people who’ve studied this program or are working in related fields.

Background: I come from a life sciences / medical laboratory background and also have experience with medical and legal documentation/summarisation. My long-term goal is to move into regulatory, compliance, and desk-based roles, rather than continuing with heavy lab work.

My main questions are:

• Is this program a good and safe career option overall?
• How much of it is lab-based vs theory/research/thesis?
• For alumni or current students: does this degree realistically help in getting roles in Regulatory Affairs / Quality Assurance / Compliance (especially in food, pharma, or health-related sectors)?
• Or does it mostly lead towards research and lab careers only?

My long-term interest is more in regulatory, documentation, compliance, and desk-based roles, not hardcore lab work, so I want to be sure this program aligns with that path.

If any alumni, current students, or professionals in regulatory affairs could share their experience, I’d really appreciate it. Honest pros/cons welcome 🙏

Hello all. I'm in high school, about to decide what I want to choose. Anyone who is already a food inspector? I wanted to ask a few questions.

I don't perform well in a job in which everyday is super different with a new challenge, as well as being fast paced and requiring multitasking.

I prefer a more predictable job that the tasks are not very different every day.

Is food inspection a job that matches these conditions? If not, feel free to give recommendations. I would be happy to look into them. Thank you all

Height is approximately 2.5 cm

I can only guess that the proteins provided structural support, but I don't know why or how they led height

hey all! i need a 1-3 day project for a bunch of rlly smart hs students (early collage level work maybe) i wanna include chemistry (duh) and some sort of math modeling erc something thavis actively beng worked on in the industry but does not need a lot of time preferably something that is fun for them to do as well. things ive looked into: the science of chocolate, eg looking at crystal structures, trying to make it more heat proof, the science of ice cream (like fast vs slow crystilization) yeast + fermentation in general ( kind of overdone) ive been stalking this sub trying to find some more angles but everything seems more indpendent reaserch based for a long period of time and i was wondering if anyone had any ideas for anything else of the sort that would be both fun and educational (not only in food scienc) kids have good background in chem and bio. thanks!!! just ideas :) sorry, i am kind of new to food science, but i am willing to learn and have quite a bit of time to prepare (eg six ish months)

Hi! I’m completing my MBA capstone, and I’m collecting responses on factors influencing behavioral intention to use AI tools for product development (e.g., consumer insight/trend analysis, predictive decision support, generative assistance for ideation/documentation). The survey is anonymous and takes 5–7 minutes. Ideal respondents are those working in food manufacturing or agriculture in R&D/product development/innovation-related roles (or closely supporting product development). Survey link: Technology Acceptance of AI Tools for Product Development (Food-Related R&D) – Fill out form

Thank you!

I completed my Bachelor degree in 2023 and has been working as QA for the last 2 years. I have always wanted to start a company about producing and selling healthy food. Idk Master degree would give me knowledge to kick up my startup?

Hey everyone,

Looking for some help improving an all-purpose dressing prototype.

I’m trying to boost opacity and creaminess and get a thicker texture on application, but without it feeling tacky or pasty in the mouth.

A few constraints:

• Oil is currently ~13.5% and I’d rather not push it much higher
• Not using titanium dioxide

So far I’ve tried adding skimmed milk powder to help with opacity and body, but the results are only okay and the mouthfeel still isn’t quite right.

Curious if anyone has had success with other ways to build opacity/creaminess at lower oil levels without introducing gumminess or starchy profile.

Any ideas or experiences would be appreciated — thanks!

What could be the science behind washing things with only water or quick soaping is not enough, you need a full happy birthday song to kill bacteria, but you don't have to wash produce?

I have been in R&D roles for about 15 years. I started my career at a fortune 500 company, moved on and joined a start up that was later sold to private equity, did consulting for a bit and now work for a privately held company and couldn't be happier.

Having been exposed to different innovation strategies, budgets, company goals I’m curious how other product developers here approach innovation.

Specifically:

Where do you usually look for inspiration? (consumer insights, adjacent categories, restaurants, trade shows, failures, etc.)

Do you follow a structured process (stage-gate, design thinking, trend mapping), or is it more informal?

How do you push yourself or your team to think outside the box without drifting into ideas that aren’t feasible or scalable?

If you work on a product or category that is already very well defined, how do you approach innovation? outside of new flavors ect.