Food Science Technicians

Tasks

Core Tasks Include:

• Conduct standardized tests on food, beverages, additives, or preservatives to ensure compliance with standards and regulations regarding factors such as color, texture, or nutrients.
• Provide assistance to food scientists or technologists in research and development, production technology, or quality control.
• Compute moisture or salt content, percentages of ingredients, formulas, or other product factors, using mathematical and chemical procedures.
• Record or compile test results or prepare graphs, charts, or reports.
• Analyze test results to classify products or compare results with standard tables.
• Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics.
• Examine chemical or biological samples to identify cell structures or to locate bacteria or extraneous material, using a microscope.
• Measure, test, or weigh bottles, cans, or other containers to ensure that hardness, strength, or dimensions meet specifications.
• Order supplies needed to maintain inventories in laboratories or in storage facilities of food or beverage processing plants.
• Maintain records of testing results or other documents as required by state or other governing agencies.
• Monitor and control temperature of products.
• Perform regular maintenance of laboratory equipment by inspecting, calibrating, cleaning, or sterilizing.
• Train newly hired laboratory personnel.
• Supervise other food science technicians.

Supplemental Tasks Include:

• Mix, blend, or cultivate ingredients to make reagents or to manufacture food or beverage products.
• Prepare or incubate slides with cell cultures.

The data sources for the information displayed here include: O*NET™. (Using onet291)