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Developments in food engineering education in North America |
D. R. HELDMAN, Dept. of Food Science, Rutgers-The State Univ. of New Jersey, 65 Dudley Rd., Cook College, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 During the past 25 years, there have been significant developments in food engineering education. Most of these developments have been associated with the increased visibility of food engineering within food science and within the various engineering professions. The overall objective of this paper is to review the key developments in food engineering eduacation during the past 25 years and to speculate on the changes to occur in the next 25 years. Developments in food engineering education will be divided into two general categories: (a) the emergence of curricula leading to B.S. degrees in food engineering, and (b) the integration of food engineering into the food science curriculum. The discussion of the first category will include specific reference to the content of the curriculum leading to a degree in food engineering, with emphasis on minimum requirements for accreditation. Comments on the second category will focus on changes in the content of food engineering courses for food science majors, and the trends to integrate engineering concepts into food processing courses. The changes in food engineering education in the future are likely to be influenced by emergence of new technologies. The impact of information technology and molecular biology on the content of food engineering courses and on the approach to presenting these courses will be reviewed.
Session 40, Educating tomorrow's food engineers -- Global perspectives
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