5
Reading Prep. Find a recent
news article that involves an
aspect of food science. Print
the article and read it before
reading the chapter. As you
read the chapter, highlight
sections of the news article
that relate to the text.
Objectives
After studying this chapter, you will be able to
• describe the three periods in the development of foods.
• summarize how food products and processing methods have
changed due to contributions of food scientists.
• analyze how studying food science now can benefi t you in
the future.
Whoever you are, wherever you live, you eat. Few things impact
the quality of your life like the food choices you make each day. For
your ancient ancestors, there were few choices. Finding, growing,
storing, and preserving food occupied most of their days. Since early
history, what and how people eat has changed dramatically. Today,
people have almost unlimited access to tens of thousands
of fresh and processed food products. Many items are
labeled fast, quick, instant, or microwavable. All these
products are the result of research and technology.
As you make daily food decisions, you may fi nd
yourself asking several questions. What will I eat?
How will I fi x it? Should I eat out? Where could I go?
Is this food safe? Is it nutritious? After studying this
text, these questions will be easier for you to answer.
See 1-1.
The fi rst question you will address in this chapter
is, What is food science? A little background will help
you understand how this fi eld has grown and why it
is worth studying.
What Is Food Science?
Food science is the study of the nature of food,
the causes of deterioration, the principles underlying
food processing, and the improvement of foods for
the consuming public. People throughout history have
been intrigued by the study of food. When technology
moved food preparation from the home to the factory,
food science began to evolve as a fi eld of its own.
Food science is an example of an integrated
course of study. It involves related topics from various
disciplines. To understand food science, you need to
©Sinisa Bobic/Shutterstock
1-1 Most teens make the majority of their own
food choices. Knowing about food products
and how they affect the body can make these
choices easier.