1 Introduction Principles of Food Science is designed to help you learn about the relationships among science, food, and nutrition. Basic laws of chemistry, microbiology, and physics are applied to the production, processing, preservation, and packaging of food. You will explore the characteristics of each component found in food. You will examine the helpful and harmful effects of microorganisms on the food supply. You will also find out how the complex mixtures in foods are combined and separated. Throughout the text, you will find features such as STEM Matters, Farm Futures, Historical Highlight, Food Features, Nutrition News, Going Green, and Relevant Research. These features will help you evaluate the impact of science and technology on the food supply. You will also come across Food Fact tips that connect the science basics to your daily encounters with foods. The experiment at the end of each chapter will allow you to see how scientific principles are involved in food preparation. These experiments will help you build skills in teamwork, critical thinking, and problem solving. Questions and activities in each chapter are designed to help you expand your science vocabulary. These features will also help you apply basic math and technical writing skills to real-world food problems. Understanding the relationship between science and food can help you reach goals in life. This text explores the world of opportunities in food science related careers. You can apply knowledge from this class in such career roles as nutritionist, chef, food chemist, or process engineer. Even if you decide a food science career is not for you, you can use what you learn to become a creative home cook. You will learn how to make wiser food choices and be aware of the health impact of those choices. You will gain the knowledge needed to evaluate future technological advances as they are applied to foods. You will also understand how the scientific process is used to develop new products in any field.