Food Science and Nutrition

As the population grows, we need to find ways to make better use of our resources to produce nutritious, healthy foods. On this accredited course, you'll combine nutritional science with food science. Our course builds your knowledge in food, nutrition and physiology to explain the connection between diet and health. You will:

• Understand the impact of food processing on nutritional value and food quality

• Develop the latest nutritional knowledge from academics working on international research

• Build skills in sensory evaluation and product development

• Use our specialist labs and work on real-life research projects

You'll learn how to apply science to create sustainable, nutritious, safe food. Using our specialist food facilities you'll investigate the properties of foods:

• Food processing facility - learn about different technologies and engineering

• Quality control lab - use equipment to assess product and process quality

• Teaching lab - learn about the role of microbiology in food safety and production

• Flavour lab - use our world class lab to understand flavour chemistry

• Sensory science centre - test consumer preferences and use techniques to understand how we perceive flavour

We have strong links with industry, which means that you'll get plenty of exposure to food companies. In the third year, you'll develop a new food product and present this to industry guests and even have the opportunity to enter Ecotrophelia, a European food innovation student competition.

Throughout your degree you have the opportunity to choose from a range of additional options. You can apply to do these when you get here:

• Industry placement - you can add a year in industry between years two and three

• Computer Science year - use algorithms to analyse complex data and apply this to your course

In the first year we’ll introduce you to nutrition and the biochemistry that explains the connection between nutrition and health. You’ll explore the chemical and physical properties of food materials and appreciate how to consider sustainable options. At the end of the year, we visit different food companies, so you can see how this is applied in real-life.

In the second year, you'll examine how the body regulates responses to food, appetite and energy expenditure. You'll get a detailed understanding of process engineering. You will follow the whole process from the ingredients used to the final packaged food. You'll develop skills in sensory evaluation. Using techniques, you'll understand how to test consumer acceptance of new products. You'll study technical, scientific and engineering concepts in food spoilage, food preservation and food quality.

In the final year you will carry out a unique research project supervised one-on-one by our academic team. You'll deepen your knowledge of public health nutrition. You'll study food flavour, looking at aroma, taste and texture perception. Using this knowledge, you'll work as a team to develop a new product to present to your peers and industry.