UMass Food Science

UMass Food Science Official page of the UMass Amherst Food Science Department research program in the United States by the National Research Council.

Food science as a formal academic discipline began at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1918, and now, almost a century later, it remains one of the world's preeminent food science programs. The Department of Food Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst was recently ranked the number one food science Ph.D. The 2010 study evaluated graduate programs according to several criteri

a, including faculty research productivity (publications, citations, grants, awards), student completion rates, and diversity.

06/04/2026

🎓 Alumni Weekend 2026: Alumni Interviews Part 2 🎤

We’re back with more advice and career insights from our UMass Food Science alumni! From navigating career changes and finding opportunities to making the most of your time as a student, our alumni shared valuable lessons they’ve learned throughout their professional journeys.

Thank you to our alumni for taking the time to connect with current students and inspire the next generation of food scientists. We loved hearing where your UMass Food Science education has taken you!

Join us in Chicago for a special evening celebrating the UMass Amherst community and the College of Natural Sciences!Reg...
06/03/2026

Join us in Chicago for a special evening celebrating the UMass Amherst community and the College of Natural Sciences!

Registration link in bio!

Reconnect, unwind, and grow your network at this gathering of alumni, colleagues, and friends. The evening will feature exciting updates from campus leadership, including Lili He, Chair of the Food Science Department, and Michael Fox, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences.

Whether you’re based in Chicago or attending the IFT Expo, we hope you’ll join us for this opportunity to strengthen connections and celebrate our shared community.

Date: July 13, 2026
Time: 6:00-9:00 PM
Location:
The University Club
76 East Monroe Street
Chicago, IL 60603

We encourage our faculty, alumni, and partners to attend and to help spread the word!

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This week we’re featuring Harris, a master’s student in Dr. Lutz Grossmann’s lab.His research is on how to produce an...
06/02/2026



This week we’re featuring Harris, a master’s student in Dr. Lutz Grossmann’s lab.

His research is on how to produce and incorporate fat into plant‑based meat alternatives to create realistic marbling-like structures. By engineering a novel extrusion segment that separates protein and fat during processing, his system allows these phases to reorganize downstream forming marbling, a key feature for replicating the appearance, flavor, and texture of animal-based whole‑cut meats.

By integrating lipids directly into the extrusion process, his work aims to elevate the textural and sensory qualities of plant-based meats and enable scalable production of texturized, anisotropic, whole‑cut “marbled” alternatives. This research has the potential to expand the diversity and realism of products in the plant-based meat industry.

Stay tuned for more updates from .erdman ’s research journey.

Comment your curious questions below and Harris will be happy to answer them!

Congratulations to our graduate students! 🙌
05/29/2026

Congratulations to our graduate students! 🙌

05/28/2026

🎓 Alumni Weekend 2026: Alumni Interviews Part 1 🎤✨

Where are our UMass Food Science alumni now? From industry leaders to researchers and innovators, we got to hear about their journeys after graduation and the advice they have for current students navigating their own paths in food science 🍫🔬🌱

Thank you to all the alumni who shared their experiences, insights, and words of encouragement with our students. Stay tuned for Part 2! đź‘€

Honoring achievements, sharing great food, and wrapping up with unforgettable raffles. A perfect recap of the Food Scien...
05/25/2026

Honoring achievements, sharing great food, and wrapping up with unforgettable raffles. A perfect recap of the Food Science Annual Gathering!

2026 UMass Food Science x Herrell’s Ice Cream Competition Recap Congratulations to all of our incredible student teams! ...
05/22/2026

2026 UMass Food Science x Herrell’s Ice Cream Competition Recap

Congratulations to all of our incredible student teams! Their creativity, hard work, and delicious formulations made this event unforgettable.

Final Results

People’s Choice Award - Morning Blues
Nicholle Tan, Libby Murphy, Olivia Linderman, Thea Daucher, Camila Delgado

1st Place - Jammin’ Toast
Maddie Murphy, Lori Ajemian, Akshara Nair, Austen Guber, Emily Depina‑Londono

2nd Place - Berry Bites Back
Grace Huang, Devon Erskine, Julia Galuska, Vedant Parekh, Yong Huang

3rd Place - Tea Thyme
Maggie Lin, Keziah Lam, Sabrina Incognito, Khine Zin Mra, Marilyn Ma

Every team did an outstanding job.

Ice Cream Competition Recap Congratulations to all of our incredible student teams! Their creativity, hard work, and d...
05/22/2026

Ice Cream Competition Recap

Congratulations to all of our incredible student teams! Their creativity, hard work, and delicious formulations made this event unforgettable.

Final Results

People’s Choice Award - Morning Blues
Nicholle Tan, Libby Murphy, Olivia Linderman, Thea Daucher, Camila Delgado

1st Place - Jammin’ Toast
Maddie Murphy, Lori Ajemian, Akshara Nair, Austen Guber, Emily Depina‑Londono

2nd Place - Berry Bites Back
Grace Huang, Devon Erskine, Julia Galuska, Vedant Parekh, Yong Huang

3rd Place - Tea Thyme
Maggie Lin, Keziah Lam, Sabrina Incognito, Khine Zin Mra, Marilyn Ma

Every team did an outstanding job.

05/21/2026

Alumni Weekend 2026 Saturday Lunch Recap ✨🍫

From delicious chocolate demonstrations to exciting raffle prizes, Saturday lunch was filled with great food, fun activities, and even better company! It was amazing seeing alumni, students, faculty, and friends of the department come together to celebrate the UMass Food Science community.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended and helped make this weekend so memorable. And of course, thank you to UMass Auxiliary Enterprises for the incredible chocolate demo! 🍬🎟️

We loved seeing so many familiar and new faces throughout the weekend — already looking forward to the next Alumni Weekend!

Sweet memories from April 3rd 🍫The Food Science Club had an amazing time diving into the science and history of chocolat...
05/18/2026

Sweet memories from April 3rd 🍫

The Food Science Club had an amazing time diving into the science and history of chocolate, from cacao processing to the art of tempering. Participants then got hands-on creating their own bonbons with Dubai chocolate, strawberry yogurt, and matcha white chocolate fillings 🍓🍵

Thank you to everyone who joined us for such a fun and delicious night. We loved seeing everyone’s creativity (and tasting the results too)! Stay tuned for more events next year 💓

Address

240 Chenoweth Laboratory/102 Holdsworth Way
Amherst, MA
01003

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+14135452276

Website

https://linktr.ee/umassfoodscience

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