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.

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! 👀

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 💓

05/14/2026

Another unforgettable part of Alumni Weekend 2026 🎉🧩

Students and alumni came together in Chenoweth for a scavenger hunt bingo filled with fun activities and challenges! From sensory evaluations and food science trivia to ice cream samples and even contributing to a time capsule 🍦🧠⏳

It was such a fun way to connect, celebrate our department, and make new memories together!

This week we’re featuring Weixin Yan, a Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Jiakai Lu’s lab.His research uses hydrodynamic cavitat...
05/13/2026



This week we’re featuring Weixin Yan, a Ph.D. candidate in Dr. Jiakai Lu’s lab.

His research uses hydrodynamic cavitation to reimagine cold brew coffee extraction, reducing processing time from 8-12 hours to just minutes.

By optimizing rotor design and flow conditions, his work aims to improve extraction efficiency, enhance coffee oil dispersion, and explore new sensory profiles in cold brew coffee.

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

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

We warmly invite all graduates, along with their families and friends, to our Commencement Reception on May 18th at 12:0...
05/13/2026

We warmly invite all graduates, along with their families and friends, to our Commencement Reception on May 18th at 12:00 PM, Chenoweth Laboratory, Room 127. Join us as we celebrate your accomplishments and the beginning of your next chapter.

Turns out our graduate students, faculty, and staff race just as hard as they research in our end of semester gathering ...
12/31/2025

Turns out our graduate students, faculty, and staff race just as hard as they research in our end of semester gathering - Graduate Racing Night

Organized & Funded by Food Science GSO, Food Science Department, &

This Fall, we hosted a highly successful inaugural Food Science Department Product Development Competition—the Apple Pom...
12/24/2025

This Fall, we hosted a highly successful inaugural Food Science Department Product Development Competition—the Apple Pomace Innovation Challenge. This hands-on, experiential learning opportunity challenged student teams to design, develop, and present an innovative food product featuring apple pomace as a meaningful, functional ingredient.

Through this competition, students applied food science principles to real-world product development, including ingredient functionality, formulation, processing considerations, and product positioning.

Our three finalist teams delivered outstanding presentations, and their products were truly delicious. The judges noted that selecting winners was exceptionally difficult due to the high quality, creativity, and technical rigor demonstrated across all entries.

Congratulations to all participating teams!

🏆 Winner: Orchard Spiced Bun
Karen Chan, Vincelle Lentejas, Andrew Mirarchi, Chelsea Sanjaya

🥈 Runner-Up: Auspicious Apple
Sebastian Chen, Douglas Dame, Devon Erskine, Grace Huang

🥈 Runner-Up: Apple Poms!
Divine Eche, Aminata Toure, Libby Murphy, Yurelin Castillo Feliz, Mai Le

We are truly proud of our students’ creativity and teamwork!

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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