Dept of Food Science & Nutrition, UMN

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Dept of Food Science & Nutrition, UMN

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The Department of Food Science and Nutrition is part of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) on the University's St.

Paul campus. FScN offers undergraduate and graduate programs in both Food Science and Nutrition. Facebook House Rules:
This is your Fan Page and we encourage you to leave comments, photos, videos and links here that are relevant to the University and the topics being discussed, and appropriate in light of the University’s status as a public not-for-profit institution. Comments that are inappropriate or offensive are subject to removal without notice. They include comments that:
promote commercial enterprises;
sell, or solicit offers to sell, goods or services for personal gain; or
promote a specific political candidate or political party. We ask also that you be civil and refrain from personal attacks. [Comments posted to pages do not represent the opinions of the University of Minnesota.]

10/23/2026

Calling all alumni! It’s Homecoming and we hope you can celebrate the University’s 175th Anniversary with us! Here are some great ways to connect in the next few days:
-CFANS Sampler this evening (Friday), 5-7:30 PM on the Folwell Hall lawn. Details: https://cfans.umn.edu/events/2026-cfans-sampler-homecoming
-FScN Alumni Social Tuesday, October 27, 12-1 PM on Zoom. RSVP to get the link: z.umn.edu/FScNAlumniSocial

If you can’t make it to either event, we still want to hear from you! Consider participating in our Living Legacy Project and share your memories and stories from your time in FScN: https://z.umn.edu/FScNLivingLegacy

Hope to see you soon! Ski-U-Mah!

10/15/2026

Congrats and good luck in the next round Sophie! 🤩

👏🗣️ Congratulations to the winners of the CFANS Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition!

Twelve CFANS graduate students took the stage on Monday to share the significance of their research — in just three minutes, without the use of jargon or props — as part of this fast-paced science communication challenge.

First place: Sophie Schneblin (Food Science)
Second place: Adebisi Adeleke (Applied Plant Sciences)
Third place: Lovepreet Singh (Applied Plant Sciences)

Sophie's presentation, titled "From Green to Protein" received the highest score, landing her in first place. She will go on to compete against other college winners at the University-wide Three Minute Thesis competition on Friday, November 13, 2026 at 10 a.m. in Coffman Memorial Union Theater (Room 100). Best of luck, Sophie!

10/09/2026

Join us on the 23rd to celebrate Homecoming! We'll have a number of booths there for sampling our newly developed products plus the 175th Anniversary ice cream: Northstar Apple Crisp!

09/18/2026

We want to give a warm welcome to our newest faculty member, Hanyu Chen! Dr. Chen is our assistant professor of Food Microbiological Safety & Extension. In this role, she will work with food manufacturers in Minnesota and beyond, focusing on developing practical approaches to improve food safety and enhance quality. She will also be leading research exploring novel microbial control technologies, gentle food processing and sanitation, predictive and data-driven food safety tools, and science-based solutions for cottage, specialty and small-scale food producers.

Read more about Dr. Chen and her work: https://fscn.cfans.umn.edu/h-chen-faculty-feature

You can also read her recent interview with UMN for National Food Safety Education Month: https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/talking-food-safety-university-minnesota

09/04/2026

Have you seen CFANS at the MN State Fair yet? We’re back in the Ag Hort Building with all sorts of activities including trivia and free CFANS merch! (Ice cream scoops at 10 AM, 1, 4, and 7 PM, available while supplies last, and alumni can get a bandana any time by checking in with CFANS volunteers)
We also celebrated the launch of the University of Minnesota’s 175th Anniversary ice cream flavor: North Star Apple Crisp! Learn how you can grab a pint of this magnificent Minnesota treat at the link in the comments below

08/21/2026

Some of these sound pretty good 😉

08/12/2026

A summertime staple 😋🍨

🤓🍦📊The Great Minnesota Ice Cream Survey results are in!

Before the reveal of the University of Minnesota's 175th anniversary ice cream flavor later this month, CFANS surveyed ice cream lovers across the state. The verdict? Minnesotans take their scoops very seriously.

What’s the scoop? Five sweet facts:
• 73% enjoy ice cream all year long.
• 60% of Gen Z say vanilla deserves more respect (compared to 48% overall).
• 53% would pick ice cream over every other dessert for life.
• 46% say mix-ins make ice cream even better.
• 89% have suffered through a classic brain freeze.

Check out the full breakdown and stay tuned for the big announcement: https://cfans.umn.edu/news/cfans-ice-cream-survey-2026

08/12/2026

We are accepting applications for a Lecturer in Food and Culinary Science for the ‘26-’27 academic year. This position is a part-time, 9-month appointment with contract dates of August 31st, 2026, to May 30th, 2027.

Learn more and apply at this link: https://hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/ext/375389
Or search for Job ID #375389 at the university employment site: https://hr.umn.edu/jobs

07/29/2026

Check out these cool new renderings drawn up by the architectural design team partnering with us on the upcoming FScN Building renewal! We want to hear your thoughts on the designs – let us know in the comments below!

07/21/2026

From ethanol coproducts to animal feed innovation, assistant professor Prasanth Pillai is helping reimagine how agricultural byproducts can become tomorrow's sustainable food and feed solutions.

As principal investigator on a 2026 Institute on the Environment (IonE) Impact Goal Grant, Pillai is leading research to convert ethanol industry carbon dioxide and thin stillage into sustainable food ingredients using microalgae. By transforming waste streams into valuable products, Dr. Pillai’s work can enrich Minnesota's circular bioeconomy.

His research efforts also extend to partnerships with the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute - AURI, by developing technologies that recover and rebalance nutrients from agricultural feedstocks for improved animal feed, creating opportunities to reduce waste, improve efficiency and generate new value for Minnesota agriculture.

Whether it's creating sustainable food ingredients or enhancing nutrient recovery, Prasanth's research is building a future where innovation benefits producers, consumers and the environment alike.

Learn more about the IonE microalgae project, which is co-led by Pam Ismail and George Annor: https://environment.umn.edu/news/2026-impact-goal-projects-advance-sustainability-across-minnesota/

Learn more about the partnership with AURI: https://www.auri.org/news/article/auri-identifies-strategies-to-reduce-and-recover-nutrients-in-ag-products/

Address

1334 Eckles Avenue
Saint Paul, MN
55108

Telephone

+16126241290

Website

http://fscn.cfans.umn.edu/

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