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Career Details : Food Science Technicians

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Description

Perform standardized qualitative and quantitative tests to determine physical or chemical properties of food or beverage products.

Experience

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed. For example, a drywall installer might benefit from experience installing drywall, but an inexperienced person could still learn to be an installer with little difficulty.

Education

These occupations usually require a high school diploma and may require some vocational training or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed.

Training

Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees.

Tasks

  • Conducts standardized tests on food, beverages, additives, and preservatives to ensure compliance to standards for factors such as color, texture, nutrients, and coloring.
  • Tastes or smells food or beverages to ensure flavor meets specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics.
  • Computes moisture or salt content, percentage of ingredients, formulas, or other product factors, using mathematical and chemical procedures.
  • Mixes, blends, or cultivates ingredients to make reagents or to manufacture food or beverage products.
  • Prepares slides and incubates slides with cell cultures.
  • Orders supplies to maintain inventory in laboratory or in storage facility of food or beverage processing plant.
  • Measures, tests, and weighs bottles, cans, and other containers to ensure hardness, strength, and dimensions meet specifications.
  • Cleans and sterilizes laboratory equipment.
  • Records and compiles test results and prepares graphs, charts, and reports.
  • Examines chemical and biological samples to identify cell structure, bacteria, or extraneous material, using microscope.
  • Analyzes test results to classify product, or compares results with standard tables.

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    Important Abilities

    General Work Activities

    Important Skills

    Frequent Work Context

    • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
    • Importance of Being Sure All Is Done
    • Indoors
    • Consequence of Error
    • Degree of Automation

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