Louisiana State University
Department of Food Science
Program Director: John W. Finley, Ph.D.
Dr. Witoon Prinyawiwatkul
Graduate Advisor, Department of Food Science
111 Food Science Building
Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4200
Web site • http://www.lsu.edu/foodscience/
Degrees Offered: M.S. and Ph.D. in Food Science
Program Review: The Department of Food Science provides a robust curriculum towards advanced study of food in such areas as food quality, food processing and preservation, product development, sensory science, by-product utilization, and food microbiology and safety. The department is well equipped with research laboratories in the areas of food chemistry and analysis, food microbiology, tissue culture/hybridoma, food engineering and processing, functional foods, and sensory analysis. Additionally, pilot-plant facilities are available through interdepartmental cooperation with key LSU campus departments such as Animal Sciences, Biological & Agricultural Engineering, Plant, Environmental & Soil Sciences, and Oceanography & Coastal Sciences. The Schools of Human Ecology, Veterinary Medicine, and Renewable Natural Resources also provide faculty expertise. The department is affiliated with the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, which facilitates excellent graduate research opportunities. Graduate studies are further enhanced by networking with key on-campus and off-campus agencies such as Aquaculture Research Station, Audubon Sugar Institute, Department of Environmental Studies, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, Southern University, USDA-ARS Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans.
Entrance Requirements: B.S. degree from an accredited institution with GPA 3.0/4.0; minimum GRE 1000 (Verbal + Quantitative) required; minimum TOEFL 79 IB, 213 CB or 550 PA required (international students only); official transcripts from all institutions attended (native language as well as English translation); three letters of recommendation; application (http://appl003.lsu.edu/grad/gradschool.nsf/$Content/Applications?OpenDocument), required application fees and financial statement (international students only).
Program of Study: Both M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs are offered. Courses are available in the area of food engineering, food composition and analysis, food chemistry, food laws, food preservation, food microbiology and safety, flavor chemistry, food toxicology, sensory analysis, perspective in nutrition and food protein biotechnology.
Degree Requirements: M.S. requires 30 credits above a bachelor degree and Ph.D. requires a minimum of 60 credits above a bachelor degree; the preliminary examination and proposal defense for Ph.D. degree only; a defense of thesis or dissertation research.
Financial Assistant: Research assistantships and fellowships are available to qualified students. Full-time graduate assistants are exempt from in-state and out-of-state tuition fees; however, students are responsible for paying all required University fees (http://www.bgtplan.lsu.edu/fees.htm ). A tuition waiver (in-state and out-of-state tuition fees) is available for qualified students.
Faculty and Research Interests
Kayanush J. Aryana • Functional dairy foods, probiotic dairy foods, dairy food microstructure, quality and safety
Donal F. Day • Industrial microbiology, polysaccharide production and industrial enzymology; biofuels
John W. Finley • Low calorie ingredients and functional foods that help mediate the impact of obesity; low calorie carbohydrates and lipids that can cause caloric dilution in foods; bioactive ingredients that influence fat deposition; development of anti-inflammatory food formulations to reduce negative side effect of obesity and diabetes.
Beilei Ge • Molecular-based detection assays for food safety and biosecurity, molecular epidemiology of foodborne pathogens, and genetic mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in foodborne pathogens
J. Samuel Godber • Chemical and nutritional aspects of food, lipid oxidation effect on flavor and nutrients in foods, extraction and purification of phytochemicals from rice bran
Marlene Janes • Food microbiology and safety; detection, control, and prevention of food-borne pathogens in food products
Joan King • Food chemistry and safety including ingredient development with sweet potato and rice components especially
resistant starch; harmful oxidation products in processed and stored foods, aflatoxin in grains and nuts; off-flavors in catfish; ozone processing to remove unwanted chemicals in foods and feeds
Jack Losso • Food chemistry and biochemistry; protein biotechnology; recovery of bioactive compounds from novel and underutilized sources for food and biomedical applications; bioavailability and molecular basis of anti-angiogenic dietary bioactive compounds (functional foods, nutraceuticals); food fortification with bioactive compound
Witoon Prinyawiwatkul • Sensory analysis and consumer acceptance of foods and beverages; new and value-added food product development; functional/physical-chemical characteristics of food ingredients
Subramaniam Sathivel • Food engineering with emphasis on aspects the following: design and development of the unit operation for food processing; preservation and packaging of foods including coating, edible film, and microencapsulation; thermal, rheological, and functional properties of functional ingredients and foods; development of non-food materials from biological wastes including bio-diesel.
Paul Wilson • Processing and preservation of horticultural crops
Zhimin Xu • Food microconstituent analysis, extraction and characterization of functional food components, evaluation of health benefits of functional components using chemical and biological models