What do potato chips, yogurt, frozen pizza, sports drinks, and even your favorite cookies have in common?

Behind each one is a food scientist.

In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, we're uncovering the fascinating career that blends chemistry, biology, creativity, and problem-solving into one delicious profession. Join us as we follow a day in the life of a food scientist, explore how food products are developed and tested, and discover the surprising science behind flavor, texture, safety, and shelf life.

You'll also hear from Ranee Anderson, a real food scientist who shares what it's like to work in the field, how foods are tested for bacteria during processing and shipping, the biggest surprises about the profession, and advice for students who aren't sure whether they belong in STEM.

Whether you're curious about science, love food, or are looking for a career that's equal parts laboratory and innovation, this episode serves up a career you may not have considered, but probably interact with every single day.

Show Notes:

Following the Flavor: Inside the World of Food Science

The episode of “Majors, Minors, and Maybes” follows food scientist Josie as she troubleshoots chip texture and flavor in a lab, adjusting humidity, extrusion settings, and seasoning ratios while also tackling sodium reduction, shelf-life testing, plant-based protein experiments, and food safety reviews. Dr. W. explains that food science is controlled experimentation that blends chemistry, creativity, and collaboration to make foods safe, stable, and enjoyable across manufacturing and shipping. Guest Renee Anderson describes how research determines safe storage conditions and how food scientists study pathogens like salmonella, listeria, and E. coli, and she highlights the field’s breadth and varied entry points. The script outlines common degrees, internships, and related experiences, gives salary ranges (about $50k–$65k entry-level and $100k+ senior), shares a fact about annatto creating cheddar’s orange color, and teases a next episode on scientific curators of human genetic data.

00:00 The Science of Crunch

01:24 Meet Josie in the Lab

03:19 Dialing In Flavor

04:07 A Day in Food Science

05:53 Is Food Science for You

06:35 Food Safety and the Journey

07:54 Guest Renee on Bacteria

10:09 Food Science Career Paths

12:00 Degrees Internships and Skills

13:08 Belonging in STEM

15:06 Paychecks and Reality Check

17:14 Surprising Foods Scientists Touch

18:54 Curious Fact Color and Taste

19:46 Renee on Phages and Detection

21:01 Wrap Up and Next Episode