This program is designed for mature students who have a first degree in a science-related discipline. Students must complete the course Introduction to Food Science and a total of 30 credits including 27 credits from the suggested list of complementary courses below. Entry to this program is permitted only in September.
Application for admission:
On the second page of the on-line form under "application type", choose Undergraduate/Professional, NOT graduate. Under the "highest level of education", do not enter anything lower than Bachelor’s degree/Equivalent, Master’s or Doctorate otherwise the certificate will not be listed as an option. On the third page, the first entry "Faculty" should be Agric-Environ-Sci and the second entry, for "Program", should be Cert in Food Science. The third entry, asking for “Major or Subject” will default as Food Science.
Certificate Brochure
Academic advisor: Dr. H. S. Ramaswamy
Total 30 credits
Required Course (3 credits)
FDSC 200
Introduction to Food Science
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: This course enables one to gain an appreciation of the scope of food science as a discipline. Topics include introductions to chemistry, processing, packaging, analysis, microbiology, product development, sensory evaluation and quality control as they relate to food science.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
Complementary Courses (27 credits)
(C1) Select 9 credits from the following:
FDSC 251
Food Chemistry 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: A study of the chemistry and functionality of the major components comprising food systems, such as water, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. The relationship of these components to food stability will be studied in terms of degradative reactions and processing.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
FDSC 300
Principles of Food Analysis 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: The fundamentals of food analysis are presented with the emphasis on the major components of foods. Topics include: food components, sampling, method selection, official methods, proximate analysis, moisture, protein, fat, ash, fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins and nutraceutical compounds.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Fall
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Prerequisite: FDSC 251 or permission of instructor.
- Corequisite: FDSC 251 or permission of instructor.
FDSC 305
Food Chemistry 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: A study of the chemistry and functionality of the minor components comprising food systems, such as enzymes, anthocyanins, carotenoids, additives, vitamins and essential oils. The relationship of these components to food stability in terms of degradative reactions and processing.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Fall
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Prerequisite: FDSC 251
FDSC 315
Separation Tech in Food Anal 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: A detailed treatment on the principal chromotographic and electrophoretic techniques that are associated with the analysis of carbohydrate, lipid, protein constituents of food.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Winter
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Prerequisite: FDSC 300 or permission of instructor.
FDSC 319
Food Commodities
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: The relationship between the chemistry of food constituents present in common commodities, such as milk, meat, eggs, cereals, oilseeds etc. and the common processing technologies associated with their transformation into stable food products.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Winter
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Prerequisite: FDSC 251 or permission of instructor
FDSC 334
Anal of Food Toxins&Toxicants
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: Toxins and toxicant residues in food including heavy metals, persistant organic pollutants (POPS) and microbial toxins are explored from an analytical perspective; new methods and strategies of analysis are emphasized.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Winter
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Prerequisite: FDSC 213 or permission of instructor.
FDSC 516
Flavour Chemistry
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: The chemistry of the flavour constituents of foods, thermal and enzymatic generation, mechanistic pathways of formation, analysis synthesis and applications in food.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Winter
- 3 lectures
- Prerequisite: FDSC 305 or permission of instructor
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken FDSC 410
FDSC 495D1
Food Science Seminar
1.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: Two 20-minute presentations (1 per term) on an assigned or selected topic. The purpose is to research a subject and present to a peer audience the essence of the subject investigated. Development of presentation and communication skills at a professional level is stressed and rapport with the industry will be established through guest speakers.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Fall
- 2 lectures
- Students must register for both FDSC 495D1 and FDSC 495D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both FDSC 495D1 and FDSC 495D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
FDSC 495D2
Food Science Seminar
1.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: See FDSC 495D1 for course description.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Winter
- Prerequisite: FDSC 495D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both FDSC 495D1 and FDSC 495D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
(C2) Select 6 credits from the following:
FDSC 525
Food Quality Assurance
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: The principles and practices required for the development, maintenance and monitoring of systems for food quality and food safety. The concepts and practices of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point; ISO 9000; Total Quality Management; Statistical Sampling Plans, Statistical Process Control; Tools of Quality; Government Regulations.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Winter
- 3 lectures
- Prerequisite: AEMA 310 or permission of instructor
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken FDSC 425
BREE 324
Elements of Food Engineering
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Bioresource Engineering: A course in basic food engineering for non-engineering students, covering heat transfer, mass and energy balances, food process unit operations, material transport/ steam/refrigeration systems.
Offered by: Bioresource Engineering
- 3 lectures
- Pre/Co-requisite: FDSC 330
- Restriction: Not open to students in the B.Eng.(Bioresource) program
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ABEN 324.
FDSC 400
Food Packaging
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: An integrated approach to the materials used for the packaging of food products, considering the physical, chemical and functional characteristics of such materials and their utility, relative to the chemistry of the food system they are designed to enclose and preserve.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Winter
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Prerequisite: FDSC 305
- This course carries an additional charge of $50 to cover the cost of transportation with respect to field trips, as well as a course notes manual. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
FDSC 405
Food Product Development
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: Fundamental principles of food product development from an innovative concept to the marketplace. Emphasis will be on the application of basic knowledge of food chemistry, food technology and related disciplines in developing new products or improving the existing ones.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Fall
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Pre-/Co-requisite: FDSC 305 or permission of instructor
- Symbols:
- Requires departmental approval prior to registration
FDSC 310
Post Harvest Fruit&Veg Technol
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: The post harvest chemistry and physiology of horticultural crops as they affect quality and marketability, handling methods pre and post harvest, principles and practices in cooling, storage, transportation and packaging.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Fall
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- This course carries an additional charge of $45 to cover the cost of transportation with respect to field trips. The fee is refundable only during the withdrawal with full refund period.
FDSC 330
Food Processing
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: The principles and practices of food processing with an emphasis on canning, freezing, and dehydration. A survey of the newer methods of food preservation such as irradiation, reverse osmosis etc.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Winter
- 3 lectures and one 3-hour lab
- Prerequisite: FDSC 251
(C3) Select 3 credits from the following:
NUTR 207
Nutrition and Health
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Nutrition and Dietetics: Provides students who have a basic biology/chemistry background with the fundamental information on how macronutrients, vitamins and minerals are metabolized in the body, followed by application to evaluate current issues of maximizing health and disease prevention at different stages of the lifecycle.
Offered by: Dietetics & Human Nutrition
- Fall
- 3 lectures
- Corequisites: AEBI 202 or CEGEP Objective 00XU or FDSC 230 or CEGEP Objective 00XV
- Restriction: Not open to students who take NUTR 200 or EDKP 292
- Restriction: Science students in physical science and psychology programs who wish to take this course should see the Arts and Science Student Affairs Office for permission to register.
LSCI 230
Introductory Microbiology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Life Sciences: The occurrence and importance of microorganisms (especially bacteria) in the biosphere. Principles governing growth, death and metabolic activities of microorganisms. An introduction to the microbiology of soil, water, plants, food, man and animals.
Offered by: Natural Resource Sciences
- Winter
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken MICR 230.
FDSC 442
Food Microbiology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: Topics in Food Microbiology including an overview of the natural flora and microbiological spoilage of food products, methods of control and shelf-life extension, methods of detection and control food-borne pathogens and the use of suitable microorganisms in the production of a variety of food products.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Fall
- Prerequisite: MICR 230 or LSCI 230 or permission of instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have completed MICR 442.
(C4) Select 9 credits from the following:
FDSC 515
Enzyme Thermodynamics/Kinetics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: Selected advanced topics on the biophysical and kinetic aspects of enzymatic reactions, particularly the fundamentals and applications of laws of biothermodynamics, biochemical equilibrium, electrochemistry and biochemical kinetics as related to the enzymatic reactions.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Winter
- 3 lectures
- Prerequisites: FDSC 211 or LSCI 211 and FDSC 233 or permission of instructor
- Course offered in even years. Check with Graduate Program Supervisor.
- Symbols:
- Taught only in alternate years
FDSC 519
Advanced Food Processing
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: Advanced technologies associated with food processing studied in more detail. Topics include food irradiation, reverse osmosis, super critical fluid extraction and extrusion.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Winter
- 3 lectures
- Prerequisite: FDSC 330
- Course offered in even years. Check with Graduate Program Supervisor.
- Symbols:
- Taught only in alternate years
AGRI 510
Professional Practice
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Agriculture: The ethical issues that face a professional in the workplace; professional ethics and deontology, professional responsibilities as related to the laws of labour, health, safety and risks to the environment, risk management and communication.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Restriction: Course restricted to senior undergraduate and graduate students.
- Symbols:
- Taught only in alternate years
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2013 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013 academic year.
FDSC 536
Food Traceability
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: Concepts and processes associated with the identification, tracking and tracing food forward and backward through the food continuum.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Winter
- 3 lectures
- Prerequisite: FDSC 425 or permission of instructor.
- Course offered in odd years.
- Symbols:
- Taught only in alternate years
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2013 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013 academic year.
FDSC 520
Biophysical Chemistry of Food
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: This course will cover recent advances in the application of spectroscopic techniques, including infrared, Raman, near-infrared, circular dichroism, and fluorescence spectroscopy, to the study of biomolecules of relevance to food. Particular emphasis will be placed on the molecular basis of structure-function and structure-functionality relationships.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Fall
- 3 lectures
- Prerequisite: FDSC 233
- Course offered in odd years. Check with Graduate Program Supervisor.
- Symbols:
- Taught only in alternate years
FDSC 535
Food Biotechnology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: Review of fundamental concepts of biochemistry, microbiology and biochemical engineering as it relates to traditional food fermentation as well as novel food biotechnological production.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Symbols:
- Taught only in alternate years
FDSC 537
Nutraceutical Chemistry
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Food Science: The origin, classification, mechanism of action and chemical properties of potential and established nutraceutical compounds and their applications in functional foods.
Offered by: Food Science & Agr-Chemistry
- Symbols:
- Taught only in alternate years
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2013 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013 academic year.