Food science is a discipline that covers everything about food and its scientific aspects. It discusses chemistry, physics, microbiology, biology, nutrition, and scientific applications. The discipline gives a complete understanding of how to deal with real-world problems associated with different food aspects. Food science online courses provide all the information and knowledge related to food safety and its processing. By enroling in these online food technology courses, you can pave the way for your careers as food scientists, biochemists, and many more.
40+ Online Food Science Courses Pursuing food science and technology courses will significantly increase your employment opportunities in this industry. You can find employment in food and beverage companies, soft drink companies, the spice processing industry, and many others. You can also become an entrepreneur or own a start-up involved with food processing.
Another big advantage of enroling in online food science courses is that they will aid you in learning relevant topics and previously unexplored aspects of your specialisation, which increases your chances of landing a high-paying job. So, let us get started with the best food sciences courses.
Top Online Courses in Food Sciences:
1. Stanford Introduction to Food and Health -
This is one of the best food sciences courses and will teach you the practical skills you need to apply to analyse how and what you eat. The rise in health issues has become a serious problem, and people need to learn the correct way to eat. Offered by Stanford University, this one of the best Food Science Courses will provide you with a background on food and nutrients, trends in food, and future developments.
You will learn:
- Background on food and nutrients
- Contemporary trends in eating
- Future directions in health
Course Duration- 7 Hours
2. The Science of Gastronomy -
Offered by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology via Coursera, this is another one of the best food sciences courses. You will learn scientific principles and methodologies for cooking and food preparation, the integration of science with cooking and dining, sensory stimulation, and the cultural impact of food with this one of the food science online courses.
You will learn:
- Energy transfer
- Effects on the taste of food
- Enhancing the quality of food
Course Duration – 25 Hours
3. Dairy Production and Management -
In this, one of the highest-rated food sciences courses offered online, you will gain a basic understanding of all aspects of dairy management, including genetics, sustainability, nutrition, animal health, reproduction, and the economics of the dairy system. This is one of the food science courses online offered by Pennsylvania State University and will give you skills in disease control and nutrition management.
You will learn:
- Forage production and pasture management
- Feeds, hay and silage making, and feed processing
- Nutrition basics, requirements, and feeding of lactating cows
Course Duration – 76 Hours
4. The Meat We Eat -
This is one of the excellent food sciences courses offered online that is designed to make you aware of food quality, safety, and healthiness. You will learn about current issues in animal agriculture, humane animal slaughter, and converting muscle to meat with this one of the food science online courses. Offered by the University of Florida, this is one of the best Food Science Courses that will take you a closer look at the various types of meat consumed by humans.
You will learn:
- Comparison of different meat industries
- Meat inspection, slaughter inspection, and food safety
- Meat quality, fabrication, and packaging
Course Duration – 14 Hours
5. Transformation of the Global Food System -
This is one of the highest-rated food sciences courses offered online and will teach you how to make the food system more sustainable. Offered by the University of Copenhagen, the course is ideal for beginners who want to gain in-depth knowledge about global food systems. This is one of the top Food Science Courses taught by Katherine Richardson, a professor at the Sustainability Science Centre.
You will learn:
- Introduction to the global food system
- Transforming the big
- Eating smarter
Course Duration – 12 Hours
6. Unravelling Solutions for Future Food Problems -
This is one of the best food related online courses and will let you identify the main reasons for food challenges around the world and their solutions. The course will also help you understand how people in third-world countries are still struggling for basic food, whereas people in industrialised countries are throwing food away. This food and science course is offered by Utrecht University on Coursera.
You will learn:
- Future Food and Food Shortage
- Healthy Choices
- Food-related behavior and interventions
Course Duration –15 Hours
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7. Sustainable Food Production Through Livestock Health Management -
This is another one of the excellent food sciences courses offered online by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to understand the impact of diseases on animal-based foods and the solutions required to counter them. If you are interested in producing food crops and other items sustainably without compromising livestock, this is the ideal course for you.
You will learn:
- Animals and Sustainable Food Production
- Diseases as a barrier to sustainability
- Animal's response to infectious disease
Course Duration – 19 Hours
8. Weight Management: Beyond Balancing Calories -
Understand the primary cause of obesity and the physiology behind it in this one of the highest-rated food sciences courses offered online. The course will teach you the art of holistic health and fitness, through which you can develop healthier eating habits and manage your weight effectively. The food science certificate online is offered by Emory University.
You will learn:
- Managing obesity
- The role of stress, exercise, and sleep
- Using habit and emotions to your advantage
Course Duration – 18 Hours
9. Child Nutrition and Cooking -
Offered by Stanford University, this is among the best food sciences courses, focused on child nutrition and the decisions of the family to sustain it. This food and science course will also delve deeper into creating a balanced diet for fast-growing children. It also covers the health risks associated with obesity.
You will learn:
- Why home cooking matters
- What constitutes a balanced meal?
- Sustainable eating
Course Duration – 11 Hours
10. Discover Best Practice Farming for a Sustainable 2050 -
Learn about the best farming practices, the Future Farm 2050 project, and its impact on a mixed enterprise farm in this one of the great food sciences courses. Offered by the University of Western Australia, this food science technology course is ideal for beginners.
You will learn:
- Water and soils
- Ecological cropping
- Versatile livestock systems
Course Duration – 9 Hours
11. The Economics of Agro-Food Value Chains -
This is another one of the highest rated food sciences courses offered online, focused on agro-food value chains and their practices. Taught by seven professors, you will get a lot of different perspectives on agro-value food chains and related concepts. This food science technology course will also cover the concepts of food quality, market research, and pricing strategies for agro-products.
You will learn:
- Quality and consumers
- Market research
- Asymmetric information about quality
Course Duration – 44 Hours
12. Food Chemistry -
This is one of the food sciences courses offered by Mysore University on Swayam, in which you will learn about the arrangement of food particles, the alteration of functional characteristics when the food is being processed, and other chemical aspects related to food.
Course Duration – 12 Weeks
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13. Wine Tasting: Sensory Techniques for Wine Analysis -
This is one of the beginner-level food technology online courses that will help you understand the physiological processes involved in the tasting of wine. Offered by the University of California, Davis, this is one of the food science and technology courses that will take you from the early stages of the discovery of wine to its current status as a billion-dollar industry.
You will learn:
- Wine flavor and aroma
- Common wine faults
- Wine and food pairing
Course Duration –14 Hours
14. Introduction to Food and Health -
Offered by Stanford University via Edx, this is among the best food science and nutrition courses designed to meet the educational needs of physicians in primary care, internists, nurse practitioners, family practitioners, and allied health professionals. You will learn the principles of nutrition and health outcomes with these food science and nutrition courses, which are ideal for advanced learners.
You will learn:
- Fundamental principles of nutrition
- Targeted goals to Improve health and nutrition
- The rationale for physicians
Course Duration – 1 Week
15. Nutrition, Exercise and Sports -
In this one of the excellent food sciences courses offered online, you will learn about the effects of nutrition, the role of micronutrients, physiology, and sports nutrition, among others. If you wish to be a sports nutritionist, this one of the best food related courses is ideal for you.
You will learn:
- Role of micronutrients
- Physiology and Sports Nutrition Science
- Skeletal muscle, exercise, and sports
Course Duration – 6 Weeks
16. The Science of Beer -
This is another of the food science and technology courses that teach you about all scientific aspects of beer, its overall impact on human health and the body in the long term, and how techniques are utilised to market beer brands effectively. Offered by Wageningen University and Research, you can learn the effect of each step in beer production and describe the characteristics and cultivation of the main raw materials with this amazing food science and technology course.
You will learn:
- Production of beer
- Raw materials and cultivation practices of beer
- Marketing of beer and cultural effects
Course Duration - 6 Weeks
17. Identifying Food Fraud -
This is another one of the best food sciences courses offered online, where you will learn scientific techniques to unravel food fraud, the use of analytical chemistry to uncover such fraudulent activities, and the implementation of infrared detection in food products. Offered by the University of East Anglia and the Institute of Food Research (IFR), this food science course online requires no formal qualifications.
You will learn:
- Methods of food fraud and detection
- Infra-red detection of fraud in coffee
- Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Course Duration – 4 Weeks
18. Future Food: Sustainable Food Systems for the 21st Century -
This is one of the excellent food sciences courses and is ideal for those who want to learn in-depth about the impact of diet and health, governance, and food security, apart from the various sustainable food production techniques. Offered by the University of Exeter, you will learn about the global food system and explore everything from individual food choices to the impact of agriculture on climate change.
You will learn:
- Diet and Health
- Food Security
- Food Governance
Course Duration – 4 Weeks
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19. Improving Food Production with Agricultural Technology and Plant Biotechnology -
Offered by the University of Cambridge and EIT Food, this is among the most highly rated food sciences courses offered online. The course will let you delve deeper into food production practices and how to address the various challenges associated with sowing, growing, and harvesting crops. This is another of the food science and technology courses which is ideal for beginners.
You will learn:
- Plant Biotechnology
- Agricultural Technology
- Food Science
Course Duration – 3 Weeks
20. Explore How Farmers Produce Food Sustainably -
Offered by the University of Reading, this is another one of the highest-rated online food technology courses, which focuses on applications of sustainability, managing livestock, and food trading, among others. This food science course online will also provide insights into EU practices for growing food sustainably.
You will learn:
- Food Trading
- Food Technologies
- Sustainability in food production
Course Duration – 3 Weeks
21. Engaging with Controversies in the Food System -
This is another one of the excellent food sciences courses offered online by the University of Reading. The course will provide you with an introduction to varied food-related information. It will also cover insights into the various stakeholders in the food ecosystem and how food is produced thereafter.
You will learn:
- Introduction and Alternative Proteins
- Palm Oil and Related Products
- The use of probiotics
Course Duration – 3 Weeks
22. Intellectual Property Management in the Food Sector: Safeguarding Your Trademarks in the Global Marketplace -
In this one of the most comprehensive food science courses offered online, you will learn about the protection of intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, taste and smell marks, design protection, and local and international markets. Offered by the University of Warsaw, the course will equip you with knowledge of how to promote best practices in IP management within your company.
You will learn:
- The management and projection of your company’s IP
- Evaluation of expected sources of problems
- Patents and trademarks
- Case Studies
Course Duration – 4 Weeks
23. Trust in Our Food: Understanding Food Supply Systems -
Understand food supply systems, factors that affect them, nutrition, food safety, quality, and sustainability in one of the most highly rated food sciences courses. The course will let you explore the challenges and responsibilities of different people in the food system and enable you able to analyse the information available to consumers associated with issues of food safety, nutrition, quality, and sustainability of production methods.
You will learn:
- Food Systems
- Nutrition and Quality
- Sustainability
Course Duration – 4 Weeks
24. Farm to Fork: Sustainable Food Production in a Changing Environment -
In this one of the best food sciences courses offered online, you will learn about threats to global food security, food integrity, animal and human health, and climate change. This is one of the short term certificate courses in food technology developed by EIT Food, Queen’s University Belfast, the University of Turin, and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).
You will learn:
- Water, Soil and Plant Health
- Animal Health and Welfare
- Climate Change and Food Security
Course Duration - 4 Weeks
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25. How Food is Made: Understanding Food Processing Technologies -
This is one of the great food technology courses online and will teach you the history of food processing. You will also be taught the pros and cons of using specific food processing technologies and get a 360-degree view of the food processing industry with these food science and technology courses.
You will learn:
- The importance of food processing
- Innovation in the food industry
- How does the EU ensure our food is safe, nutritious, and sustainable?
Course Duration - 4 Weeks
26. Food Science and Nutrition: From the Farm to You -
If you are interested in food science and nutrition, this course is for you. This is another one of the most highly rated food science and nutrition courses that will teach you everything from absolute beginner level to advanced. You can become a skilled decision-maker when it comes to food and the human-food relationship in the larger scheme of things with these food science and nutrition courses.
You will learn:
- Food science and nutrition
- Food supply chain and food processing
- The importance of micro and macronutrients
Course Duration – 2 Weeks
27. Food Science and Processing -
This is one of the undergraduate-level food sciences courses that will cover everything about food science and processing, from nutrition and energy requirements and their sources to proteins, minerals, and food adulteration laws. This one of the best food science courses will also discuss significant concepts, theories, and research.
You will learn:
- Dietary fibre – classification and composition, nutritional significance
- Basic terminology used in food preparation
- Role of Spices, Herbs, and Condiments
Course Duration – 12 Weeks
28. B.Sc in Food Science
This is a 4-year online undergraduate degree programme in food science offered by the University of Saskatchewan. With these food science online certificate courses, you will be taught about the chemical and physical nature of foods, the basis of food safety, the causes of food deterioration, and the principles of food processing, preservation, and packaging.
You will learn:
- Chemical and physical nature of food
- The Basis of Food Safety
- Principles of Food Processing, Preservation, and Packaging
Course Duration – 4 Years
29. Food and Nutrition
This is one of the best food sciences courses from Swayam in which you will learn about the processing and preservation of food. The course will teach you about the consumption of balanced diets by individuals. This course will be taught by Dr. Asna Urooj, University of Mysore.
You will learn:
- Vital Parameters and Health Check
- Therapeutic nutrition
- Food Adulteration Contaminants & Detection
- Basic Food Laws and Regulations
Course Duration – 12 Weeks
30. Master of Science (Food and Nutrition)
Offered by IGNOU, this is a postgraduate degree programme in food and nutrition. In this excellent food science and nutrition course, you will be taught scientific opinions on popular nutrition, dietetics, and other related issues and controversies. You will gain knowledge and develop critical abilities about food and nutrition. You will be required to have a B.Sc. or PG Diploma in Food Science and Technology to pursue this degree programme.
You will learn:
- Nutritional Biochemistry
- Food Safety and Food Microbiology
- Public Nutrition
- Principles of Food Science
- Advance Nutrition
- Clinical and Therapeutic Nutrition
- Entrepreneurship and Food Service Management
Course Duration – 2-5 Years
31. PG Certificate in Agricultural Policy -
This is one of the best food sciences courses offered by IGNOU. The course will discuss agricultural policies, agricultural development, and farming cooperatives, among others, in the context of India. You need to have a bachelor’s degree to pursue this course.
Course Duration - 6 Months to 2 Years
32. Food Laws and Standards -
This is another one of the excellent food science and technology courses taught by Professor M. K. Salooja via Swayam, in which you will learn everything about food safety laws and standards. The course encompasses four major components: the Indian Food Regulatory Regime; the Global Scenario; Export and Import Laws and Regulations; and other laws and standards related to food. This is an online course for food technology that focuses on the various food laws and standardisation techniques.
You will learn:
- Food Science
- Food Microbiology
- Basics of Food Safety
- Foreign Trade Policy
- Export Promotional Bodies: APEDA, MPEDA, and CEPC
- Customs Act and Import Control Regulations
- Other Laws Related to Food Products: Consumer Protection Act, Environment Protection Act
Course Duration -16 Weeks
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33. Introduction to Poultry Farming -
In this one of the best food sciences courses offered online, you will gain the necessary information about the Indian poultry system and the advantages of rearing poultry. This is one of the top food science courses that will also introduce different academic and development institutions involved in training and extension activities in the poultry sector.
You will learn:
- Indian Poultry Industry
- Poultry farming in India
- Types of Poultry Farms
Course Duration - 10 Weeks
34. Commercial Fruit Production: Pomegranate and Guava -
This is one of the food sciences courses from the YCMOU, Nashik, Maharashtra, which will teach you everything about the commercialisation of fruits, especially pomegranate, and guava. This is a diploma-level course that will explain the latest production technology for these two crops.
You will learn:
- Diseases and their management in pomegranate
- Flowering and harvesting of pomegranates
- Importance, soil, and climatic requirements of guava
- Diseases and their management in guava
Course Duration - 4 Weeks
35. Nutrition Certification Diploma -
This is one of the highest-rated food sciences courses available on Udemy. It includes nine sections of 127 lectures covering nutrition and health, the body and nutrition, vitamins, common diets, diseases, minerals, food as medicine, and more.
You will learn:
- Calories, Protein, Carbs, and Fat
- Are carbs bad for you?
- Diet for Weight Loss and Muscle Gains
- The Right Vitamins and Minerals
Course Duration - 5.5 Hours
36. Thermal Processing of Foods -
This is one of the food sciences courses offered by IIT Guwahati on Swayam, in which you will learn about different aspects of pre-cooked foods, such as their preparation, meeting the targets of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, and the procedure of thermal processing.
Course Duration - 12 Weeks
37. Nutrition for a Healthy and Sustainable Lifestyle -
Another one of the food sciences courses offered online by Doane University on Edx. It gives you an overview of the basic concepts of human nutrition, such as nutrients, dietary sources, how nutrients work in the body, the benefits of a vegan diet, the connection between food and emotions, and many more concepts for a healthy lifestyle.
Course Duration - 8 Weeks
38. Introduction to Nutrition and Food Safety -
This is one of the food sciences courses offered by TMU on Future Learn that teaches you about methods to boost nutrition that are suitable for adults and senior citizens, food adulteration, pesticides, their impact on people, the health hazards linked to them, and the effects of poor dietary decisions.
Course Duration - 4 Weeks
39. Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science (Chemistry) -
In another one of the food sciences courses offered online, you will be taught the scientific concepts of cooking, such as molecules, energy, temperature, heat transfer, and phase transitions. Offered by Harvard University, you will also understand how you can apply principles of physics, engineering, and chemistry to cooking and become an experimental scientist in your own kitchen.
You will learn:
- Molecules, moles, flavour, and pH
- Phase transitions
- Energy, temperature, and heat
- Diffusion and Spherification
- Principles of physics, engineering, and chemistry in cooking
Course Duration - 16 Weeks
40. Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science (Physics) -
Learn physics-related concepts such as baking, enzymes, viscosity, and elasticity, among others, with this one of the food sciences courses. The course will also discuss how molecules influence flavour and the role of heat in cooking. With this one of the common food science courses, you will be able to showcase your experimental scientist abilities in your very own laboratory, your kitchen.
You will learn:
- Principles of physics, engineering, and chemistry in cooking
- Molecules, moles, flavour, and pH
- Scientific concepts that underlie everyday cooking and haute cuisine techniques
- Diffusion and spherification
- Heat Transfer
Course Duration - 16 Weeks
41. Meal Planning & Food Science Course
This course helps you to learn the nutritional value of the food we consume on a daily basis. Carbohydrates, protein, fats, micronutrients, and the value of hydration are key elements of the course curriculum that are taught by industry experts.
You will learn:
- Valuable sources of essential nutrients
- Effective food choices
- Micronutrients and their importance
- Necessity of hydration
- The science behind tea and coffee
- Various forms of sweeteners
Course Duration: 5 weeks
Popular Food Nutrition Courses by Top Providers
Conclusion
Pursuing these food sciences courses will help you master all the concepts, principles, and techniques essential for food science, healthcare, nutrition, and well-being. These online food science courses offer diverse, flexible learning options to explore the multidisciplinary aspects of the field. With offerings from prestigious institutions and certifications available, learners can tailor their education to align with their career goals. From nutrition to sustainable food production, these courses empower individuals to advance in the dynamic realm of food science.