Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)

As a scientific community grounded in purpose, the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) feeds the minds that feed the world. #ScienceOfFood

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

A huge thank you to our #IFTFIRST sponsors for helping make another incredible week of innovation, discovery, and connection possible. 👏

The event may have wrapped, but we're not done yet! More articles, interviews, videos, and highlights are still on the way. ✨

Stay tuned, and catch up anytime in the IFT FIRST News Hub:
https://t.co/yP5Mh4Hgkv

#FutureofFood

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

Chip frying and pastry dough demand different things from fat. 🧪

High-oleic oils support frying stability. Oleogels and interesterification give bakers new ways to build structure without hydrogenation.

See how food scientists match fats to the job: https://t.co/290eqBHFlO

#FoodScience #FoodInnovation #FoodTechnology

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

Seafood moves through a global supply chain. 🐟 Its data needs to move with it.

Our Global Food Traceability Center's (GFTC) managing director responds to the Food for Feed investigation with six lessons on tracing inputs, connecting systems, and turning visibility into accountability.

🔎 Read more: https://t.co/4gfEBJQoyZ

#SupplyChain #FoodTraceability #FoodForFeed

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

Research becomes even more valuable when students have opportunities to discuss it with the wider food science community. 🔬

Last month's IFT Dogwood Section event brought different parts of the food science community into the same room:
🎓 Students sharing the questions driving their work
💬 Local professionals exchanging knowledge and experience
🤝 IFT leaders listening to the people shaping the field’s future

What local IFT experience helped you feel part of the broader food science community?
#FoodScience #IFTCommunity #StudentResearch #FoodScientists

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

Kombucha has entered its experimental era. 🫧

🍓 Bold flavors like Strawberry Mango Chili and Peach Basil Mint
🔬 Longer fermentations and adaptogenic blends
🏖️ Better packaging built for beach days and outdoor activities

Brewers are also exploring adaptogens, nitro texture, lower-sugar recipes, travel-ready cans and much more: https://t.co/zdKIBQS4or

What’s the most unexpected kombucha flavor you’ve tried?

#Kombucha #BeverageInnovation #Fermentation #FoodScience

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

🚨Could a competitor reverse-engineer your latest food innovation?

A patent provides time-limited exclusivity in exchange for public disclosure. A trade secret can last indefinitely, as long as the information stays secret.

Some food businesses use both to protect different parts of the same innovation.

👉 We dive into the options here: https://t.co/TGqZQXxoXX

#FoodScience #FoodInnovation #BrainFood #ProductDevelopment

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

The significance of a connection often reveals itself much later. 👀

👉 A poster presentation in New Orleans opened a path Anisa Heck couldn’t yet see.

💬 One conversation introduced her to the IFT International Division. Another connected her with a professor in Germany.

⌛ And now? Dr. Heck has built a life in Germany, earned her PhD, and is starting her role as Chair of the International Division.

📖 More on her journey: https://t.co/LF97m1yt7t
#FoodScience #IFTCommunity #ProfessionalConnections

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

Food futurist Mike Lee is watching what hasn’t reached the trend reports yet. 🔍

His advice for spotting meaningful shifts:
🌎 Look beyond the food industry
��� Follow enduring human motivations
🧪 Make experimentation easier
💡 Treat failure as part of innovation

Read more: https://t.co/dkdH5aWA5v

📸 Mike Lee's IFT FIRST Hot Topics Session
#FoodInnovation #IFTFIRST #FutureofFood

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

Before Urvi Shah entered the industry, she had already practiced many of the skills her role would demand through academia and its related opportunities.

Now a senior scientist, she shares how food science students can translate academic experience into industry impact. 💡

🧠 Read her advice for students & early-career professionals here: https://t.co/7Ni9pfYNul

#FoodScience #CareerDevelopment #STEMCareers #FoodIndustry #BrainFood

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

Gut-health products must bring several consumer priorities into the same eating experience:

🌾 Nutritional value
🧾 Ingredient expectations
🥄 Taste and texture
🫶 Digestive comfort

The choices captured in this infographic show how consumers balance foods they want to add with those they believe they need to avoid.

💬 What do you look for first in a gut-health product?

#GutHealth #FoodScience #ProductDevelopment #ProteinAndFiber

Source: @IFIC_Insights Survey: Americans' Perceptions of Gut Health, 2026

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

Your question could be the start of the next important IFT FIRST conversation. 🎤

Think about the challenge your team keeps encountering, the emerging science more people need to understand, or the idea that deserves deeper discussion.

Share it through the IFT FIRST Call for Questions and help inform scientific programming for 2027: https://t.co/lBeDr9iiKg

#IFTFIRST #FoodScience #FoodInnovation #FutureOfFood

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

Three fundamentals for smarter formulation with AI:

🔎 Know the data behind the system
🧰 Match the technology to the job
📋 Supply the complete product context

IFT’s latest LinkedIn newsletter explains how these practices can improve output quality, protect proprietary information, and help food scientists evaluate AI with more confidence. 👇

https://t.co/51J4I4LrGz

#FoodInnovation #FoodScience #ProductDevelopment #AI

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

From field research to crop innovation. 🌱 CRISPR entered the scene in 2012. Today, researchers are exploring faster-ripening tomatoes, greater yields, and crop traits that could reduce downstream processing.

See how ag tech is changing where food innovation begins: https://t.co/2B2pp2yIOy

#AgTech #FoodScience #AgInnovation

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

Meet Marcia Walker, PhD. 👋

🔬 She helped pioneer high-pressure processing.
🥑 She brought HPP into commercial food production.
💡 Now she helps other innovators move ideas forward at Oregon State University.

Explore her impact and insights: https://t.co/FG3L0wFJVJ
#WomenInScience #WomeninSTEM #FoodScience #FoodInnovation

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

A new title. A new ZIP code. Another degree. Better benefits. 💼📍

Every career move changes the picture. The 2026 IFT Compensation and Career Path Report provides industry data to help bring it into focus.

Download it for free: https://t.co/7nRwYc3TJj
#FoodScience #FoodCareers #CareerGrowth #CareerData

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

“What inspired me to say yes was the opportunity to be able to shape the future of food in a really big way.” — Lauren Abda, IFT Board of Directors

IFT is seeking members with diverse experiences and expertise who can help advance the science of food and confront the challenges facing the global food system.

⏰ Apply or nominate a colleague for the 2027–2028 IFT Board of Directors by September 8: https://t.co/AIIOOtK23Y
#FoodScience #IFT #Leadership #FutureOfFood

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

Prediction is one of AI’s most promising food safety applications. It is also one of the hardest to get right.

Cornell University experts explain the current limits of pathogen prediction as part of our Food Safety & AI series. 🧪

🔗Read the full Q&A here: https://t.co/5gXzQbsozi
#FoodSafety #ArtificialIntelligence #FoodProcessing #PredictiveAnalytics

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

From R&D to production, technology is reshaping food innovation.

🧪 Smarter R&D workflows
🌱 Innovation at the crop level
🛡️ Earlier signals for food safety
⚙️ Stronger production systems

The real work is deciding which tools deserve attention and which ideas can move from research into practice.

Our newsletter has the details: https://t.co/XZ6tvCJuug

#FoodScience #FoodTechnology #FoodInnovation

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

The walnut inspiration continues! Join us for a free webinar exploring walnut nutrition, formulation considerations, consumer trends, and emerging product applications.

📅 August 20
⏰ 10:30 a.m. CT
🔗 https://t.co/c0a7iGTbzw

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

Walnuts are ready for a flavor passport. 🌍

🧂 From seasoned snacks to soups and curries, this familiar ingredient offers plenty of room for exploration.

Explore how product developers can use walnuts to introduce new flavors through an ingredient consumers already recognize: https://t.co/460FDsbeBS

#GlobalFlavors #FoodInnovation #Walnuts #SponCon
@CaWalnuts

[Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) @IFT]

One month ago today… 🎀✂️ The ribbon was cut. The Expo Hall came alive, and IFT FIRST gave us plenty to keep talking about.

From J. Kenji López-Alt on the Main Stage to the conversations happening in every corner of the Expo Hall, the energy was unmistakable. Still feeling the buzz. 💙

💬 What's your favorite memory from the event?

#FoodScience #IFTFIRST #FoodInnovation