Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science - Fruit and Vegetable Postharvest Physiology and Processing

Oklahoma State University

The multidisciplinary food science graduate degree program several areas of specialization in which to work. Earning a doctorate degree in food science can open doors of opportunity to a career in today's vibrant and rapidly growing food industry. The program mission is to help Oklahoma's producers and processors of horticultural products provide nutritious, delicious and convenient food products to consumers everywhere.Research areas:Investigating nutraceutical content of new varieties of crops including peppers, sage, and oregano and focusing on developing integrated production, harvesting, postharvest handling and processing systemsRecovery of capsaicinoids in peppersRecovery and uses for thujone/camphor from sage and thymol/carvacrol from oreganoDefining the mechanism of opalescence in pecans and evaluating technologies to prevent itDeveloping x-ray technology as a non-destructive means for pecan grading and sortingMechanized harvesting of watermelon for lycopene productionRecovery and uses of lycopene from watermelon tissueRelation of watermelon tissue ultrastructure to antioxidant recovery