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Subfield · Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Food Science research

Food Science is a subfield of Agricultural and Biological Sciences. Science Explorer counts 701k research works in it since 1950. 18.0% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: applied science devoted to the study of food.

Research works
701k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
126k
per year above
Top-10% rate
18.0%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
32
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+51%
the tick is no change

What is Food Science research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Antioxidant Activity, Food Safety, Nutrition, Food Composition, Nutrient Analysis, Medicinal Plants. Gaining share since 2009–13: Food Composition, Nutrient Analysis, Food Waste, Agricultural Development, Climate Change. Losing share: Fermentation, Medicinal Plants, Public Health, Microbial Modulation.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Antioxidant Activity62k◆ 1.06×7 topics
  2. Food Safety36k▲ 1.32×6 topics
  3. Nutrition30k▲ 1.54×5 topics
  4. Food Composition23k▲ 5.5×1 topic
  5. Nutrient Analysis23k▲ 5.5×1 topic
  6. Medicinal Plants23k▼ 0.63×2 topics
  7. Sustainability23k◆ 1.12×5 topics
  8. Antimicrobial Activity19k◆ 1.15×1 topic
  9. Essential Oils19k◆ 1.15×1 topic
  10. Polyphenols18k◆ 0.93×3 topics
  11. Hydrocolloids17k◆ 1.03×2 topics
  12. Functional Foods17k▲ 2.3×2 topics
  13. Fermentation16k▼ 0.46×3 topics
  14. Prebiotics14k◆ 0.94×1 topic
  15. Probiotics14k◆ 0.94×1 topic
  16. Proteins13k▲ 1.17×2 topics
  17. Food Security12k▲ 2.4×2 topics
  18. Phytochemicals12k▲ 1.22×2 topics
  19. Agricultural Development11k▲ 3.1×1 topic
  20. Climate Change11k▲ 3.1×1 topic
  21. Bioactive Compounds11k▲ 1.59×2 topics
  22. Public Health11k▼ 0.67×3 topics
  23. Health Benefits11k◆ 1.04×3 topics
  24. Antioxidants10k▲ 1.27×2 topics
  25. Antioxidant9,876◆ 1.14×2 topics
  26. Emulsions9,649◆ 1.14×1 topic
  27. Nanoemulsions9,649◆ 1.14×1 topic
  28. Microbiology9,078▲ 1.87×2 topics
  29. Food8,216▼ 0.86×2 topics
  30. Food Tourism7,980◆ 0.93×1 topic
  31. Gastronomy7,980◆ 0.93×1 topic
  32. Consumer Perception7,759▼ 0.85×2 topics
  33. Gelling Agents7,715◆ 0.92×1 topic
  34. Thickening Agents7,715◆ 0.92×1 topic
  35. Microbial Modulation7,672▼ 0.73×1 topic
  36. Wine Yeasts7,672▼ 0.73×1 topic
  37. Environmental Impact7,666▲ 2.4×2 topics
  38. Nutritional Value7,662▲ 1.39×2 topics
  39. Globalization7,266▼ 0.84×2 topics
  40. Food Waste7,239▲ 3.5×1 topic

Which countries lead Food Science research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, China, India and the United States rank highest in Food Science. By volume, Indonesia and China publish the most (26k and 24k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China · #2 all time 37.7% top 10% · 24k works
  2. 2 India · #4 all time 16.8% top 10% · 12k works
  3. 3 United States · #1 all time 18.1% top 10% · 9.5k works
  4. 4 Italy · #6 all time 27.5% top 10% · 3.3k works
  5. 5 United Kingdom · #3 all time 22.7% top 10% · 2.4k works
  6. 6 Australia · #10 all time 29.0% top 10% · 1.5k works
  7. 7 Iran · #13 all time 24.3% top 10% · 2.8k works
  8. 8 Indonesia · #22 all time 2.0% top 10% · 26k works
  9. 9 Brazil · #11 all time 12.5% top 10% · 6.9k works
  10. 10 Spain · #7 all time 21.9% top 10% · 3.2k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 73 countries ranked in Food Science. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Food Science

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Indonesia 26k works
  2. 2 China 24k works
  3. 3 India 12k works
  4. 4 United States 9.5k works
  5. 5 Brazil 6.9k works
  6. 6 Russia 6.2k works
  7. 7 Türkiye 4.9k works
  8. 8 Mexico 3.7k works
  9. 9 Italy 3.3k works
  10. 10 Spain 3.2k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

Indonesia: 26.2%China: 24.2%India: 12.0%United States: 9.4%6 others listed: 28.2%26%largest
Indonesia26k · 26.2%China24k · 24.2%India12k · 12.0%United States9,458 · 9.4%6 others listed28k · 28.2%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Food Science research?

Northeast Agricultural University (China) ranks first in Food Science on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by Jiangnan University and State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Northeast Agricultural University China · Harbin · #2 all time 60.8% top 10% · 604 works
  2. 2 Jiangnan University China · Wuxi · #5 all time 45.5% top 10% · 645 works
  3. 3 State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology China · Wuxi · #4 all time 52.0% top 10% · 516 works
  4. 4 Beijing Technology and Business University China · Beijing · #12 all time 47.0% top 10% · 377 works
  5. 5 China Agricultural University China · Beijing · #6 all time 44.1% top 10% · 460 works
  6. 6 Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs China · Beijing · #28 all time 46.5% top 10% · 445 works
  7. 7 Jiangsu University China · Zhenjiang · #22 all time 53.1% top 10% · 257 works
  8. 8 Huazhong Agricultural University China · Wuhan · #19 all time 46.3% top 10% · 304 works
  9. 9 Wageningen University & Research Netherlands · Wageningen · #3 all time 35.9% top 10% · 426 works
  10. 10 University of Massachusetts Amherst United States · Amherst Center · #1 all time 57.5% top 10% · 141 works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 492 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Food Science.

Top 100 Food Science institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 IPB UniversityIndonesia 713 works
  2. 2 Jiangnan UniversityChina 645 works
  3. 3 Northeast Agricultural UniversityChina 604 works
  4. 4 Padjadjaran UniversityIndonesia 577 works
  5. 5 University of BrawijayaIndonesia 539 works
  6. 6 State Key Laboratory of Food Science and TechnologyChina 516 works
  7. 7 Udayana UniversityIndonesia 494 works
  8. 8 Diponegoro UniversityIndonesia 469 works
  9. 9 University of MataramIndonesia 466 works
  10. 10 China Agricultural UniversityChina 460 works

Who are the leading researchers in Food Science?

Among the most productive authors in Food Science, Hongjie Dai, Alberto Mantovani and Kevin Murphy rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 Hongjie Dai United States · #840 worldwide 5.8k citations · 100 works
  2. 2 Alberto Mantovani Italy · #1,414 worldwide 3.6k citations · 299 works
  3. 3 Kevin Murphy United States · #1,428 worldwide 2.9k citations · 90 works
  4. 4 Ting Zhang China · #1,532 worldwide 2.7k citations · 96 works
  5. 5 Colin Hill Ireland · #1,910 worldwide 2.5k citations · 103 works
  6. 6 Glenn R. Gibson United Kingdom · #2,283 worldwide 2.2k citations · 82 works
  7. 7 Seppo Salminen Finland · #2,497 worldwide 2.6k citations · 74 works
  8. 8 B. L. Turner United States · #2,627 worldwide 2.1k citations · 206 works
  9. 9 Frank M. Aarestrup Denmark · #4,384 worldwide 1.4k citations · 89 works
  10. 10 Gregor Reid Canada · #4,478 worldwide 1.7k citations · 66 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 5,253 highest-output authors in Food Science. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Food Science researchers

Where is Food Science research done?

The largest centres of Food Science research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Jakarta (Indonesia), Moscow (Russia) and Semarang (Indonesia). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Quakenbrück, Wyndmoor and Havlíčkův Brod.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 3.5k works
  2. 2 Jakarta Indonesia 2.4k works
  3. 3 Moscow Russia 2k works
  4. 4 Semarang Indonesia 1.4k works
  5. 5 Surabaya Indonesia 1.4k works
  6. 6 Bandung Indonesia 1.4k works
  7. 7 Wuxi China 1.2k works
  8. 8 Medan Indonesia 1.2k works
  9. 9 Bogor Indonesia 1.2k works
  10. 10 Malang Indonesia 1.1k works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. QuakenbrückDE · 21.4 works24×
  2. WyndmoorUS · 27.9 works22×
  3. Havlíčkův BrodCZ · 35.1 works20×
  4. Kupang46.7 works20×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Food Science than the world average.

See Food Science on the map

Food Science research by country

The best places for Food Science research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Food Science?

Among universities, judged by research, Northeast Agricultural University, Beijing Technology and Business University and National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%25%50%75%mean 39.77%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Northeast Agricultural University: 604, 60.8%Beijing Technology and Business University: 377, 47.0%National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management: 134, 41.2%Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources: 75, 37.7%Jiangnan University: 645, 45.5%Wageningen University & Research: 426, 35.9%Dalian Polytechnic University: 254, 43.4%IPB University: 713, 3.9%Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology: 77, 32.1%Northwest A&F University: 316, 50.2%Northeast Agricultur…Beijing Technology a…National Institute o…Gorgan University of…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1 Northeast Agricultural UniversityChina 75.260.8%14.7×604 -36.4%
2 Beijing Technology and Business UniversityChina 68.647.0%11.4×377 +28.1%
3 National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and ManagementIndia 67.841.2%29.2×134 +940.3%
4 Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural ResourcesIran 62.637.7%12.4×75 +312.1%
5 Jiangnan UniversityChina 62.545.5%7.0×645 -15.2%
6 Wageningen University & ResearchNetherlands 61.435.9%7.5×426 +18.9%
7 Dalian Polytechnic UniversityChina 59.443.4%9.3×254 -3.6%
8 IPB UniversityIndonesia 57.73.9%8.0×713 +256.9%
9 Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and TechnologyIndia 57.132.1%9.9×77 +233.4%
10 Northwest A&F UniversityChina 55.650.2%5.2×316 +3.9%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Food Science research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 51% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Food and Agricultural Sciences, Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability and Food Industry and Aquatic Biology.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Food and Agricultural Sciences+1607%
  2. Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability+540%
  3. Food Industry and Aquatic Biology+293%
  4. Seed and Plant Biochemistry+207%
  5. Animal Diversity and Health Studies+179%
  6. Essential Oils and Antimicrobial Activity+168%
  7. Food Quality and Safety Studies-42%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Food Science include?

Essential Oils and Antim…59kEssential Oils and Antimicrobial Activity: 59k fractional worksProbiotics and Fermented…55kProbiotics and Fermented Foods: 55k fractional worksFood and Agricultural Sciences: 44k fractional worksProteins in Food Systems: 39k fractional worksFood Quality and Safety Studies: 36k fractional worksFermentation and Sensory Analysis: 36k fractional worksPolysaccharides Composition and Applications: 31k fractional worksSalmonella and Campylobacter epidemiology: 30k fractional worksCulinary Culture and Tourism: 29k fractional worksPesticide Residue Analysis and Safety: 29k fractional worksPotato Plant Research29kPotato Plant Research: 29k fractional worksFood Industry and Aquatic Biology: 25k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.