Glossary
Food Science Technician Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential food science technician terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key food science technician vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in food science technician training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Allergen control
- Preventing allergen contamination.
- ATP test
- A rapid cleanliness test.
- Brix
- Sugar content measure.
- CCP
- Critical control point.
- Environmental monitoring
- Testing surfaces for pathogens.
- FSMA
- Food Safety Modernization Act.
- GMP
- Good Manufacturing Practices.
- HACCP
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.
- Lot code
- Product batch ID.
- Pathogen
- A disease-causing microbe.
- Recall
- Removing unsafe products.
- Sensory panel
- Group taste testing.
- Shelf life
- How long food stays good.
- Spec sheet
- Product specifications.
- Water activity
- Available water affecting spoilage.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Food Science Technician practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Food Science Technician training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.