Food Science

Articles and Databases
Books
Reference Materials
Evaluating Information
Citing Sources

Articles and Databases

Core Resources...

Food Science and Technology Abstracts (FSTA) research based food science information.
PubMed (Medline) covers all aspects of biomedicine.
Biological Abstracts all of biology. Especially strong in microbiology.

Of Related Interest...

Web of Science search for new articles which cite an older article by using the "cited ref" search mode.
Compendex contains food engineering information
SciFinder Scholar (Chemical Abstracts) Covers chemical information from 1907 forward. Software must be downloaded in order to use the database.
CAB Abstracts is an agriculture database which includes dairy science and nutrition information.
Agricola Articles a core agriculture database that includes food information.
Dissertations & Theses includes dissertations from most U.S. institutions.

Don't forget: Try These First if you want general popular interest magazines and newspapers or pro and con debate information.

Article Search Tips: Finding the best articles on your topic requires a number of steps:

Select a database from the list above.
Enter and combine terms appropriate to your topic.
Look at the best references you retrieve and determine the subject terms used for those articles. Then revise your search using these new terms.
Write down or print off all pertinent information (called the 'citation') including the journal title, volume, date, and page numbers.
Explore other databases and subject terms (which vary between databases) for more information.

Get the full text: Once you find the citation in a database, try the button to see if Penn State has the electronic or print version of the article you need. If the electronic version is available, it will appear as the first link on the Get it! menu. If the article is not available electronically, click on The CAT link to automatically search our catalog and see if Penn State has a print copy. If no other copy is available, you can use the ILLiad link to request it from another library.

Already have a citation? Use Citation Linker to see if Penn State has it online or in print!

Books

Use The CAT for finding books owned by Penn State.

CAT Search Tips: The CAT is the list of what is owned by Penn State Libraries. Go to the Browse function if you are looking for a specific title or author (type last name first). Go to the Keyword function and combine terms to search on a topic then use the subject headings from relevant books for additional search terms. Write down the call number and location for any book you want. For more detailed searching information go to the Quick Guide to the CAT.

Suggested CAT Search Terms: Search for specific products (i.e. milk or cereal), processes (i.e. drying or fermentation), or ingredients (i.e. aspartame or lecithin).

Call Numbers: At University Park, most materials in the life sciences are located on the 4th floor of Paterno Library. Some food science material is located on the 3rd floor of Paterno. General call numbers and subject areas are:

QP – Physiology (UP location: 4th floor Paterno)
TP – Chemical Technology (UP location: 3rd floor Paterno)
TX – Food Science (UP location: 3rd floor Paterno)

Books Elsewhere: WorldCat

Libraries Borrowing Policies: Once you have the books, check them out at the nearest lending desk or self check-out station. Loan periods are usually four weeks but books can be recalled for another user, so respond promptly to library notices. For more information see the University Libraries Lending Code.

Reference Materials

General Resources

The Glossary from the National Agricultural Library
Glossary of Agricultural Terms from United States House Committee on Agriculture
Dictionaries of food science provide definitions of technical terms.
Encyclopaedias of food science provide good overviews of food information.
Access Science is an online science encyclopedia.
Knovel has some handbooks in the food sciences.

Analytical Methods The following resources are useful for determining laboratory analytical methods:

Official methods of analysis. Association of Official Analytical Chemists.
Standard methods for the examination of dairy products.
Approved methods of the American Association of Cereal Chemists.
Official methods and recommended practices of the American Oil Chemists' Society.
Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater.

Food Composition Tables Use these resources for determining the nutritive value of specific foods:

Foodborne Pathogens use the following to find general information about the bacteria in food:

The Prokaryotes
the Bad Bug Book or the Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook.

Government Information some common sites for government information:

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and the Federal Register contain U.S. Food regulations. For easier access, search the specific sections of the CFR Section 21 Food and Drugs and Section 7 Agriculture.
Patents and Trademarks Research Guide.
Food Sector data is available from the ERS (Economic Research Service of the USDA.
FAOSTAT is a resource provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization. It has international statistics on food production and consumption.
Codex alimentarius describes international food standards it is also available in print.

Internet Guides: If you are just looking for information in a general topic area, a subject guide may be more appropriate than searching Google.

Index of Food and Nutrition Internet Resources Compiled by the Food and Nutrition Information Center is a long searchable listing of Internet food resources, categorized by broad subjects.
Resources for Food Science and Related Areas from the University of Kentucky, is a smaller, but more easily navigated list.
The Institute of Food Technologists is an information resource about the organization.
Food Science Information for Consumers directory is kept by the PSU College of Agricultural Sciences.
The Food Resource, hosted by Oregon State University, is an attempt to link as much food-related information as possible. Companies, associations, recipes, news groups and more!
Arbor Nutrition Guide focuses on the nutrition aspects of food.

Evaluating Information

To evaluate print sources and web sites, you should ask a series of questions concerning the source’s currency, authority, validity, intended audience and bias. See this How to Evaluate Information site for details.

Citing Sources

When using information from another source you must give credit to the original author or you are plagiarizing. You give credit by citing the source. See this Statement on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty. Plagiarism, whether you copy a paragraph from a book or cut and paste someone else's words from an e-mail, is a violation of Penn State's academic integrity policy.

Make sure your citation contains everything you would need to backtrack and find the information again. It is best to pick one citation style and be consistent. The CSE style is commonly used in the sciences.

The style often used in the Food Sciences is the Manuscript Requirements (Reference Format section) from the Institute of Food Technologists (publisher of the Journal of Food Science).

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