Students will work in groups of 3 or 4 to develop a research proposal to solve a specific objective set out by the food, supplement, or drink producer. Students develop hypotheses, perform a literature review, devise an experimental plan, and then execute experiments followed by data analyses, all the while being supported with expertise from faculty supervisors and UBC's Food Science research facilities.

Prior to starting their experiments, students will develop and submit a budget that has been approved by their industry sponsor.

This project will run over two semesters:

• In the first semester of the course students will become acquainted with their company and faculty supervisors, submit a proposal report that is accompanied by an oral presentation, and complete a budget and order supplies.
• During the second semester students will execute their experimental plans leading to a final written report and oral presentation of their results.

Past examples have included:

• Impact of various natural antioxidants on lipid oxidation in snack bars
• Effect of cocoa bean roasting time and temperature on polyphenol levels in chocolate
• Investigation of most effective prebiotics for specific probiotic strains in yogurt
• Determination of wild yeast strains that produce desirable wine characteristics