Online
Food Ingredient Functionality
If you're a professional in the food industry looking to enhance your expertise and knowledge in understanding how polysaccharides and proteins as food ingredients work and how they can be optimised for efficient use in food systems, then this online master's course is perfect for you.
We delve into the fascinating relationships between the structure of these food ingredients and their techno-functionality. Functionality comprises e.g. gelling, foaming, emulsifying. Strategies to improve these ingredients for efficient use in food systems will be discussed. By studying these relationships, you'll gain valuable insights into how to apply the ingredients in food formulations.
Please note that the dates for the academic year of 2025-2026 are yet to be confirmed, so they might still change.
Registration deadline: 18 December 2025
Target audience
To be able to participate in the course, you are expected to have at least a BSc level of education in Food Science and Technology or a related field, such as Chemical Engineering or Biotechnology.
The language of instruction of this course is in English. Admission to the course requires a level of English as described at the webpage linked in the right-hand column.
Learning outcomes
After successful completion of this programme, you will be able to:
- Explain the mechanism of action of techno-functional ingredients
- Argue why ingredients with similar chemical structures can have different techno-functionalities
- Analyse how ingredient functionality can be influenced by processing
- Argue the effect of interactions between different food ingredients under different conditions
Programme
We explore various aspects of food ingredient functionality, including an overview of polysaccharide and protein ingredients and their applications, the interchangeability of components, structure-function relationships and the behaviour of elements in food systems. We also cover the effect of polysaccharide and protein ingredient modification and the effect on functionality. By the end of this course, you'll have a solid understanding of how these ingredients function and how they can be optimised for various purposes.
The activities during this course comprise knowledge clips, self-study of the reader, case studies and exercises.. The knowledge clips and reader provide the theoretical background of the different topics. This will be complemented with practicing materials such as exercises.
Combining courses
When you want to learn more about ingredient functionality, other courses are interesting for you too! You can deepen your knowledge in a specific career field, without following a complete master's programme. You can register for any combination, but please consider our suggestions in the right-hand column.
Examination
Participation in the remote proctored exam is optional. If you decide not to participate in the exam, you do not qualify for a certificate and/or micro-credentials. The exam is included in the course price. The date of examination is 20 February 2026.
Certification
Upon successful completion, a digital micro-credentials certificate (EduBadge) with 3 study credits (ECTS) is issued. The EduBadge certifies the learning outcomes of short-term learning experiences, marking the quality of a course.
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Capstone project
After completion of two or more courses, there is a unique opportunity to apply what you have learned. You can start a capstone project in consultation with a Wageningen expert in the field. It is a tailor-made project where you will write a short paper about your results and conclusions. During this work, you will be coached by an expert. Price: €1,230,-.
The course was brilliant, very useful. For example, I learned how to join two molecules together and how that affects the texture and properties of my product.