Engineering Professionals I

How to become a food or Drink technologist

Official title: Food/Drink technologist

Also called: Brewery technologist, Drink technologist, Flavour Technologist, Food and drink technologist, Food biotechnologist, Food processing engineer, Food scientist, Food technologist, Food technology advisor, Oenologist, Quality engineer (food), Research and development (R&D) chef

Food/Drink technologist engages in research into the manufacture and processing of food and/or drink including emerging food products such as alternative proteins, cultivated proteins and nutraceuticals, the development of new and improved processes and the design of associated plant and machinery. He/she analyses raw materials, selects required mixtures for type of product, determines grinding, mixing, cooking, fermentation, bioreaction, dehydration and other processing specifications and tests foodstuffs and/or beverages during and at completion of processing or manufacture to ensure compliance with specifications concerning flavour, colouring consistency and other characteristics. He/she may also conduct environment scanning for new and emerging food safety threats, leverage new technologies to enhance food testing capabilities and conduct laboratory testing, research and risk assessment to ensure food produced is safe.

Main tasks

Conducting research and advising on, and developing commercial-scale chemical processes to refine crude oil and other liquids or gases, and to produce substances and items such as petroleum derivatives, explosives, food and drink products, medicines or synthetic materials
Performing tests throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables, including temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure
Preparing estimates of production costs and production progress reports for management
Performing laboratory studies of steps in manufacture of new products and testing proposed processes in small scale operations such as a pilot plant

Ways in

University: Science degrees, Offered by 4 universities in Singapore
University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 4 universities in Singapore

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $51,132 a year. The middle half earn $38,244 to $78,240 a year.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Questions people ask

How do I become a food or Drink technologist?

Ways in include: Science degrees; Engineering degrees.

How much does a food or Drink technologist earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $51,132 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $38,244 to $78,240.

Will AI change the work of a food or Drink technologist?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026