Biochemistry is important to understand how enzymes affect different processes in foods, (both desirable and undesirable) and to what degree these processes take place during production and storage of foods. If we look at it in this way we can say that food chemistry is applied biochemistry.

Increased knowledge on the chemistry and biochemistry of foods and food raw materials and more knowledge on what happens in the different steps of food processing give us possibilities of controlling the processes so that we can make better products with longer shelf life and reduce the amount of food wasted. It will also make it possible to use the right raw material for the right process and product. Getting enough food for the still growing population on this earth will be a big challenge in the years to come.

Norway is the one of the world's largest net exporter of seafood. There are a lot of exciting challenges attached to research on the biochemistry, chemistry and quality of marine raw materials and how the quality changes during the processes. Studies on quality changes using new conservation methods and new, fast methods to analyze foods are also important challenges. Projects and master theses will mainly be experimental projects connected to problems of this type.