Food chemist vs analytical chemist

The differences between food chemists and analytical chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food chemist has an average salary of $62,727, which is higher than the $61,573 average annual salary of an analytical chemist.

The top three skills for a food chemist include laboratory equipment, FDA and sops. The most important skills for an analytical chemist are method development, HPLC, and laboratory equipment.

Food chemist vs analytical chemist overview

	Food Chemist	Analytical Chemist
Yearly salary	$62,727	$61,573
Hourly rate	$30.16	$29.60
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	61,028	14,661
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Food chemist vs analytical chemist salary

Food chemists and analytical chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Chemist	Analytical Chemist
Average salary	$62,727	$61,573
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $87,000	Between $44,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Milford, MA
Highest paying state	Delaware	Delaware
Best paying company	Cargill	Micron Technology
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between food chemist and analytical chemist education

There are a few differences between a food chemist and an analytical chemist in terms of educational background:

	Food Chemist	Analytical Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Food chemist vs analytical chemist demographics

Here are the differences between food chemists' and analytical chemists' demographics:

	Food Chemist	Analytical Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 57.3% Female, 42.7%	Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 19.2% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between food chemist and analytical chemist duties and responsibilities

Food chemist example responsibilities.

Manage food chemistry testing laboratory and measure clenbuterol levels in beef samples by HPLC
Position are focused around ensuring that the different products being test pass the specifications put in place by the FDA.
Provide calculated electronic absorption (UV/Vis) spectra for molecular candidates suspect to be impurity chromophores in a commercial nylon process.
Establish extraction profiles and develop appropriate QC methods for product certification and annual qualification.

Analytical chemist example responsibilities.

Perform analysis of organic components on various samples using GC, AA, and wet chemical analysis.
Apply ICP-MS, ICP-OES, and AA to analyses of aqueous and acidic extracts of many geological materials.
Analyze generic pharmaceutical preparations utilizing HPLC and dissolution apparatus to ensure content and uniformity in accordance with FDA and USP monographs.
Develop novel FT-IR, UV/VIS stopped-flow kinetic methods.
Conduct UV/VIS and wet analyses of consumer product samples submit.
Develop ELISA and WB assays for host cell proteins and vaccine components.

Food chemist vs analytical chemist skills

Common food chemist skills

Laboratory Equipment, 18%
FDA, 17%
Sops, 13%
R, 9%
HPLC, 9%
Food Products, 8%

Common analytical chemist skills

Method Development, 9%
HPLC, 8%
Laboratory Equipment, 8%
GMP, 4%
GC, 4%
Ms, 4%

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Food Chemist vs Analytical Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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