The impact of Brazilian food science over the past two decades. A critical review and meta-analysis

Among the many research areas that have significantly leveraged science in Brazil over the last two decades, food science stood out as one of the most prominent subgroups in agricultural sciences. Studies involving chemistry, biochemistry, nutritional, physicochemical, biological, microbiological, safety, digestibility, preservation, bioactivity, toxicity, processing effects, regulations, authentication, and other properties of food emerged as critical topics and proved to be of great relevance along with other fields of science. Although most developed countries count on massive budgets and public investment in research, Brazil still faces considerable challenges in adequately funding studies in this vital area. However, despite low budgets and a few public policies to leverage the food science area, Brazil reached the fifth position amongst the most relevant worldwide and the most prominent Latin American country in the field over the past 20 years. This review critically discusses the advances and relevance of Brazilian food science research and its overall impact worldwide, highlighting the most researched topics, the higher-producing universities, investments in the field, and the challenges of continuing to grow.