Expert Details
Food Process Engineering: Facility Design and Construction, Equipment and Process Design, and CIP
ID: 730379
Oklahoma, USA
Recent Industry Projects:
Pecan butter process development
Jerky dehydrator development and optimization
Snack food process development (nuts and seeds)
Piping and process analysis, corn-dog line
High-efficiency coffee roaster development
Sausage patty process optimization
Propane extraction system design
Waste product utilization, meats line
Hamburger patty oven optimization
Encapsulation and testing of oil well drilling aids
Chicken cooking optimization
Beef and pork extract process design and operation
Research Interests:
Food process optimization
Waste reduction and recovery
Alternative energy from food byproducts
Thin film drying
Size reduction and separation of biological materials
Design and testing of process equipment
Application Interests:
International food processing development
Low-cost processing alternatives and equipment for start-up companies
Novel process, product and equipment development
Meat processing systems
Pet and animal food production and evaluation
Facility design and layout
Clean In Place (CIP) systems
Continuous process improvement techniques (six sigma)
Materials handling
Sanitation practices
Oven temperature profiling
Food Process Facility Design for the following products and processes: Aseptic pudding, beef slaughter, fish processing, caviar processing, baby food, cookies, bread, frozen pizza dough, frozen pizza, sausage patties, beef patties, jams and jellies, incubator kitchens, biodiesel processing, donuts, pecan butter, BBQ sauce, salad dressing, soup stock, cut meats, frozen dinners, mushroom processing, oil seed extraction and processing, fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables, snack foods, jerky, and moreClean In Place (CIP) system design and training for companies processing the following: frozen biscuits, frozen pizza dough, pies, beef, chicken, and fruit juice. Dehydration system design, optimization, and training for the following products: meats, fruits, vegetables, spices, snack foods, pet foods, byproducts.
Interests & Expertise
- Equipment design and application
- Food process design and development
- Facility design
- Waste reduction and utilization
- Continuous improvement
- Clean-In-Place (CIP)
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 1994 | Degree: Ph.D. | Subject: Food Process Engineering | Institution: The University of Tennessee |
| Year: 1986 | Degree: M.S. | Subject: Food Process Engineering | Institution: The Pennsylvania State University |
| Year: 1984 | Degree: B.S. | Subject: Food Process Engineering | Institution: The Pennsylvania State University |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2012 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Professor | Department: |
Responsibilities:Faculty in a state-of-the-art facility built to help add value and competitiveness to food and agricultural products.The principal investigator or co-principal investigator on research and development projects with total funding of $4.6 million. Management and expansion of food process engineering extension programs in facility design and process optimization. Overall program impact of 984 new jobs created, 86 new facility designs or expansions, and over 200 process optimization projects with 186 unique companies. Conceptualization and startup of food process engineering extension programs in facility design and process optimization. Formulation and process development of new products including RTE, shelf-stable, semi-moist pet foods. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2004 to 2012 | Employer: Oklahoma State University | Title: Associate Professor | Department: Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering |
Responsibilities:Principal investigator or co-principal investigator on research and development projects with a total funding of $4.6 million.Management and expansion of food process engineering extension programs in facility design and process optimization. Overall program impact of 984 new jobs created, 86 new facility designs or expansions, and over 200 process optimization projects with 186 unique companies. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2003 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Co-Founder and Co-Owner | Department: |
Responsibilities:Development of humane pet product testing techniques.Consulting and technical support for pet product manufacturers. Testing of pet and animal foods for digestibility. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1997 to 2004 | Employer: Oklahoma State University | Title: Associate Professor | Department: Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering |
Responsibilities:Helped add value and competitiveness to food and agricultural products.Purchase and installation of over $0.55 million in food processing pilot plant equipment. Conceptualization and start-up of food process engineering extension programs in facility design and process optimization. Formulation and process development of new products including RTE, shelf-stable, semi-moist pet foods. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1994 to 1997 | Employer: Lockwood Greene Engineers | Title: Consulting Engineer | Department: |
Responsibilities:Conceptual design and specification of a $65 million aseptic pudding plant (Food Engineering’s Plant of the Year).Process design and specification of high-speed, hot-fill equipment for orange-juice processing at 150 gpm. Conceptual process planning and design of a multi-part IV bag for a pharmaceutical mfg. Conceptual process planning, room layout, equipment specification and utility calculations for a new pharmaceutical facility utilizing blow-fill-seal equipment. Conceptual process planning, design and equipment specification for a shower-gel process. Equipment specification for a dentifrice line. Conceptual, pilot plant and plant trial studies for a new, microwave popcorn product. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1991 to 1994 | Employer: The University of Tennessee | Title: Graduate Research Assistant | Department: Agriculture and Engineering |
Responsibilities:Recipient of a National Needs Fellowship in food engineering.Invention, development and testing of a unique thin-film drying process. Developed a numerical model for thin-film drying. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1988 to 1991 | Employer: Gerber Products Company | Title: Project Engineer | Department: Manufacturing, Fort Smith, AR |
Responsibilities:Responsible for $5 million of capital projects at America's largest baby-food plant.Specified, designed and helped to install major components of a $2 million, high-speed juice-filling line. Designed and installed a hot-water recovery system for retorts. Annual energy savings of $300,000 and increased steam availability. Designed, fabricated and installed unique puree inspection equipment, resulting in over $1.2 million in annual savings. Member of Gerber's "Glass Break Team." Developed and implemented methods to reduce glass breakage in filling operations. Reduced breakage by over 50%. Member of Gerber's "Waste Reduction Team." Studied and developed methods to reduce processing wastes. Recovered over $300,000 in six months. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1988 to 1991 | Employer: Gerber Products Company | Title: Project Engineer | Department: Research, Fremont, MI |
Responsibilities:Responsible for research and development projects carried out at Gerber's headquarters, food processing plants and co-packing facilities.Developed, specified, purchased and installed process equipment for a Gerber adult food line. Equipment was installed at a co-packer's plant. The project was installed under budget, on time and at capacity. |
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Additional Experience
| Expert Witness Experience |
|---|
| Two disputes between Design/Build firms and owners of the food processing facility. Represented owner in both cases and helped to document design/build activities, construction costs, and installation outcomes. Both cases were resolved during the deposition process. Two personal-injury disputes between individuals and companies that operate food processing equipment. One case was solved during the deposition process and the other is ongoing. Provided advice and interpretation of food equipment patents for a legal firm assisting a company in a patent dispute. |
Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Gamma Sigma Delta, Ag Honor Society, Employer, Treasurer Tau Beta Pi, Engineering Honor Society, Alpha chapter, University of Tennessee Editorial Advisory Board of The Open Food Science Journal, Bentham Science Publishers, Oak Park, Illinois |
| Licenses / Certifications |
|---|
| Licenses: Oklahoma Registered Professional Engineer Certifications: FSPCA Preventive Controls for Animal Food, December 2016 HACCP Instructor, July 2014 |
| Awards / Recognition |
|---|
| First place award in a global white paper contest for “Major Process Improvement Opportunities in the Food Industry” sponsored by Nine Sigma. Received a $10,000 prize. Food Engineering’s Plant of the Year Award for an aseptic pudding plant that he helped to design and specify. USDA National Needs Fellowship recipient (Ph.D. program) Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society Gamma Sigma Delta, Ag Honor Society Technical on-call member, Gerber crisis preparedness team |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| Expert has written 15 peer-reviewed articles, has one US patent and one pending, has written 6 book chapters and dozens of articles, workbook, fact sheets, manuals and informational articles. |
Fields of Expertise
cooking, dried food, energy-efficient food processing, food canning, food drying, food engineering, food facility, food grinder, food industry facility designing, food industry troubleshooting, food machinery, food plant, food plant layout, food processing, food processing equipment, food processing optimization, food processing plant, food processing plant design, food processing plant safety, food processing plant sanitizing, food processing plant troubleshooting, food processing pollution prevention, food processing quality, food processing technology, food processing waste, food product process development, food product pilot laboratory, cereal food manufacture, food physical property, food ingredient feeding machine, food blender, food research and development, cat food, canned pet food, food product shelf-life study, dog food, food dicing, food product manufacturing, food product research and development management, food on-line sensor, food product cost reduction, food depositor, animal-protein food product, edible oil, animal feed, confectionery food engineering, food extrusion screw, food formulation, food retorting, food safety, food fryer, food freezing, food extrusion, food antioxidant, food antimicrobial additive, dairy product, cereal (food), food aseptic processing