Food Processing Engineer: Extraction, Flash Drying, Fish Oil, and Natural Products
Technical Consultant #1958
Expertise
- Food engineering, processing and food packaging.
- Extraction equipment and methods of isolating natural products.
- Engineering and facilities solvent extraction and concentration of plant source products.
- Development and process design for extraction of oil from aqua-cultured products and salmon processing waste.
- Design of flash drying system.
- Edible oils extraction and refining.
- Process engineering, commissioning, evaluation trials and upgrading of fishmeal drying process.
- Engineering and technical feasibility studies.
- Plant layouts, upgrading, PFD development, heat and mass balance calculations.
Experience
Undisclosed Company, Consultant, 1996 - Present
Owner and Senior Consultant
Projects
- Process development and design for extraction of antioxidant concentrates from blueberry and cranberry pomace.
- Engineering study: Capital cost estimate, sourcing of equipment. Overseeing of purchase, setup and commissioning of process in modular semi-portable format.
- Feasibility Study: Soybean expeller and biodiesel manufacturing project in Nova Scotia.
- Process Engineering: Equipment and piping layouts for fish gelatin manufacturing plant expansion and improvements on existing systems.
- Process engineering study: Refining, hydrogenation, deodorizing, esterification and votating of jojoba and macadamia nut oils for cosmetic ingredients.
- Development and design of process for extraction of oil from and enzyme hydrolysis of aquaculture salmon processing waste.
- Preliminary design and feasibility study, marine edible oil refining and fatty acid concentrate plant.
- Preliminary design and cost estimate for seal oil rendering and refining, (2 Projects).
- Process design and layouts, utility and piping, plant for solvent and concentration of plant source medicinal products.
- Recovery of effluents in fish reduction including applications for environmental permit approvals.
- Plant redesign: Design of flash drying system, capacity increase of existing dryer for potato starch plant.
RPC, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, Senior Food Engineer, 1989 - 1996
- Under contract for a research and development organization: Carried out miscellaneous technical and process engineering projects for food, aquaculture and fish processing industries.
Projects
- Participated in CIDA, Canadian International Development Agency) sponsored project, to develop Surimi and minced fish products for the ASEAN, region (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) in Singapore and Philippines.
- HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) Studies, plant layout.
- Design, costing and retrofit layout of margarine and dairy spread process.
- Plant design and quality assurance plan for clam depuration.
- Production line design for canned and retorted pet foods.
- Scale-up studies of fatty acid concentration processes for pharmaceutical end products.
- Technical assessment and preliminary process design of fish oil fatty acid concentration.
Undisclosed Company, 1984 - 1989
Owner and Senior Engineer, (Process Engineering to Food and Related Industries)
Projects
- Industry study of fishmeal and oil manufacture in Atlantic, Canada.
- Cod liver oil rendering and refining engineering study.
- Mass balance, capital and operating cost estimates.
- Scale-up studies of fatty acid concentration processes for pharmaceutical end products.
- Pilot scale pasteurization study for underutilized crab species.
- Evaluation of spinflash drying system for specialty fishmeal.
- Study of concentration of fish waste digestion product by evaporation, process equipment recommendation.
- Plant design and quality assurance plan for clam depuration.
- Processing trials: Supercritical processing of redfish oil and skins.
- Production line design for canned, retorted pet foods.
- Feasibility study for freshwater fishmeal plant.
- Technology survey: Facility upgrading study, QMP plan development for a crab processor.
Farmers Co-op Dairy ltd., Elmsdale Foods Division, Nova Scotia, Canada, 1979 - 1984
Plant manager
- Mixed spreads, margarine, shortening, vegetable oil, cheese cutting and packaging line.
- Established standard operating procedures, raw material and finished product specifications,yield and loss monitoring systems for several plants.
- Installed and commissioned processes for manufacture of several new products (soft margarine, cake and doughnut shortenings, butter/margarine spreads).
- Carried out building improvements, boiler and refrigeration system improvements, new packaging equipment installation, and processing equipment installations.
- Superintendent of farmers' aseptic juice and UHT milk plant at Bedford, N.S.
Nestle Canada ltd., Ontario, Canada, Senior Process Engineer, 1973 - 1979
- Processes carried out at this location: Cannery; instant coffee extraction, concentration, drying, packaging; chocolate and other flavored drink powders manufacturing and packaging.
- Duties: Carry out process engineering projects and technical support duties.
Projects
- Co-ordination of a major renovation of the plant waste treatment facility, from pilot tests to start-up.
- Conducted a major study of the plant water and steam system and recommend improvements.
- Analysis of spray drying system to upgrade air flow system.
- Installation of centrifuge, distillation and concentration equipment for processing of instant coffee.
- Installation and start-up of various packaging line equipment.
- Statistical analysis of product net weight performance for all products, leading to a number of packaging line renovations.
- Investigation of alternate processes for powdered drink manufacture, including attendance and evaluation of process trials.
Canadian Vegetable Oil Processing, (Division of Canada Packers Ltd.), Ontario Canada, 1968 - 1973
Filling all positions: Chief Chemist, Process Engineer and Production Supervisor
- Responsible for operation of the quality control laboratory and routine control analyses of all products of a 1000 TPD soybean and canola processing plant.
Projects
- Designed and built a new plant laboratory.
- Developed and started production of a line of refined lecithin products.
- Engineering for an expanded lecithin refinery.
- Assisting with engineering of a new soybean oil extraction and meal processing line.
- Headed projects associated with handling, storage and drying of soybeans.
- Engineering for new expanded drying and cooling equipment for meal.
Canada Packers Ltd., Edible Oils Division, Ontario Canada, 1965 - 1968
Oil Chemist and Oil Laboratory Supervisor
- Processed animal, vegetable and fish oils into margarines, shortening, salad and frying oils of 1,000 tons a week edible oil refinery.
- Responsible for laboratory methodology, quality testing of product throughout manufacture, issuing of product formulas and processing instructions, provision of troubleshooting assistance.
- Developed thorough knowledge of low temperature rendering, alkali and steam refining, bleaching, hydrogenation, deodorization, interesterification, margarine/shortening solidification and packaging.
- Co-ordinated installation of a process for manufacture of propylene glycol ester based emulsifiers.
- Extraction of natural products.
- Agricultural and fishery by-products processes.
- Mass and energy balances.
- Edible oils extraction refining.
- Engineering and technical feasibility studies.
- Plant layouts and upgrading.
Honors & Publications
Credentials
Focused Studies
- Short Course - Vegetable Oil Processing (Refresher), Texas A & M University.
- Insta-Pro Soybean Processing Workshop. Insta-Pro Inc., Des Moines.
- Sanitary Design - a Practical Perspective, Guelph Food Technology Centre.
- Design of Recirculating Water Systems, Canadian Aquaculture Institute.
- Short Course - Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, Texas A & M University.
- Oleochemicals Short Course, AOCS, Cincinnati.
- Thesis: Pilot Plant Study of Herring Oil Refining.
Licenses
- Professional Engineer-P.E. (Maine)
- Professional Engineer-P.E. (Province of New Brunswick)
- Professional Engineer-P.E. (Province of Nova Scotia)
Languages
- Fluent in English.
- Limited Fluency in French.
Academic and Professional Affiliations
- American Oil Chemists' Society
- Former Director, Vaccinium Technologies Inc.
- Chemical Consultants' Network of AIC and AIChE
- Atlantic (Canada) Food and Beverage Processors' Association
- Atlantic Advisory Committee on Food Processing and Engineering
Education
- M. Eng. Chem. Eng., Dalhousie University., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- B. Eng. Chem. Eng., Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- C.A.S. Applied Science, Acadia University, Wolfville, Canada