What Do Process Engineers Do in the Food Industry?
Process engineers in the food industry are integral to the development and optimization of manufacturing processes, especially within the fast-developing field of Alternative Proteins such as plant-based and cultivated animal product alternatives. These professionals enhance the efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of the processes, helping make food production more sustainable. Their work involves everything from the design and implementation of process flows to the application of innovative technologies aimed at reducing waste and energy consumption. Learn more about process engineering within and beyond Alternative Proteins in this article.
What Does a Typical Working Day for a Process Engineer Look Like?
A process engineer's responsibilities include designing equipment, optimizing processes, managing time and costs, ensuring regulatory compliance, and conducting risk assessments. They work in labs, offices, or on-site at industrial plants, often in collaboration with mechanical engineers. Their role is dynamic, with tasks varying widely depending on the project and setting. Regular facility checks are common to ensure smooth operations, with problem-solving a critical aspect of their job. This role offers a mix of team and solo work, with no two days being the same, which makes for a challenging but rewarding career.
Among others, these are the main responsibilities of process engineers:
Conducting research and conceptualizing new machinery for future development.
Creating, building, and refining end-to-end industrial processes, from the initial idea to certification.
Ensuring that all products meet both external standards and internal guidelines.
Performing evaluations of potential risks associated with current equipment and procedures.
Compiling and analyzing data and presenting those to the management.
What Skills Do You Need to Be a Food Process Engineer?
When it comes to food process engineering, there are several baseline skills that you need to work in the field, as well as more advanced skills that can help you become more specialized and competitive in the labor market. The foundational skills that you need include theoretical knowledge that you get by completing a relevant university degree as well as soft skills such as effective communication, problem-solving, troubleshooting, and teamwork. These baseline abilities are critical for successful work and collaboration in the field.
Specialized skills for food process engineers include knowledge of project management, food safety, chemical engineering, and commissioning. These skills are vital for designing and optimizing processes, ensuring food safety, managing projects, applying scientific principles, and overseeing project completion and validation.
The more advanced skills for food process engineering include knowledge and experience in the design of experiments, new product development, sanitary design, total productive maintenance, and equipment design, helping you to innovate and enhance production quality and efficiency, setting you apart in the competitive field. Developing further skills in technology transfer, sanitary design and controls, process design, and industry-specific knowledge, particularly in beverages, can also significantly enhance a professional's career prospects and salary potential in this field.
What Does a Process Engineer Earn?
The salaries for process engineers vary depending on specific country and locations within each country as well as such factors as seniority and experience. In the UK, starting salaries for process engineers range from £20,000 to £30,000, which can increase to £40,000 and up to £60,000 with experience, depending on the industry and location. In other European countries salaries vary, with examples including Denmark (479,983 Kr.), France (€44,280), and Germany (€51,018), among others.
In the United States, salaries also vary from state to state, with those in North Carolina averaging $85,291 annually, reflecting the demand and cost of living specific to the region. Nationally, the average salary stands at $82,370. These figures represent a range observed in job listings over the past year, indicating the competitive nature of this field.
What Do Process Engineers Do in the Food Industry?
Process engineers in the food industry can focus on different tasks such as developing and optimizing production processes, overseeing manufacturing to ensure safety and quality, and innovating new food products, including plant-based alternatives.
Process Design and Optimization: Process engineers develop, configure, and optimize industrial processes from inception through to start-up and certification, assess processes, take measurements, and interpret data to identify areas for improvement, and design and test process upgrades and new process systems to boost production efficiency and reduce costs.
Manufacturing and Production: Here the tasks of process engineers include overseeing manufacturing processes in food production facilities, ensuring compliance with health, safety, and quality standards, working with management systems to meet quality and quantity requirements as well as managing. internal and external audits of processes, safety, quality, and suppliers.
Product Development: In product development, product engineers analyze the chemical composition of food, design and develop new food products, including cost analysis and business planning, and work in development kitchens and labs to create innovative food products.
What Are the Perspectives for Food Process Engineers in Alternative Proteins?
Food Process Engineers play a pivotal role in advancing Alternative Protein manufacturing, focusing on developing extraction methods from plant sources, fermentation-derived as well as cultivated production methods. Their expertise ranges from designing bioreactors for cultivated meat production to repurposing facilities for increased production capacity.
Exploring novel protein sources and employing innovative technologies, these engineers aim to enhance the sustainability and acceptability of plant-based alternatives, meeting the growing demand for more sustainable food options. Here are just some of the potential work areas for process engineers in the Alt. Protein industry:
Innovating extraction methods for efficient protein isolation from plant sources, making the process more cost-effective and energy-efficient.
Mechanical and process engineers with expertise in bioprocessing are crucial for designing and developing bioreactors suitable for cultivated meat and fermentation-based production.
Engineers with industrial experience and knowledge of production capacity can help repurpose existing facilities to accelerate Alternative Protein manufacturing.
Exploring novel plant protein sources like algae, fungi, and legumes to overcome limitations of common sources like soy and wheat.
Using innovative technologies like rotary jet-spinning to replicate the mouthfeel of traditional meat in plant-based alternatives.
Moving Forward
Through their efforts, process engineers play a critical role in advancing the Alternative Protein industry. Do you also want to be part of this transformative sector? Whether you're an experienced professional looking for a career change or a recent graduate – at Tälist, we connect you with opportunities that match your skills and passions in the sustainable food industry. Sign up now and get matched with job opportunities that create the future of food!
Want to know what concrete jobs for food process engineers in Alt. Proteins look like? Take a look at just some of the numerous jobs for process engineering professionals on our job board:
Image credit: Wildtype.