Food Processing Engineer: Extraction, Flash Drying, Fish Oil, and Natural Products

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