Food Processing Pilot Plant
The Food Processing Pilot Plant is a 7,100 square foot facility located in the Human and Agricultural Biosciences Building. This versatile space is designed to provide hands-on experiences for students and support research and industry partnerships with unit operation and food processing engineering concept testing, including fermented product manufacturing, packaging, pasteurization, thermal processing, distillation, and more.
Features
Utilities including chilled water, vacuum, air, natural gas, steam, CO2, and N2
Environmental rooms: 0 to -20° C
Impingement oven
Pasteurizers and retort for sterilization
Vacuum packaging machine with MAP capabilities
Tray sealing packaging machine
66 gallon malting and brewing system
Product batching and mixing capabilities
Refrigerated display cases
See below for a full list of equipment
Pilot Plant Resources
The Food Processing Pilot Plant incorporates drop-down utilities, flex-space, and the potential for enclosure to allow for project-specific equipment to be installed. This space provides a vital resource for food companies that are just starting up or are evaluating new process and product lines. The pilot plant is also part of the newly formed Packaging Center for Innovative Solutions at Virginia Tech, which includes experts from across campus and helps to complete the pilot plant's offerings by providing a comprehensive look at "intelligent" packaging for a host.
Location
HABB1 Building 103 (0924)
1230 Washington St., SW
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Contact
Brian Wiersema
Pilot Plant Manager
fstpilotplant@vt.edu
(540) 231-0864
