Food process engineering and dairy technology at the Technical University of Munich

Abstract

The Chair for Food Process Engineering and Dairy Technology at the Technical University of Munich in Freising‐Weihenstephan has been installed since 1992 in a new building hosting modern and well‐equipped laboratories and pilot‐plant facilities. Its objectives in terms of research are to participate in the development of the scientific understanding of complex food systems and their constitutive components, and the way they interact with the process during manufacturing. The aim is to allow the production of food products with desired properties, improved quality and optimal safety, while ensuring an efficient use of raw materials and of the energy required for industrial production. The methodology used involves the fractionation of complex systems and the systematic study of their constitutive components taken in isolation as well as in various combinations. Milk, as a naturally complex raw material, receives particular attention, but research activities increasingly extend to other functional food substrates such as eggs. The research activities are organized into three working groups that reflect the core competencies developed at the chair throughout the years: Bio‐Processes and Aseptic Processing, Formation of Structures in Food Systems, and Protein Technology. Its key position within the ‘Centre of Life and Food Science’ of the Technical University of Munich fosters interdisciplinary interactions with many specialized scientists, and therefore provides a broad perspective regarding the comprehension of the complex implications of modern food and pharmaceutical product manufacturing.