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Pilot Plant at UMass Amherst

The Pilot Plant at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst is:

A World-Class Learning Lab

Serving the students of the University’s Food Science program, the Pilot Plant is the premier food processing laboratory on campus. It hosts the program’s key lab classes each semester. As such, the facility is unable to accept requests for use as a production space.

A Research Station for Industry

Equipped with a range of food processing equipment, analytical tools and a friendly, adaptive, and diligent team of students and professionals, the Pilot Plant helps businesses large and small understand the food product development process through targeted research projects.  

Areas of research and analysis include:

  • Shelf stability studies
  • Process optimization
  • Application development

Pilot Plant Equipment

Tray Dryer- Protor & Schwartz

Hydraulic Press

VirTis Genesis Freeze Dryer- SP Scientific

Ice Cream Machine- Taylor Model 220

Cheese Vat

Supercritical CO2 extractor- Applied Separations

Spray Dryer

Smoke House- Koch Systems

Reverse Osmosis System- Koch Systems

Pilot Plant Retort- Allpax

UHT/HTST Pasteurization processing system- MicroThermics

Steam Kettles (3)- 10 gal, 20 gal, 40 gal

For more information on the pilot plant equipment, rental services and prices please contact David Prodanas.

dprodana@foodsci.umass.edu

(413)-545-1013