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General Processing Lab

The General Processing Lab is designed to facilitate small-scale processing of a broad range of food products.
Food Science major,  Katelynn Palmer, working with the noodle press.
General Processing Lab
This flexible space is designed for small-scale production of various food products. It is equipped with several mobile workspaces that can be rearranged for any class. The room is also prepared to power and stow specialized equipment with its utility adapter station and storage room.

The lab is “wash-down” space, which means it is built for easy and thorough cleaning with spray hoses (hot water, foam, sanitizer). The space is used for several classes (Food Processing, Food Engineering, and Food Product Development). It can fit up to 20 students at a time.

Featured Facilities

Product Preparation/Mixing/Separations
The lab is equipped with several kitchen tools to produce food. Here, students use an electric mixer. But there is also French fry cutters, industrial vegetable slicer/dicers, Pasta sheeter/cutters, electric food mills, and Ro-Tap sieve shakers.
Cold Storage
The General Processing Lab has plenty of storage for food production in commercial and walk-in refrigerators and freezers. There is also a blast-chiller.
Heat Processing/Baking
The lab has plenty of room for cooking and baking! With steam jacketed kettles, ovens, a pizza oven, pressure canners, and a commercial frier, students are prepared for any kind of food processing!
Dehydration
Some food processing requires dehydration, so the lab is equipped with a tray dehydrator, and freeze-dryer.
Juice Processing
BYU-Idaho has an apple orchard on campus, and sometimes students get to make apple juice! For this process, the lab is equipped with apple press/juicers, a UV pasteurization unit, and a piston filler to fill up the bottles.
Shelf-life Assessment
To measure food self-life, the lab has two controlled temperature/humidity environmental chambers.