Biological and Agricultural Engineering Dept.
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
E
FOOD TECHNOLOGY
FACTS
FOOD & Agricultural
Products Center
FAPC
ngineering design and construction of a food pro-
cessing facility requires a great deal of planning.
Information must be collected from many sources
and combined into documents that are simple to read and share
with others. Planning sessions should involve persons that
represent all aspects of facility activity. Examples are produc-
tion, maintenance, supervision, sales, accounting, receiving,
warehousing, distribution, human resources, management,
engineering, research and development, key suppliers (prod-
ucts and services), government agencies, and consultants.
Consultants include engineers, lawyers, insurance providers,
and other specialists that may not be regularly employed by the
company. For large projects, it is recommended to hold
scheduled planning sessions at a convenient location that is
free from distractions. It is often desirable to obtain an unre-
lated, third party to lead and moderate planning sessions in
order to retain objectivity and purpose. An agenda should be
drafted for each planning session.
This fact sheet lists many of the elements to consider when
designing food-processing plants. Since each situation is
unique, some elements will not apply and some important
elements may need to be added. Relevant elements can form
the basis for a planning session agenda. Elements listed are
not in any particular order of importance and emphasize
engineering design (not economics, marketing, logistics, and
other necessary inputs). Lists of design considerations are
given under four headings.
Facility
Process
Product
Other
The Other list contains miscellaneous elements and
items that can be classified in multiple categories. Where
useful examples and a brief explanation of the desired input are
given. For a more detailed explanation of an engineering
approach to facility design for food processing, please call the
author for a copy of the Oklahoma State University circular
E-959, Process Engineering Method for Food and Agricultural
Products.
Facility
1. Site selection: Identify the best location(s) for the facility,
considering the following factors.
Economic development assistance grants or other
support offered to new businesses
Flexibility
Expansion
Utilities availability
Maintenance
Sanitation
Access
Environmental impact
Zoning laws
Permit requirements
Parking for employees and delivery vehicles
2. Existing or proposed facility size (square feet)
Designate size of dedicated areas (storage, cooler,
processing, packaging, etc.)
Provide a plan view of the proposed facilities layout (a
scaled drawing is not necessary if dimensions are in-
cluded)
Estimate expansion requirements (show on drawing)
3. Provide a budget estimate for the cost of the facility
4. Utilities: Identify source(s) and cost to provide utility
service as shown in table 1. Review the impact of variable
demand charges (if any) and limitations on quantity (e.g.
BOD of discharge to treatment system). Consider includ-
ing meters that can record utility usage to provide data for
improving operating efficiency.
5. List code and permit requirements (local, state, federal,
and international)
6. Type of construction (steel frame, concrete, panel, pre-
packaged, etc.)
7. Overhead clearance available or required in designated
areas (especially processing)
8. Description of access requirements to facility and dimen-
sions of openings
9. Flooring, walls, and ceiling in wash down and special use
areas
10. Floor drains in wash-down and process areas
11. Type (drop-down, floor, or wall) and number of utilities
connections (electric, steam, water, air, etc.) in process
areas
12. Refrigerated storage requirement (square feet or amount
of products/materials/pallets) for proper handling, rota-
tion, and placement of goods
Temperatures
Raw materials (ingredients)
Finished product
Rework
Long term storage requirements for seasonal goods 104 / 2
Stack height
13. Strategy for grouping separate refrigerated areas to maxi-
mize energy efficiency, materials handling requirements,
and expansion needs
14. Ambient temperature storage requirement (square feet or
amount of products/materials/pallets)
Raw materials (ingredients)
Finished product
Packaging materials
Rework
Long-term storage for seasonal products (estimate)
Incoming materials inspection and storage
Wall clearance and inspection lane requirements
Stack height
Develop a strategy for grouping separate storage ar-
eas to maximize materials handling requirements and
expansion needs
15. Employee service facilities requirements
Drinking water fountains
Toilet and lavatory facilities
Change rooms
Training or class room
Retiring room
First aid
Food service
16. All warehousing and storage areas
Incoming materials inspection and storage
Truck and railcar parking and sanitation facilities
Wall clearance and inspection lane requirements
Protective guard posts for walls, doors, and equipment
17. Cleaning and Sanitation
Layout
Materials handling
Grease trap location
Building exterior
Floors and drains
Walls and ceilings
Ventilation
Lighting
Pest proofing
Surface treatments and coatings
Truck and railcar sanitation
Wastewater pretreatment
Secondary and tertiary wastewater treatment systems
18. Process electrical equipment rating (wash-down, dust
proof, explosion proof, etc.)
19. Electrical switch gear and motor control room location
20. Emergency Power: Indicate the amount (square feet or
percentage of area) and temperature of refrigerated ware-
house or facility area to be protected by an emergency
power source, if any.
21. Parking and access
Delivery trucks
Truck drivers lounge
Railcar
Employee
Special designation (inspector, visitor, customer, etc.)
Process
1. Describe value-added products to be processed. An
example is provided in table 2. Include future require-
ments.
2. Process organization and flow
Materials flow (product, waste, rework, packaging,
ingredients, and intermediates) and storage
Personnel flow
Data collection and manipulation
3. Provide recipes and examples of product/packaging ma-
terials if available.
4. Regulatory requirements for products (local, state, fed-
eral, and international)
5. Describe the level of process automation desired for the
facility (e.g. manual, semi-automated, or fully automated)
6. Describe the level of packaging automation desired for the
facility (e.g. manual, semi-automated, or fully automated)
7. Describe the carton or case requirements for products
8. Describe the image desired for the facility (e.g. state-of-
the-art, modern, or utility)
9. Provide a budget estimate for capital equipment expense
10. Is used equipment acceptable/desired? If so, state any
specific areas in the process where used equipment is
unacceptable
11. How will ingredients or raw materials be delivered to the
facility (delivery size, pallet or container size, stacking
specifications, temperature, frequency, supply capability,
and plans for handling)?
12. How will packaging materials be delivered to the facility
(delivery size, frequency, pallet dimensions, stacking speci-
fications, case size, and plans for handling)?
Table 1. Utility source, availability, capacity, fee, and rate
UTILITY
SOURCE
HOOK-UP FEE
CAPACITY
RATE
(provide contact name
(maximum)
and phone number)
Electric
kW
$/kW
Natural Gas
therm
$/therm
Water
gal.
$/1,000 gal.
Sewage
gal.
$/1,000 gal.
Solid waste
N/A
$/cubic yard
Other 104 / 3
13. How will finished goods leave the facility (frequency, pallet
requirement, wrapping, coding, and handling requirement)?
14. Technology
Process equipment
Materials handling (pneumatic conveying, bucket el-
evators, augers, conveyors, gravity slide, etc.)
Control systems for process and environment (degree
of automation)
Quality assurance (in house systems)
Research and development
15. Expansion capability and space availability
16. Flexibility (changeovers, seasonal packs or products, and
future upgrades)
17. Reliability of equipment (lifetime requirement)
18. Waste treatment, handling, disposal, and recovery
19. Sanitation standards
Housekeeping
Raw materials handling and storage
Processed and finished product handling and storage
Waste handling procedures
Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs)
20. Sanitary facilities
Cleaning and Sanitizing
Methods required
Systems needed
21. Personnel safety
22. Environmental safety
23. Product and process safety
Metal detection
Line magnets and strainers
cGMPs
Product
Describe the value-added products to be processed as
shown in table 2. Describe the physical properties of ingredi-
ents, intermediate and final product(s) (include or forecast
ingredients in future plans). Intermediate products may be
important in cases where physical properties of the intermedi-
ates are unique when compared to the ingredients and final
product. Examples of descriptive terms follow:
1. Common name of ingredient, source, or specification
2. Density (weight per volume)
3. Corrosive nature
4. Viscosity (indicate temperature or range of temperatures)
5. Sensitivity to air
6. Sensitivity to temperature
7. Sensitivity to moisture
8. Sensitivity to materials (contact)
9. Requirement for agitation or mixing
10. Dustiness
11. Flammability
12. Volatility
13. Reactivity
14. Bridging
15. Abrasive nature
16. Toxicity
17. Freezing point
18. Boiling point
19. Rheology
20. Particle size
21. Stiffness
22. Thermal conductivity
23. Electrical conductivity
24. Specific heat
Other design considerations
Food and Drug Administration, United St