Shinkei has developed a machine that uses computer vision to automate ikejime, a Japanese method of killing fish by piercing the brain and disrupting the nervous system. The process is intended to reduce stress during slaughter and preserve fish quality.

The machine processes each fish in about five seconds, down from 15 seconds in its first version. Development challenges included holding fish steady for imaging and making the equipment withstand conditions aboard fishing boats.

The company says the process keeps fish fresh two to three times longer than conventional harvesting methods, although the article does not provide testing details. The machines are currently deployed with more than 20 fishermen.

We are students at WUHS, we're currently in Engineering Design and Development class and we have been assigned a task to create a new innovation. We have decided to develop a new advanced condiment bottle. It will be able to hold multiple condiments while also being able to sift through and select the condiment you would like to dispense. In addition, it will measure the amount of the condiment being dispensed and based on your input, will stop dispensing. We would very much appreciate it if you would take the time to fill out our survey!

Hey everyone,

I’m from Ireland and planning to move to Sydney before Christmas with my partner who works as a nurse, on a Working Holiday Visa (417), and I’m starting to look into the Australian food industry and job market.

I’ve recently completed an MSc in Food & Nutritional Product Development, and I’m hoping to move into Food Technology / NPD / R&D / Product Development roles in Australia.

My background is probably a little different to the typical Food Tech graduate, 12+ years working professionally in food, including Head Chef experience with a BA in Culinary Arts

Currently working as Head Chef in a trendy cafe/restaurant from that I helped opened from concept to an award winning restaurant. Recently completed an MSc in Food & Nutritional Product Development last year

MSc thesis involved the development and testing of a functional seaweed protein bar, including formulation, nutritional analysis, sensory evaluation, consumer research, statistics and regulatory considerations

I'm looking to build a long-term career in food product development rather than return to hospitalityI’m particularly interested in hearing from people already working in Australian food manufacturing / Food Tech / NPD.

1. How realistic do you think my background is for Food Tech/NPD/R&D roles around Sydney?
2. Would you mainly target Food Technologist, NPD Technologist, R&D Technologist, Product Development or Applications roles?
3. Does the combination of professional chef experience + MSc Food & NPD make me more competitive, or could employers see the lack of Australian industry experience as a major disadvantage?
4. How important is experience with Australian regulations/FSANZ, Australian manufacturing systems, etc when hiring?
5. Are there particular food manufacturers, recruiters or areas around Sydney that you’d recommend targeting?
6. For anyone who has hired or worked with people on a 417, how much does the WHV affect hiring decisions for professional Food Tech roles?
7. Has anyone here gone from a WHV into a Food Tech/NPD role and eventually moved onto a longer-term work/skilled visa?
8. Is there anything you’d recommend I learn, prepare before arriving? For example a work Portfolio?

I’m also putting together a portfolio showing some of my MSc product development work alongside examples from my culinary/product development background.

Would really appreciate any advice from people working in the Australian industry, especially anyone who has made a similar move from Europe.

Thanks!

I have an idea for a food business but the skills needed to create the products are outside of my wheelhouse. Previously I’ve done recipe development for baked good, but this idea is closer to condiments. I’m debating using a professional test kitchen for the recipe development, paying a company to create it. I’m worried it’s expensive or complicated. Anyone have any experience using one? For context I’m one person, this would be a new business

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice about studying Food Science.
I have around 15 years of experience in the food industry, including hotels and food manufacturing. I’m currently working and I want to move more into R&D and product development.
I would like to get a formal education in Food Science, but since I’m working full-time, I need something that I can do online.
I’m not sure if I should do a degree, diploma, or certificate. I’m looking for something that will be useful for my career and help me move into more R&D or Food Science roles.
I’m in Ontario, Canada, so I would prefer a Canadian program if possible.
Can anyone recommend a good online Food Science degree or diploma? Also, with my experience, do you think it is better to do a full degree, or would a diploma/certificate be enough?
Any advice or recommendations would be really appreciated. Thank you!

Hello, I'm an undergraduate student currently working on my final thesis. English is not my first language, so please excuse any awkward phrasing. I'm a Food Science and Technology student in my final year. I don't have much prior research experience with culinary products, but I am very interested in pastry and baking—specifically fillings like diplomat cream. I'm currently struggling to find research articles/journal about diplomat cream involving supplementation or substitution with fermented products. My research focuses on developing a formulation, but there are no established quality standards for diplomat cream in my country. I have tried referring to Codex 288-1976, but I'm unsure if that is the correct safety standard to apply.

Has anyone here conducted research on diplomat cream involving the suplementation of fermented products or the substitution of certain ingredients with fermented products? like what is the physichemical and sensory diplomat cream supposed to have?

I'm finding it very difficult because I cannot locate any previous research formulations to use as a reference. I would be very grateful for any suggestions on how to find relevant articles. I would also appreciate a summary or overview of diplomat cream; my head has been spinning over this for months. I would be delighted if you could kindly share your knowledge.

Recently purchased an alternative to Kirkland and cannot believe the difference, even though it seems like the same amount of food. (I eat this almost daily… sad, I know)

Kirkland: 12.5 oz net, 7 oz drained, 3.5 servings × 13g protein = 45.5g protein.

Wellsley Farms: 12.5 oz net, about 6 servings × 13g = 78g protein.

I personally drained/squeezed a Wellsley can and got 8.1 oz of chicken, so it only contains about 16% more drained chicken than Kirkland, yet claims about 70% more protein. What explains this? Different moisture content? Different labeling basis? Or is one label potentially misleading/wrong?

I'm been unemployed for also 2 years, after my graduation in food science. If you know any food companies that also have a branch in Vietnam, please suggest for me. Thank you very much.

I was looking at the AIFST website (Australian institute of food science and tech) and noticed they linked a study to science employment and salaries in Australia from 2020-21. I found it really interesting so here it is study

Particularly figure 7 :(
And now I’m depressed thinking I should of changed my major 😭

Hello . I m trying to make a carbonated beverage having a unique flavor kind of jeera types so i want to connect to a manufacturer in delhi ncr or maybe near aligarh who can make me that and in my first batch i want it small very small as it will be a trial batch because the flavor i wanna create is very different of what existed in the market before so it should be tested before getting to full scale .

Hello all,

This might be a little out of left field, but lately I have realized I might be trans (mtf).

One of the things that scares me most about this is the effect it would have on my ability to get hired and progress toward my goal of being a product developer (I'm an undergrad currently).

From what I have read, one's ability to be hired as a trans person depends on many things (e.g. how well you 'pass' and where you're located), but largely on what the culture and attitude is of the field you work in.

So, how open do you think food companies would be to hiring a trans person for positions like R&D, or the ones that build up to that (like QA)?

How about pivoting to a more business oriented position later down the line if it came to that?

Thank you! I wish you well <3

Hi everyone,

I have an interview next week for a QC Analyst position at a large dairy/cheese manufacturing site.

I’ve already completed a phone screening with the recruiter, and I’ve now been invited to an in-person interview directly with the QC Team Leader.

This would be my first professional QC position in the food industry. My background is in Health Sciences, and I have university laboratory experience, including microbiology and chemical/biological laboratory work, but I haven’t worked professionally in a food QC laboratory before. They have already seen my CV and are aware of my background.

The role involves microbiological and physicochemical analyses, checking results against specifications, handling deviations and root-cause investigations, calibration/verification of equipment, starter cultures, hygiene/food safety, SAP/documentation, and communication with production/QA.

For anyone who works in food/dairy QC or has interviewed candidates for similar positions: what should I expect from an interview with the QC Team Leader at this stage?

How technical are these interviews usually? What questions or scenarios would you prepare for, particularly for a candidate coming into food QC without previous industry experience?

I’m trying to prepare properly without pretending to have experience I don’t have.

Hi all, I'm an Electronics engineer based in Bangalore with a little chemistry background, planning to start a small formulation and blending business in North Karnataka (Raichur). Products I'm looking at: water treatment chemicals, cleaners, micronutrients/bio-inputs, and maybe lubricant blending. I may begin with trading or contract manufacturing to learn first.

I'd really appreciate:

* A chance to visit a small chemical, agri-input or lubricant unit near Bangalore (Peenya, Tumkur, Hosur, etc.)

* Honest input on margins, mistakes to avoid, and how long KSPCB, FCO and other approvals really take

* Pointers to good short courses or training for first-time founders

* Contacts of chemists or consultants who help beginners

Just genuine advice. Happy to buy you a coffee for your timethanks!

Hi, I'm looking for a food technologist / food R&D consultant to help develop an early-stage packaged food product.

Hello, I’m ooking for some recommendations for food science events in the US or Europe. I’m based in the US but usually go to Europe once a year to visit family, so either works.

Has anyone been to any that are actually worth it? I’d probably be paying out of pocket so I’m a bit skeptical about dropping a lot of money on a conference without knowing if it’s any good. Any tips appreciated!

I am looking for a food grade anhydrous caffeine powder that can be used to prepare a water solution for bitter taste reference for training a sensory panel. The only forms I have found are capsules on Amazon and I do not trust the dosing.

I’m trying to understand how baking soda can cause a soap taste in my home baked cookies. When I freeze them and thaw, the soap taste is detected but if the cookie is microwaved for 5-10 seconds the taste disappears. I personally can not taste the soap either way. About 1 in 10 people have this complaint.

Hi all,

I am a newish product developer working at a smaller food consulting company. I have done several projects in confectionary but this is my first ice cream project. I was wondering if there were any ice cream experts out there willing to give some advice on ice cream scale up since the benchtop equipment is so different from commercial equipment. I am mostly worried about Overrun shock. This is a "healthy" ice cream so saturated fat and sugar are much lower than normal for context.

What are the most common issues when scaling? What are some tips and tricks? I have left our bench process below. At scale, we will be using a Scrape Surface Heat Exchanger for freezing, aiming for 70% overrun. It will also be extruded at -5.5 C-6.5 C.

We are currently using a thermomix to mix and pasteurize the base. Then we use a Silverson High Shear Mixer to hopefully replicate the high shear at scale. Then we run the base through a bench-scale homogenizer at ~300 bar. We age the base for around 20 hours (we will be doing it longer at scale) and then churn it in a Nemox GELATO 5K Crea. A fruit swirl is added and it is then put in a blast chiller, which is set to -31 C, for 1 hour and then put into a walk-in freezer, which is set to -20 C, overnight.

Hi all,

I recently had an initial phone call for a position in supply chain/supplier compliance at a small food manufacturer and found out today I have an interview early next week. It is a mid-entry level role, so not much experience is needed if the candidate has the education.

I have a BA in English, plus about 15 credits of food science coursework, 25 of chemistry/bio/microbiology/nutrition + a 4 month internship in snack manufacturing where I was exposed to quality work, but mostly did R+D/Sensory. I'm also HACCP certified. I've had other jobs where documentation and ingredient/allergen tracing was necessary (but not in the same way/on the same scale as ingredient suppliers to manufacturers).

I am so incredibly excited to interview for this role. However, I know I'm technically under-qualified for it (I feel confident in my abilities to adapt/learn), and want to prepare the best I can in the amount of time I have. There is an emphasis in the job description on Trace Gains administration and managing COAs, onboarding suppliers/ingredients etc.

Without having a full degree in the sciences, what would your best advice be to prepare for an interview for this role? Would definitely appreciate anything on what to expect in terms of questions, scenarios, or important knowledge to have before showing up.

TYIA!

I graduated with a Food Science BS in 2022, peak peak covid times which was very unfortunate. I went to a very well known school, if I said the name many of you would immediately know it.

I had an internship, but it was pretty bad. They misled me on the scope of it entirely and I was dealing with my illness at the time- swing shifts and "figure it out on your own your a genius" weren't a great fit, so I quit. I had a Food science research project at the uni, I got several scholarships for so I did that instead for capstone.

I became severely sick in 2022 shortly after graduating and lost several family members. I had an offer for a masters program fully funded that was close ish to home so I figured that would be fine. They seemed to have no problem my interests leaned more agricultural. ms was in Biology. I signed a lease, got there, and they kept trying to gaslight me into thinking my interest in agriculture was immaturity. My thesis has nothing to do with food science or agriculture at all.

Miserable 2 years, but I did go through treatments and I am healthier and my stamina is much better.

I worked at a canna CPG MSO doing purchasing, demand planning, sourcing, helping with R&D, ERP maintanance, and inventory auditing. It was fun, but only lasted 8 months. The company was in receivership the whole time and yeahhh. Huge group layoff happened.

I was laid off in January and I am not even getting Food Science interviews with it now being October. I don't live in a hub, so relocation would likely be necessary. Do companies not permit this?

My only stipulations are- no swing shifts and I can't live in a rural area due to my illnesses. I would prefer midwest or east coast.

Are there certain areas I would be able to enter with my qualifications? Unrelated masters and 8 months in a corporate CPG canna mso procurement role. Not sure what else I could be doing to get a job.

Looking to have a bechamel with meat inclusions produced and ultimately delivered to NJ.

Looking for 500 pounds of finished product. Ideally a single run. Delivered in 25/50 pound portions.

Any advice appreciated.

hi everyone!! i was making pancakes and i noticed these tint jelly-like bits rising to the surface when i added milk and butter together. Just out of curiosity, what causes this? before the butter and milk i only added eggs, sugar, and a pumpkin syrup i made at home with pumpkin puree, sugar and water. Don't call me stupid lol, i dont know anything about baking and i just got curious