University of Reading cookie policy

We use cookies on reading.ac.uk to improve your experience, monitor site performance and tailor content to you

Read our cookie policy to find out how to manage your cookie settings

No other UK university offers what we do under one roof. With a floor space of 1,100 square metres devoted to approximately £4m worth of equipment, the Food Processing Centre is a leading destination for students, businesses and academics alike.

Used for both teaching and research, the plant contains processing equipment for food product development work and allows you to simulate and recreate the conditions of industry.

Our pilot plant

The pilot plant houses the following:

  • dedicated dairy room
  • bakery equipment
  • thermal processing and dehydration equipment
  • separation equipment.

The Food Processing Pilot Plant's dedicated dairy room contains extensive equipment for the processing of cheese, cultured milk products and ice cream. Some examples of projects carried out for commercial clients include UHT-flavoured milk drinks, new ice cream formulations, and novel approaches in the manufacture of dairy products such as ricotta and mascarpone.

Come on a virtual tour of our pilot plant

Watch our previous students at their New Product Development showcase

Discover how our students learn to create successful food products in their final year.

"Being able to go and play on big pieces of equipment like that was really good fun, and helps bring to life some of the theory and application you get taught through your time here."

Ben Hills, BSc Food Technology graduate, now Head of Technical at Bigham's

Read Ben's story

Are you a food industry professional?

The Food Processing Centre offers pilot plant facilities and expertise to companies and other organisations. You can rent our equipment to carry out product and process development trials on a pilot scale, access the expertise of our academics with our consultancy service, or attend one of our short courses for industry professionals.

Discover our Pilot Plant services

The Flavour Centre

Understanding the chemistry of flavour is crucial to developing successful new products. Our Flavour Centre helps to ensure that both new and existing products are as appealing as possible.

Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition

The Hugh Sinclair Unit is a leading centre for human clinical nutrition studies, exploring the relationship between diet and the risk of chronic disease.

Sensory Science Centre

The Sensory Science Centre provides high quality sensory evaluation data for industry, as well as the University's research and teaching programmes. Sensory evaluation is vital in gaining an understanding of how we perceive flavour, taste and texture in food.
Athena SWAN Silver Award