Food Process Engineering

Sri Lanka is known for its high quality spices internationally from ancient times. Cinnamon is one such oil exported from Sri Lanka and is currently produced through conventional distillation methods using stills. Such methods are not only high in energy consumption but also low in efficiency. Therefore research is carried out in our department to investigate the feasibility of extracting cinnamon oil through steam distillation in more sustainable manner.

• Optimization of Cinnamon bark oil production by direct steam distillation

Sesame oil, valued for its therapeutic properties from ancient times is produced in Sri Lanka as a small scale industry. Conventional methods of extracting oil from the seeds such as Seku operation are still in use in rural areas. Our department investigates the possibility of optimizing the existing extracting methods and introducing new methods. We also investigate the effects of operating parameters of extraction on the quality of sesame oil.

• Investigating the impact of water content and rotational speed upon quality of sesame oil produced using response surface methodology
• Influence of heat on the quality of sesame oil
• Modelling and Simulation of Sekku Performance Using Sesame as the Model Material and Experimental Verification
• Analysis of therapeutic components in Sri Lankan sesame oil

The quality of a food item depends on how its properties are affected by simultaneous heat and mass transfer during manufacturing and storage. Our research use advanced computer aided design and simulation tools to analyze heat and mass transfer and optimize operating and storage conditions in food processing to conserve the quality of food.

• Design of a evaporation pan for improving the Jaggery making process from Palmyrah/Kithul treackle through efficient heat transfer
• Design optimization of PET bottle through regression & CAD simulations

A range of endemic fruits are being used in Ayurvedic medicine to help cure different ailments. In our department we try to scientifically investigate the existence of therapeutic properties of such fruits and extract the responsible chemicals in order to produce drugs that function more effectively and efficiently than the fruit itself.

• Investigation of therapeutic properties of Aegle Marmelos (Beli)

Cocoa is commonly found in Sri Lanka but a greater portion of the harvest is exported without further processing. Locally manufactured chocolate is commonly of low quality and therefore we are keen on manufacturing high quality dark chocolate meeting international quality standards