Food Entrepreneurship and Manufacturing Institute
What We Do
Our mission is to fuel economic growth in the region and beyond by enabling food and beverage companies to ideate, develop, and commercialize novel improved and sustainable products; to provide learning experiences in innovation and entrepreneurship for students in the College of Agriculture; and to contribute to the land-grand research and Extension missions of Purdue University.
Water activity & pH TEsting
Food or beverage entrepreneur? Your local health department may require the water activity and pH to be tested. We can help!
What is water activity? Water activity (Aw) is a measure of the amount of water in a substance that is available for things like microbial growth. Water activity of a product is between 0 and 1, with pure water having a water activity value of 1. The lower the number, the less likely for microbial growth. A value of 0.85 or below indicates the product is not habitable for microbial activity.
What is pH? pH measures how acidic or basic a solution or substance is. pH can range from 0 (very acidic) to 14 (very basic) with 7 being neutral. pH between 0 and 4.6 is not suitable for microbial growth.
Join us for the next Food Entrepreneurship Workshop on May 16, 2023
Contact Us
Department of Food Science
femi@purdue.edu
745 Agricultural Mall Dr.
West Lafayette, IN 47906
(765) 494-2766
Facilities & Resources
9,500 square feet of dedicated space
Hub of academic instruction
High level research
Extension workshops
Industry Engagement
Competitive industry and government research grants
FDA facility registration in near future
Commercial Kitchen
Hourly usage
Skilled support
Center for Food and Agricultural Business Consumer Corner
Purdue Institute for Family Business Strategic Business Planning
Center for Food Demand Analysis & Sustainability Consumer Food Insights
WHAT WE OFFER
Value-Added Product Development
Benchtop Trials
Analytical Testing, including pH and water activity
Gold Standard Creation
Pilot Plant Processing
Sensory Evaluation
Regulatory Assistance
Validation of Technology
Product Feasibility
Project Management
Student Support
Aseptic Processing
Fermentation
Size Reduction
Microthermics
Hot-Fill/Acidified Pasteurization
UHT/HTST
Microwave
Milling
High-Shear Mixing
Retort
Extrusion
Freeze Drying
Ultra Filtration
WHO WE ARE
Madison Mehringer - Student Lead
Hometown: Brownsburg, IN
Focus area(s): Management of the student contributor team and to organize hiring and project team development; initiation and participation of project exploratory meetings and Scope of Work creation; and promoting FEMI and its resources to FEMI clients and potential clients
Connor Hough - Technical Lead
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Focus area(s): Fermentation, microbial testing, and shelf-life studies
Kassandra Julian - Technical Lead
Hometown: Martinsville, IN
Focus area(s): Food quality, product ideation, research and development, sensory studies, and shelf-life studies
Matthew Kittaka - Technical Lead
Hometown: Fort Wayne, IN
Focus area(s): Fermentation, product development, and retort studies
Meredith Malott - Student Contributor Hometown: Westfield, IN Focus area(s): Shelf life studies and product development
Nisa Abalioglu - Student Contributor
Hometown: Izmir, Turkey
Focus area(s): Equipment based manufacturing, sensory evaluation, pathogen control tests, and process engineering
Jessica Armstrong - Student Contributor
Hometown: Huntsville, AL
Focus area(s): Microbial testing, product development, and retort studies
Kara Benbow - Student Contributor
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Focus area(s): Scale-up, sensory studies, and shelf-life studies
Zachary (Zach) Hoag - Student Contributor
Hometown: Caldwell, ID
Focus area(s): Retort studies
Lily Hough - Student Contributor
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Focus area(s): Sensory studies and shelf-life studies
Vicki Kuhaneck - Student Contributor
Hometown: Alliance, OH
Focus area(s): Sensory studies and shelf-life studies
Isabell Mahin - Student Contributor
Hometown: Franklin, IN
Focus area(s): Functional and nutritional foods
Isabella (Ella) Martin - Student Contributor
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Focus area(s): Process development and shelf-life studies
Heather Milliron - Student Contributor
Hometown: Springfield, OH
Focus area(s): Product formulation
Yukina Murata - Student Contributor
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Focus area(s): Food analysis, literary analysis, and microbiological tests
Anika Murthy - Student Contributor
Hometown: Austin, TX
Focus area(s): Product development and sensory panels
Alexandra Neikirk - Student Contributor
Hometown: Lusby, MD
Focus area(s): Microbiological topics, scale-up, and shelf-life studies
Ishani Roychowdhury - Student Contributor
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
Focus area(s): Research and development
Doriane-hans Sossou - Student Contributor
Hometown: Benin, West Africa
Focus area(s): Microbiological topics, packaging, and shelf-life studies
Mary Voigt - Student Contributor
Hometown: Greenfield, IN
Focus area(s): Health-focused foods, packaging, and product development
Elise Whitley - Student Contributor
Hometown: Columbus, IN
Focus area(s): Recipe formulation and sensory panels
Irene Zou - Student Contributor
Hometown: Lafayette, IN
Focus area(s): Retort studies
Carson Clymer - Agricultural Economics Contributor
Hometown: Fort Wayne, IN
Aubrey Dague - Agricultural Economics Contributor
Hometown: Kewanna, IN