Food Scientist (R&D)

Hindustan Gum & Chemicals; Bhiwani district; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 2,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Hindustan Gum & Chemicals in Haryana, India seeks a seasoned Food R&D Scientist to lead research and development of hydrocolloids, plant-based proteins, starches and other functional ingredients for nutritionally enhanced, sensory-optimized applications.

You will drive characterization, processing techniques and pilot-scale to commercial-scale projects, coordinating with production, quality and procurement for successful scale-up.

Qualifications

• Essential: B.SC/M.Sc. in Food Science / Food Technology or equivalent with minimum 5 years of relevant industrial experience in Food R&D/Product Development.
• Preferred: Ph.D. in Food Science / Food Technology with preferably 2 years of relevant industrial experience.

Skills

Strong analytical and problem-solving

Innovation and product development

Practical knowledge of food processing

Formulation to commercialization

Documentation and communication

Cross-functional teamwork

Education

B.SC/M.Sc. in Food Science / Food Technology

Ph.D. in Food Science / Food Technology

Job description

Job Purpose

To lead research, characterization, formulation and product development activities related to hydrocolloids, plant-based proteins, hydrolyzed proteins, starch, dietary fibres and other functional food ingredients, with a focus on nutritional enhancement, sensory improvement, value addition and development of commercially scalable food applications.

2. Key Responsibilities

• Conduct complete characterization of raw materials, including functional, nutritional, physicochemical and sensory properties.
• Study and identify anti-nutritional factors and develop suitable techniques for their reduction/removal.
• Develop processing techniques to improve sensory characteristics, functionality and consumer acceptability of raw materials.
• Develop and optimize bitterness reduction/masking techniques for plant-based and protein-rich ingredients.
• Develop innovative food products and value-added applications using hydrocolloids, proteins, starch, fibres and other functional ingredients.
• Develop formulations for various food applications suitable for large-scale consumer use.
• Work on nutritional enhancement, including improvement of protein, fibre and other nutritional attributes.
• Evaluate the suitability and utilization of processed raw materials in different food applications.
• Develop and optimize pilot-scale and commercially scalable processes.
• Conduct product trials, sensory evaluation and application studies to establish consumer acceptability and product performance.
• Maintain proper R&D documentation, technical reports, formulation records and trial data.
• Coordinate with Production, Quality, Procurement and other relevant departments for scale-up and commercialization of successful products.

3. Desired Technical Expertise

The candidate should preferably have hands-on industrial experience in:

• Hydrocolloids and their characterization/application
• Plant-based proteins and hydrolyzed proteins
• Starch and dietary fibre-based formulations
• Functional and nutritional food ingredients
• Anti-nutritional factor analysis and reduction
• Bitterness removal/masking and sensory optimization
• Food formulation and product development
• Nutritional enhancement and value addition
• Pilot-scale trials and scalable process development
• Sensory evaluation and consumer acceptability studies

4. Qualification & Experience

Essential:

• B.SC/M.Sc. in Food Science / Food Technology or equivalent with minimum 5 years of relevant industrial experience in Food R&D/Product Development.

Preferred:

• Ph.D. in Food Science / Food Technology with preferably 2 years of relevant industrial experience.

5. Key Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability
• Innovation and product development mindset
• Practical knowledge of food processing and formulation
• Ability to convert laboratory concepts into commercially scalable products
• Good documentation, reporting and communication skills
• Ability to work independently as well as with cross-functional teams