Research And Development Officer

Mid Valley Dairy And Agro; Perambalur; On-site; INR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Mid Valley Dairy And Agro in Tamil Nadu seeks a Product Development specialist to lead formulation of dairy and value-added products, and to drive pilot trials and batch-scale production at each stage.

You will ensure regulatory compliance (FSSAI/Codex), manage recipe specs and BMRs, and collaborate with QA, production and procurement to optimize texture, taste, and costs.

Qualifications

• Education required: B.Tech, M.Tech, or M.Sc in Dairy Technology, Food Technology, Food Science, or Biotechnology.
• Hands-on bench-to-pilot line execution in a dairy processing plant or research facility.
• Familiarity with milk chemistry, thermal processing and sensory/physical-chemical testing.

Responsibilities

• New Product Development (NPD): formulate and standardize dairy and value-added products.
• Pilot & Plant Trials: scale formulations from lab to pilot and commercial runs; optimize processing times.
• Ingredient Evaluation & Cost Optimization: test hydrocolloids, stabilizers, emulsifiers, cultures, flavors and sweeteners to improve texture and cost.
• Shelf-Life & Stability Studies: design accelerated and real-time shelf-life testing with pH, syneresis and microbial checks.
• Compliance & Documentation: prepare batch records and ingredient declarations per FSSAI/FSMS/HACCP.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: work with QA, Production and Procurement to troubleshoot line issues and source materials.

Skills

Formulation balancing

Regulatory compliance

Sensory evaluation

Root-cause analysis

Trial documentation

Education

B.Tech/M.Tech/M.Sc in Dairy Technology or Food Science

Job description

Function: Product Development, Formulation, Pilot Trials & Quality Compliance

Core Responsibilities

• New Product Development (NPD): Formulate and standardize dairy and value-added dairy products (e.g., flavored milk, yogurt, paneer, cheese, ghee, fermented dairy, or dessert bases).
• Pilot & Plant Trials: Scale formulations from benchtop lab scale to pilot batches and commercial plant runs; optimize run times, shear, and thermal processing (pasteurization, UHT, homogenization).
• Ingredient Evaluation & Cost Optimization: Test and validate functional ingredients including hydrocolloids, stabilizers, emulsifiers, cultures, flavor profiles, and sweeteners to improve texture, mouthfeel, and recipe cost.
• Shelf-Life & Stability Studies: Design and execute accelerated and real-time shelf-life testing, monitoring pH, syneresis, rheology, sensory profiles, and microbial limits.
• Compliance & Documentation: Prepare recipe specifications, batch manufacturing records (BMR), and ingredient declarations compliant with FSSAI regulations and FSMS/HACCP standards.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner directly with Quality Assurance, Processing/Production, and Procurement to troubleshoot line issues and source raw materials.

Candidate Profile & Qualifications

• Education: B.Tech, M.Tech, or M.Sc in Dairy Technology, Food Technology, Food Science, or Biotechnology.
• Technical Experience:
  • Practical bench-to-pilot line execution in a commercial dairy processing plant or research facility.
  • Hands-on understanding of milk chemistry (protein-fat interactions, SNF balancing) and thermal processing impacts.
  • Familiarity with sensory panel design, texture analysis, and basic physical-chemical analytical testing.
• Key Skills: Formulation balancing, regulatory compliance (FSSAI/Codex standards), sensory evaluation, root-cause analysis for batch defects, and trial documentation.