The Food Engineering career belongs to the list of the 10 careers of the future, whose professionals will be required all over the world.
The career has knowledge in the design, development, conservation, transformation, packaging, distribution and use of safe, nutritious and tasty food; the same ones that are adapted to the consumption habits of the population and are in accordance with current legislation.
Mission
Train upright, competent and innovative professionals in the field of food engineering through scientific and technological knowledge, to ensure the sustainable availability of food products, contributing to the country's food sovereignty.
International Accreditation
The ESPOL Food Engineering program is accredited by the ABET Engineering Accreditation Commission since 2020.
The Food Engineering program of ESPOL has earned the prestigious international accreditation EUR-ACE. This distinction ensures the quality and relevance of our academic program, validating our commitment to educational excellence. The EUR-ACE accreditation is a testament to our continuous efforts to provide world-class education that prepares our students for global challenges in the future. The accreditation has been granted to our program starting from the year 2023.
* Undergraduate tuition/fees:
The Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador in its Article 356, among other principles, establishes that third-level public higher education will be tuition/fees free. Zero cost education is linked to the academic responsibility of the students.
Number of admitted students per academic year
Number of graduates per year
Number of enrolled students per academic year
Graphs show the figures in real time, at the time of the query
If you have the desire to innovate in the food sector, you have a high commitment to society and productive development, you are proactive, persevering, enterprising and lover of science and technology... This career is made for you!
Educational Objectives:
Graduates of ESPOL's Food Engineering degree must be able to:
- Lead multidisciplinary and collaborative projects with an innovative vision that promote entrepreneurship through the design and development of value-added food products and processes, for the transformation of the productive matrix.
- Use the fundamentals and tools of engineering and food science, considering the advances and needs of the national and international environment, for the sustainable development of food production.
- Define action and correction strategies with social, environmental and ethical responsibility in the face of situations that compromise consumer safety, so that, by applying rules, regulations and laws, access to nutritious, healthy, healthy, comfortable and safe food is guaranteed.
- Participate in training and research that allow professional updating, both in contemporary issues and in those inherent to Food Engineering, so that, through the transfer of knowledge and collaborative work, a positive impact is generated in the transformation of the productive matrix and food sovereignty.
Learning outcomes:
The professional axes of the Food career are:
- food engineering design.
- Sciences applied to food.
- Technological food processes.
- Management in the food industry.
The learning outcomes of the Food course are:
1. Ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex food engineering problems through the application of engineering, science, and mathematics principles.
2. Ability to apply food engineering systems design to produce solutions that meet specific needs, considering public health, safety and well-being, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental and economic factors.
3rd Ability to communicate effectively in Spanish with diverse audiences (oral and written form).
3.b. Ability to communicate effectively in English with diverse audiences.
4. Ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, considering the impact of food engineering solutions in the global, economic, environmental and social context.
5. Ability to function effectively in a team, whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, set goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
6. Ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use food engineering criteria to draw conclusions.
7. Ability to acquire and apply new food engineering knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
8. Design real food engineering solutions that propose unique value in response to specific needs considered from the point of view of those involved.
First Year
Description:
It is a core course for Engineering, Natural Sciences, Exact Sciences, and Social Sciences and Humanities, students. Topics, such as, topological notions, limits and continuity of real variable functions, derivatives and their applications, antiderivatives and integration techniques, and the definite integral with its applications, are examined. This course is aimed to the development of student’s skills and know-how in the derivation and integration processes, as a fundamental basis for the following upper level courses in its academic training process
Description:
Physics: Mechanics is a basic, theoretical-practical training course aimed at engineering students, with laboratory experimentation activities, which provides the fundamentals of particle mechanics, rigid bodies and fluid mechanics, in an environment of active learning.
Description:
In this course, students apply the Design Thinking methodology to identify, analyze real-life problems or needs, to design innovative solutions. Students work in multidisciplinary teams to present solution proposals that add value to customers/users from private companies, public organizations and non-profit organizations.
Description:
This basic and general education subject presents grammatical structures to produce a simple paragraph based on a writing program. Additionally, it allows the identification of a specific argument in oral and written communication. It also considers learners’ personal opinions about different topics related to social, academic, and professional aspects. It includes the necessary vocabulary to make comparisons between present and past, books or movies description, creation of simple students’ profile, opinions about inventions, formal apologies and tell past events.
Description:
General Chemistry is a theoretical-practical course aimed at the basic training of professionals in the areas of Engineering and Natural Sciences, which provides a scientific basis of the matter and its interactions, and seeks to develop in students the ability to solve problems related to the content of the subject. It begins with an Introduction to Thermochemistry, then the analysis of the physicochemical properties derived from the state of aggregation of matter: liquids, solids and solutions, the study of the Kinetics and Equilibrium of reactions and solubility.
Description:
Vector calculus is a course aimed at the basic training of professionals in the areas of Engineering, Exact Sciences and Natural Sciences who developed problem-solving and problem-solving skills in the n-dimensional context. For this purpose, the course consists of 5 general themes: three-dimensional analytic geometry and functions of several variables, differential calculus of scalar and vector fields, optimization of scalar functions of several variables, line integrals and multiple integration, surface integrals and theorems of the vector theory; being the main applications of this course: the optimization of functions of several variables applied to practical problems, the calculation of lengths, area, volumes, work and flow, using objects of the plane and space.
Description:
The course presents students with strategies to solve common problems in various professional fields through the design and implementation of solutions based on the use of a programming language. It covers the basic principles so that the student can read and write programs; emphasizing the design and analysis of algorithms. In addition, it introduces students to the use of development and debugging tools.
Description:
The course of General Biology belongs to the basic subjects and is aimed at students who are in the first year. It addresses the study of living beings, from the organization and properties of biological macromolecules to the structure, function and composition of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Additionally, there is a unit comprising an overview of cellular metabolism. Subunits involving the examination of the functions performed by the organelles are also included. This program also incorporates the study of genetic material, how it is inherited and its role for the observable characteristics of each living being. Techniques and methods of analysis of experimental data, case studies and application of the scientific method and critical thinking are used, which are essential for the understanding of biological sciences in its trasnversal fields
Description:
This basic formation course describes the solution to problems of temperature change, phase change and fluid transport. Fundamental concepts of thermodynamics are used to calculate the energy required to heat or cool solids, liquids and gases, and produce phase changes. Fundamentals of fluid mechanics are used to calculate the necessary power to transport liquids and gases through pipes using turbomachines such as pumps and fans. Also, laboratory practices are used to illustrate concepts of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics.
Description:
This subject of basic formation and general education presents the grammatical structures for the production of an academic paragraph, through the development of the writing program in a transversal way. In addition, it allows the identification of specific arguments in oral and written communication, considering the production of one's own criteria on different topics of a social, academic or professional nature. The necessary vocabulary is also applied to refer to the different forms of communication, share work experiences and the use of digitl technology, tell short stories about interpersoanl relationship and personalities, and comment on the future of the environment.
Description:
Organic Chemistry is a course for Biology, Nutrition and Dietetics, Food, Agriculture, and Aquaculture students. This course studies the principal rules of IUPAC nomenclature for the naming of organic compounds; also includes the study of the structures, properties, and reactions of organic compounds with a wide interest in several industries. Active learning, discussion, and problem-solving in the laboratory are part of the course teaching methodology, which contributes to the development of skills for the design and execution of laboratory tests.
Second Year
Description:
This initial-level professional training subject of the Food Engineering career studies the fundamentals of food microbiology. The course addresses the generalities and morphological, chemical, genetic and metabolic characteristics of food-spoilage microorganisms, as well as the factors that affect their growth. Finally, the course analyzes the different spoilage microorganisms for each food group.
Description:
This course is placed in the initial level of the Food Engineering Program and its purpose is to study the chemical fundamentals of foods, according to their main components: water, proteins, enzymes, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and flavor, aroma and color components. The course studies the structures and physicochemical properties of these components as well as the important changes occurring during processing and storage. In addition, the main food spoilage reactions are analyzed, including the factors that affect them and the measures for their control in the food industry.
Description:
In this subject, we study the development of the academic prosumer profile of the students, which should be consolidated throughout each individual's life, based on the processing of complex, holistic, and critical thinking. We aim to foster understanding and the production of academic knowledge through rigorous analysis of realities and readings from various academic/scientific sources.
Description:
This is a training basic course training and provides the knowledge to the engineering and science student can convert data into information, associate everyday situations with statistical processes, and determine scientific conclusions through experimental observations, applying descriptive statistics, notions of probability, models of random variables and inferential analysis.
Description:
This transversal course is aimed at the basic training of students in the engineering area who require mathematical foundations to analyze the differential equations that arise in the process of modeling natural phenomena in the different areas of study. The course combines classical quantitative methods, such as integration of linear and non-linear differential equations and systems of equations and Laplace transforms, with qualitative methods that make use of relevant topics in linear algebra, which in turn are developed in an integrated and effective way.
Description:
This subject of basic instruction and general education presents grammatical topics for the elaboration of an outline and a structured composition, through the development of the writing program in a transversal way. In addition, it allows the identification of arguments in oral and written communication on contemporary and academic topics. Additionally, appropriate vocabulary is applied to discuss issues related to different cultures, places where we live, everyday news, entertainment media, and past and future opportunities.
Description:
This initial-level professional training subject of the Food Engineering career provides the foundations of analytical and instrumental chemistry for the determination of the physicochemical properties and composition of foods. The course studies instrumental analysis methods, data evaluation and interpretation of food analysis results, as well as different sampling techniques. Finally, the methods of analysis of the compositional of foods and their physicochemical and thermal properties are addressed.
Description:
This initial-level professional training subject of the Food Engineering career addresses the fundamentals of food biochemistry. The course studies the metabolism and digestion of biomolecules present in food, the characteristics of enzymes and their enzymatic mechanisms in food. In addition, the course analyzes the enzymatic and non-enzymatic changes by type of food that influence their functionality and stability.
Description:
This professional training subject of initial-level of the Food Engineering career studies the tools of quality control and sensory evaluation of food. The course addresses the concepts of quality, the use of control charts, root cause analysis, as well as strategies to implement solutions in processes out of statistical control. In addition, the course covers statistical tools and factorial design used to reduce the variability of a process. Finally, this subject addresses the principles for sensory panel and the main sensory tests for food: discriminative, descriptive, and affective.
Description:
This entry-level vocational course addresses the fundamentals of engineering in food. The first part of the course addresses the generalities of unit operations in food processes. The second part addresses the principles and problems of balance of matter, energy balance, and mass and energy balance in stationary and non-stationary regime, integrating application problems and analysis in the economic, environmental and social aspects of the industry food
Description:
This initial level professional training subject of the Food Engineering career addresses the fundamentals of food safety. The course studies pathogenic microorganisms and chemical hazards in food, as well as methods for controlling microbial growth in the food industry. Finally, the microbiological quality of food is analyzed under the standards and regulations of national and international organizations.
Description:
This subject of basic formation and general education, presents the grammar structures to produce a persuasive essay, through the transversal development of the writing programme. In addition, it allows students to identify specific arguments in the oral and written communication, as well as, to express their own opinions about different topics of social, academic, or professional fields. It also includes the necessary vocabulary to stablish a conversation, narrate situations of their environment, activities to reach their goals, analyze cause and effect and personal and professional opportunities.
Description:
In this initial level professional course, the rheology of fluids and complexmaterials is addressed, as well as the energy balance for non-Newtonian fluids applied to transport systems. In addition, several applications in the industry are studied, which include the rheological properties of certain industrial flows, fluid handling equipment and certain computational methods to predict their behavior.
Third Year
Description:
The content of the subject is aimed at students of the intermediate level of the career of Food Engineering. This vocational training course shows the technologies of handling and processing of fruits and vegetables for fresh products, minimally processed, preserved by heat and freezing, and of medium and low water activity. The subject addresses the manufacturing processes, raw materials, equipment and the legal considerations that govern the elaboration of the products, as well as the production costs. Finally, it is analyzed the effects of technological processes on the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the products.
Description:
This transversal course addresses the conditions required to innovate and the process associated with developing an innovation from an entrepreneurial point of view. Subsequently, topics such as the identification of opportunities, value creation, and prototyping and validation of products/services proposals are reviewed, as well as the elements of the business model and financial considerations that are essential for the feasibility and adoption of an innovation. Finally, entrepreneurial competences and process associated with the development and adoption of an innovation are studied.
Description:
This professional training course covers the study of microorganisms and enzymes for the transformation of simple and complex raw materials, into different foods or additives for use in the food industry. The first part of the course begins with an overview of main microorganisms of industrial interest, as well as their cultivation conditions. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of the types of fermentation are established taking in count the technological point of view. The second part of the course focuses on the analysis of different enzymes, their kinetics on a substrate, and the various applications in the processing of dairy, meat, and vegetable products. Finally, the course focuses on the basic design of bioreactors and their application in the food industry.
Description:
This intermediate level course studies the concepts and tools of operations management. The course deals the formulation and resolution of linear programming problems applied to decision making in production environments. In addition, inventory models, production planning and control, and just-in-time production systems (JIT) and theory of restrictions (TOC) are analyzed.
Description:
This subject is of professional training, intermediate level for engineering careers. Encompass the study of Heat and Mass Transfer fundamentals needed to analyze and resolve heat and mass transfer problems in the unit operations commonly used in the food processing industry. This course proposes the study of conductive (stable and transient), convective (forced and natural), and an introduction to radiative heat transfer, as well as the fundamentals of diffusive and convective mass transfer (stable and transient).
Description:
This course in the intermediate level of the Food Engineering program addresses technologies for processing, conservation, and storage of dairy products. Fresh milk, processed and concentrated milk, creams, butter, ice cream, yogurt, fermented dairy beverages, cheeses, whey and derivatives are studied in this course. For each product, chemical composition and structure, physicochemical properties and microbiological and toxicological aspects are also studied. In addition, this course addresses manufacturing processes, raw materials, equipment and legal considerations that govern the production of these products. Finally, during this course the effects of technological processes on the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of products are analyzed.
Description:
This intermediate level professional course deals the technologies that allow the manipulation and conservation of raw materials and the obtaining of food products that are mainly based on pork, beef, chicken, fish and eggs , evaluating the physical, chemical and biological processing treatments, as well as the formulation and packaging of the final product.
Description:
This is an intermediate-level professional training course of the Food Engineering career. The course addresses the design and validation of thermal processes applied in the food industry. In the first stage of the course, the types of heat exchangers and their technical specifications necessary to design an aseptic process are studied. In the second stage of the course, the microorganism's thermal death kinetics in a pasteurization or sterilization process are studied. Also, the methodologies for conducting a heat penetration and heat distribution are lectured. Finally, the design and evaluation of thermal processes to ensure food safety is addressed.
Description:
This subject is of professional training, intermediate level for the food engineering career. Encompass the study of drying, solid-liquid extraction, gas absorption, membrane separation, distillation, agitation, and mixing operations. In each studied unit, operation variables of the process are calculated, and food processing equipment is selected. The ability to comprehensive reading academic and scientific texts in English
Description:
This transversal training course for all students of the institution has five chapters. It introduces the key principles of sustainability and the path to sustainable development. Addresses ecological principles by deepen into biodiversity, ecosystems, human population and ecosystem services. Study the fundamentals of renewable and non-renewable resources as well as the alternatives for sustainable use. Analyzes environmental quality specifically in the air, water and soil components, delving into issues such as climate change, eutrophication and deforestation. Finally, it emphasizes on the economic axis with topics such as circular economy and on the social axis on topics such as governance and urban planning.
Fourth Year
Description:
This professional training course, contributes with the methodology for the development of new products under a consumer influence approach. The criteria for the design of a new food product, the generation of ideas, the stages of the product development process, the types of prototyping and the validation of a food prototype are studied. It also addresses fundamental aspects for the commercialization of new food products, including the issue of patents and intellectual property in Ecuador.
Description:
This professional training course covers the study of food preservation processes at low temperatures, such as cooling and freezing. In the first part, the course deals with the thermodynamic fundamentals necessary to understand the functioning of these conservation systems at low temperatures. The course includes calculation of the refrigeration load and energy requirements based on the nature of the fproduct , the requirements and the processing capacity. With regard to food freezing, the course focuses on the different stages of crystallization, its influence on the thermal properties of the product and the equipment used in the industry. Additionally, the freezing times and energy requirements are established according to the chosen freezing method. Finally, the topics of novelties in this field of food preservation are addressed
Description:
This advanced-level professional training course of Food Engineering career covers mathematical models study related to the fluids transport, heat transfer, and mass transfer used at processes simulation in the food industry. Additionally, resource optimization is addressed through response surface methodology application, which involves first, second, and third-order models.
Description:
This advanced-level professional training subject studies the technologies for the processing of farinaceous, oilseed and derivatives. The course addresses cereals, pseudo-cereals, starches, bakery products, and extruded cereals. In the area of oils and fats, the characteristics of oilseeds and the extraction, formulation and modification processes are studied. Finally, the course analyzes the effects of technological processes on physical, chemical and biological characteristics.
Description:
This subject is professional training at the advanced level of the Food Engineering career. The subject addresses the fundamentals of food sanitation and hygiene, cleaning and sanitation methods in the food industry, the basic elements that make up a safety system: GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) and SSOP (Standardized Sanitation Operating Procedures ) for the establishment of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system applied to the food industry.
Description:
This advanced-level professional training course of Food Engineering career includes study´s phases of plant design in the food industry. The course analyzes methodologies and criteria that allow the facility's implementation in a hygienic and efficient way. The methods related to the planning, location, and size of facilities are addressed. Finally, methodologies associated with the improvement of productive processes and industrial resources management are analyzed.
Description:
In this advanced level integrating subject, a project is carried out that applies knowledge acquired in the Food Engineering degree. In the first part of the course, user needs are identified, the problem or opportunity is defined, and critical factors are analyzed. In the second part, alternative solutions framed in the regulations and restrictions of each user are proposed. Finally, the feasible solution is designed and validated, as well as the costs are estimated.
Additional
ARTS, SPORTS AND LANGUAGES ELECTIVE COURSES
1 credits - 1.9 ECTS
HUMANITIES ELECTIVE COURSES
1 credits - 1.9 ECTS
SELECTED ELECTIVE COURSE
3 credits - 5.8 ECTS
SELECTED ELECTIVE COURSE
3 credits - 5.8 ECTS
Professional skills: After 4 years of study you will be able to contribute to the food industry, being able to design, control and improve processes
food. Our graduates apply science and engineering to the development of safe, sustainable and innovative products.
Occupational profile
Our graduates are involved in food production industries of human and animal consumption, companies related to the production and sale of inputs for the food sector. In addition, they are developed in free exercise through consulting, advisory services and being part of public agencies.
In order for the student to enter the graduation process, he must meet the following requirements:
- Have approved all the subjects of the curriculum
- Have completed 400 hours of pre-professional practices and/or internships and links with society
- Have completed your integration project.
The Capstone Project is a culminating requirement for graduation. These projects provide students with the experience of applying acquired knowledge and skills to the needs of society, with a focus on sustainability.
The IDEAR Fair showcases all Capstone projects, offering students a valuable opportunity to showcase their work and hone soft skills such as communication and teamwork. It is also a space for students to network with potential clients and future employers.
Explore all of the Capstone projects completed by the Food Engineering program.
DID YOU KNOW?
This career belongs to the list of the 10 careers of the future, whose professionals will be needed all over the world. That is why we train polytechnics with experience in the design, development, conservation, processing, packaging, distribution and use of safe, nutritious food with pleasant sensory characteristics.
