The Processing Plant for Fruit and Vegetable Products has more than 10,000 ft2 of areas destined for the processing of fruits and vegetables and for the students learning experience. It has a classroom for instructions before daily activities and a quality control laboratory for supplies and finished products. The Plant also has diverse spaces and human resources to host groups of 15-20 students for their work schedule (Learning by Doing) which is composed of three production lines (Sweet line, Salty line and Dry line) involving various materials for vegetative origin.
Established in 1990, the Processing Plant for Fruit and Vegetable Products is one of the learning pillars regarding food processing in Latin America under the “Learning by Doing” system practiced at the Pan-American School of Agriculture, Zamorano. With more than 10,000 ft2 of facilities, the plant has various areas dedicated to food production and education for students which are responsible for the activities that take place in this unit with the intention of exposing them to real working situations in a food plant of this nature.
The plant comprises of a classroom for instructions given before daily activities and complementary theory to practices developed in the production line; a laboratory for quality control and analysis of primary materials, products during manufacture and final products; and a semi-industrial production area with equipment capable of transforming prime material from fruits and vegetables into a diverse group of products which are commercialized internally (for students, faculty and other residents that work and live near the campus) and externally to various supermarkets in Tegucigalpa.
The plant is focused in the processing of three product lines: the sweet line which comprises the production of jams, jellies, concentrates, syrups and juices; the salty line which comprises the production of sauces, pickled products, and vinegar; and the dry line which includes products based from roasted coffee. In addition to the concept of fruit and vegetable processing, the plant offers the knowledge of technological and responsible food processing. Students learn to work using various concepts about adequate sanitary activities and quality control, utilizing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in the production and product inventory management and Standard Sanitation Operating Procedures (SSOP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to offer high quality food products that accomplish the food hygiene required by costumers.
Innovation
The development of food products and their continuous quality improvement are pillars of the investigations performed by senior food science students in Zamorano. The plant constantly works in the effort to diversify its product mix trying to use fruits and vegetables from the region in order to of benefit and develop the agro-industry of Latin American countries.
Projection and Outreach
Together with Zamorano’s Investigation and Development Plant, the Processing Plant for Fruit and Vegetable Products hosts micro and small entrepreneurs, mainly from the Central-American region, to instruct them in topics regarding processing of prime materials of fruit and vegetable origins, waste management and other topics related to this agro-economic activity following quality and hygiene standards to promote and develop a solid and responsible agro-industry in the region.
