Internship, R&D, Microbiology

Could you see yourself in a global leading company? Being a part of a company that is a leading supplier in dairy nutrition, know for its high level of quality, innovation and food safety? If your study field is within Food Microbiology or Food Technology and you are ready to kick-start your career within a global company, then this is your chance to join our teams at our state-of-the-art Innovation Center.

Arla Foods Ingredients is a subsidiary of Arla Foods, a global dairy cooperative owned by dairy farmers in six countries. The microbiology team is located in Nr Vium, Denmark. It focuses on dairy processing, analysis, predictive modelling and challenge tests.

Arla Foods Ingredients – Powering Nutrition together!

Arla Foods Ingredients is an independent company within the Arla Foods Group, consisting of a little over 1700 colleagues globally. We are the global leader in improving premium nutrition and our purpose is clear: Together we discover and deliver powerful nutrition for a stronger tomorrow.

Together with our customers, research partners, suppliers, NGO´s and others, we discover and deliver ingredients and products that can advance lifelong nutrition for the benefit of consumers around the world.

Read more about what it means to work with Arla Foods Ingredients: 

https://www.arlafoodsingredients.com/about/career/#career

How you will make an impact

As an intern at Arla Foods Ingredients you will get insights and real responsibility from the beginning. Together with experienced colleagues you will be part of working with tasks and projects that can have an impact on our business.

By setting up a structured approach you will start doing practical work with different biofilm model system. We expect that the outcome of your internship will end up in a report and presentation that will be presented and shared both in our company and at the university.

The internship - The bactericidal effect of cleaning agents on dairy biofilms

Whey and milk are the major materials used for processing at AFI. Whey is the liquid residue of cheese and casein production. It is increasingly recognized as a very nutritious food source because of its high-value proteins and fats.

Whey comprises 80-90% of the total volume of milk. It contains soluble proteins, lactose, vitamins and minerals. Whey ingredients can be used for different applications, including early life nutrition, medical applications, baking, dairy, and sports nutrition. A high microbial quality and safety is required for many whey ingredients. At the same time, whey ingredients may not undergo severe heat processing, as whey proteins should be kept intact.

The microbial quality of whey ingredients is determined by the quality of the incoming whey and the conditions and hygienic design during further processing. Some bacteria can enter the production via the raw material, others enter via processing water and accumulate in the equipment. Many different contact materials are used by the whey industry: stainless steel, but also different types of membranes, permitting complex filtration processes.

Many bacteria are capable of forming biofilms. Some of these biofilms are difficult to remove by cleaning agents. Many cleaning agents are available, but they cannot all be considered for whey processing. Chemical residues are unwanted in foods intended for infants and medical use. The use of corrosive agents needs to be limited.

A literature research is already available on cleaning agents and their effect on different dairy bacteria on different surfaces. In this internship, the focus will be on practical work on different biofilm model systems, with a first focus on static biofilms. A selected group of dairy bacteria and cleaning agents will be considered. Biofilm model experiments will be performed in Nr Vium, and possibly partly in Aarhus.

Education and experience

• MSc student in Food Microbiology or Food Technology
• Reporting in English

What do we offer?

You will from day one be integrated into our microbiology team. The team is part of our innovation department, but works across the organization, and is closely connected to the Supply Chain and Quality department. In 2021, a new innovation center has been opened in western Jutland (Denmark), in which 100 employees of 10 nationalities are working, focusing on functional and nutritional ingredients. In other words, this will be your chance to get insights into how one of the world leading companies with the field is working with research and development. 

The Internship will take place in the autumn of 2024. Starting in August/September.

Would you like to join us

We look forward to receiving your application. We process applications continuously. Send us your application as soon as you can – we are eager to learn more about you.

Please specify in your application the exact period for your internship. For additional information, please contact Ellen Wemmenhove at ellen.wemmenhove@arlafoods.com.

We have a purpose for Good

At Arla, we strive to unlock the highest potential in each other while working together to create a sustainable future of dairy. We call it Stronger People Stronger Planet and it is deeply anchored in our organisation and founded on our commitment to respecting human rights, increasing access to healthy dairy nutrition, inspiring good food habits, and improving the environment for future generations. In order to succeed we need to hire people with a sustainable mindset. Could this be you?

BEWARE! RECRUITMENT FRAUD
It has come to our attention that there are a number of fraudulent emails and fake recruitment campaigns on the internet from people purporting to work for Arla Foods. Learn more via this link.

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